Aging is a process, not a line to be crossed. Therefore, it is important to start preparing from middle and old age, especially after the age of 50 when muscle loss will accelerate. If you can save your meat and bones in middle age, you will have more money to live an autonomous and healthy life in your later years when your gastrointestinal absorption weakens and your “withdrawals” are more than your “deposits”.
After the age of 50, “eating” is very important, not only to control the total amount of calories, but also smart intake of protein.
How to catch calories after 50 years old?
Roughly speaking, women with low activity (not actively exercising, just going about their daily lives) have 1,600 calories per day; moderate activity is increased to 1,800 calories; and if they are active, it is 2,000 to 2,200 calories. The so-called medium is the equivalent of walking at a speed of 4 to 6 km per hour per day for about 2 to 4 km of activity, and active is to walk at that speed for more than 4 km.
The calories for men are about 200-400 calories for women, and the three conditions mentioned above can be taken as the basis of 2000-2200 calories, 2200-2400 calories and 2400-2800 calories respectively.
Within the calorie range, it is necessary to intelligently allocate which foods to eat. Protein should be increased in order to grow muscle; vegetables and fruits should also be increased to be healthier and reduce the chance of dementia; oil, sugar and salt should be reduced as much as possible.
Eating more protein can save meat
In recent years, the international concept of protein intake for the elderly has completely changed. In order to maintain and increase muscle mass, the latest recommendation is that the elderly should eat 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, for example, if a person weighs 60 kilograms, they should supplement 72 grams of protein a day.
It doesn’t look like much, does it? A piece of pork ribs is more than 100 grams, right?
This is exactly the myth, the fact is that about three-quarters of the people do not meet the target. The reason is that eating down does not mean absorbing, even if the best conversion rate of skinless boneless chicken thigh meat is only about 26%, which means that you have to eat about 280 grams a day, if it is pork loin and other meat, you have to eat more.
What if I’m a vegetarian? Don’t worry, plant protein is also a good source, for example, per 100 grams of soybeans contains an average of 36.5 grams of protein, peanuts 25.6 grams, almonds 24.4 grams, etc., are more rich in protein than chicken, pork and fish (13 to 19 grams per 100 grams), but the absorption rate is lower than meat, the effect is slower.
Protein is best spread out over three meals, but if you really can’t, it’s better to eat it at breakfast and lunch than to concentrate on dinner. The protein can be replenished immediately after exercise to accelerate muscle synthesis, which is a better time to eat than before exercise.
Protein with branched chain amino acids, better
Branched chain amino acids – leucine, isoleucine, valine – can regulate the synthesis and metabolism of body proteins, list of foods containing these amino acids.
White amino acids: brown rice, beans, meat, drupes, soy flour, whole wheat
Isoleucine: eggs, chicken, pork, lamb, beans, milk, cashews, cereals, soybeans, white cheese
Valine acid: fish, poultry, beef, white cheese, peanuts, sesame seeds, beans
Studies have proven that supplementing branched chain amino acids not only grows meat, but also slowly increases muscle strength, and if you want to get twice the result with half the effort, you have to exercise regularly. You will be able to develop strong muscles.
The elderly often do not feel hungry because their sense of taste and smell deteriorate, their metabolism slows down, or they have bad teeth and do not want to eat, or they have chronic diseases such as triglycerides and other chronic diseases, and their doctors advise them to avoid eating, all these reasons cause the elderly to become a candidate group for malnutrition, not only do they have insufficient total calories, but they also lack micronutrients and vitamins, such as vitamin D. Vitamin D supplementation can strengthen bones and prevent sarcopenia. It is important to consciously calculate the amount of food you eat and adjust it to a balanced and appropriate amount to live a happy life in old age.
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