How our dietary needs change after a certain age

Let’s face it, our metabolism slows down dramatically as we age.

That leaves us with a couple of choices.  Change what we eat and/or reduce the amount we eat.

Secondly we need to increase our exercise a bit.   I never did that.  I always tempted the devil and said…”I’ll worry about that tomorrow and I’ll make money today”.  That left me sitting at an office desk chair for years and years and building bad habits around food and alcohol.

It’s actually the antithesis of the FIRE movement, where I was saving to be Financially Independent, but there was a good chance I might not have made it to a certain age to enjoy it.

Can I “unlearn” bad habits?  That’s been a big challenge for me.   I’ve seen it so many times before, where people many years my senior are ambivalent about altering the habits that they grew up with.

Namely, replacing bad foods with healthier ones or realizing that they should be drinking less alcohol or NO alcohol period!

Books for healthier living

I’ve bought so many “belly fat” focused books, my head is still spinning.

Actually, one book that really hit home for me and made a difference was “Younger next year“.  It balances diet suggestions with exercise instruction.  If you’re looking for something you can get started with right away…start with that book. (they also have one specifically for women)  I’ve backslid since then and am going to need to get back on the horse after my upcoming hip replacement.  If you’d like a little more info on me you can check out my about me page.

This post is more about laying out part of my “editorial mission statement” for this blog and letting readers know what to expect in the future. I’m going to try to focus on what is practical, and what actually WORKS.  I’m open to any suggestions for content or specific posts.

As I sit here and watch Marlon Brando in Street Car named Desire”, and can only wonder how he went from svelte in 1951, to a seriously obese person when he died at 81 in 2004.  I just don’t want that to be me, and I’m willing to put in the work to avoid it, or more specifically work to live a healthier life.

Changing food landscape

Another big part of “Food after 50” is the rapidly changing tastes in food.  While America continues to have a good chunk of its adults live with obesity, there is still an ever increasing smorgasbord of food available.

Can I ever learn to enjoy Poke bowls and Acai bowls with toppings?  What are the benefits of Kombucha?   Hell, I’m still having a problem with just cranking out enough smoothies with bananas and berries.  How can I adapt in a healthy direction?

The landscape is definitely changing and I see it every day in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Healthier options are out there, but what is the best way to integrate these new foods into my diet and tastes?

What do I order and how can I best figure out what tastes good?  Also, how can I do that without looking like a fool?

Less acid and sugar

As we age, there is also a growing need to reduce acid to avoid and prevent acid reflux and other GI problems.   That means less coffee even though coffee continues to be hyper-marketed to us.

No one told me that eating Cap’n Crunch would rot my teeth and add too much sugar to my taste profile.  So as middle aged adults we need more resources to shift some of our tastes in a healthier direction.

I also hope younger people join me on this ride and chime in with suggestions and guidance, but I’m also hoping they take heed of some of the dangers of ignoring warning signs, or stopping bad habits before they become permanent.

Whatever stage your in, let’s learn and share together.

UPDATE: 2/3/2020

As a final note on this topic, I’ve updated some of my blog topics, and one thing that I noticed during my most recent time off is that I discovered cooking. This was something very new to me, even though my wife is an excellent cook and I used to work in a culinary school, personally, I never cooked much. However, when I took some extended time off, I found myself dabbling a bit more and found it to be fun. That’s why I’m adding this as a topic, so men who might not have traditionally been exposed to cultivating those skills, might feel more comfortable in branching out.