Nutrition Needs In Your 30s, 40s and 50s

You don’t have to act your age. And you definitely don’t have to look it: After all, 50 is the new 30. (Hello, have you seen Madonna lately?)

But when it comes to nutrition, eating the best foods for your age is the secret to conquering the changes going on in your body -- and to fueling up for the challenges in your life. That’s why we created this guide to what you need most, and why, when you’re in your 30s, 40s and 50s.

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You're balancing work, babies, fitness and friends. If there were a medal for multitasking, you'd get the gold. Must haves: Iron, folic acid and calcium. You need 18 milligrams of iron each day to help you steer clear of anemia and to boost your immune system. Trying to get pregnant? Folic acid is key: Getting 400 micrograms daily will help prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida. Calcium is essential for keeping those bones strong; you start losing bone mass after 35. Women 19 to 50 need 1,000 mg per day, but more than half of us don't get it.

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You're balancing work, babies, fitness and friends. If there were a medal for multitasking, you'd get the gold.

Must haves: Iron, folic acid and calcium. You need 18 milligrams of iron each day to help you steer clear of anemia and to boost your immune system. Trying to get pregnant? Folic acid is key: Getting 400 micrograms daily will help prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida. Calcium is essential for keeping those bones strong; you start losing bone mass after 35. Women 19 to 50 need 1,000 mg per day, but more than half of us don't get it.

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Comments

[Terri Lorz]

08:12 AM on 05/28/2011

I have been amazed at how different I feel - I am really making changes to reflect that - thanks for the advice.

Terri Jo Lorz

[HerrMonk]

07:24 PM on 05/03/2011

Did Kellog's and General Mills write this?

[Kev n]

05:24 PM on 05/01/2011

Men should not be taking iron in any supplements.

[jmichaelmunger]

09:07 PM on 05/01/2011

That's what I was thinking and had always been told since we don't have that "monthly letting."

[Finnegans Wake]

01:29 PM on 05/17/2011

But we can give blood every 8 weeks.

Which reminds me...

[William Anderson LMHC]

02:42 PM on 05/01/2011

The biggest nutrition problem we have as we age is overconsumption and obesity. More than half of us are at high risk of disease and early death because of it. Addressing that properly with behavioral technique like 'Therapeutic Psychogenics' will do more to improve our health as we age than any other nutrition-oriented action. Losing weight permanently is not impossible, and in many cases, not even difficult with the right approach. All of these other considerations are worthwhile once the obesity problem is fixed, and they are futile if it is not.

William Anderson, LMHC, author of 'The Anderson Method', www.TheAndersonMethod.com

[rh654]

12:40 PM on 05/01/2011

How about if people just start cutting the crap out of their diet at all ages that alone would go farther than any supplements at getting a handle on health problems.

[portfolio]

11:46 AM on 05/01/2011

the article didn't mention bananas but they are a rich source of potassium and most of us don't get enough of it cause we eat too much salts

[RedLeg2]

05:04 AM on 05/01/2011

"eat food, not too much, mostly plants"
- Michael Pollan
I will add, drink water.

[cabinetmaniac]

08:19 AM on 05/01/2011

Seems so simple yet most don't get it.

☮

[Trittydi]

02:56 AM on 05/01/2011

400 IU of vitamin D3 a day?

Someone doesn't know what they're talking about - aside from the IOM that is.

This recommendation is dangerously irresponsible.

See the links below - then - if you want more information - go to www.vitamindcouncil.org. to get started. Find the VD Council on facebook and join the informed community there.

Please sign the petition below.

Betrayal of a Nation: Why U.S. health authorities are keeping you vitamin D3 deficient and who stands to gain:
http://www.naturalnews.com/032202_vitamin_D_deficiency_disease.html

Vitamin D3 conspiracy leads straight to Big Pharma :
http://www.healthiertalk.com/vitamin-d-conspiracy-leads-straight-big-pharma-3396

Vitamin D3 Report Panelist Has Ties to Big Pharma:
http://www.anh-usa.org/action-alert-is-the-institute-of-medicine-in-bed-with-big-pharma/

Vitamin D qualified cancer health claim submission being readied:
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Regulation/Vitamin-D-qualified-cancer-health-claim-submission-being-readied

Vitamin D3 Cancer Prevention Levels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSLyDxYMcz8&feature=player_embedded

8000 IUs of vitamin D3 daily necessary to raise blood levels of "miracle" anti-cancer nutrient, declares groundbreaking new research :
http://www.naturalnews.com/031577_vitamin_D_scientific_research.html

New Research on Vitamin D3, Part 1: Vitamin D is Unique:
http://www.wholefoodsmagazineonline.com/columns/vitamin-connection/new-research-vitamin-d-part-1-vitamin-d-unique

Petition:
Investigate the Institute of Medicine's Vitamin D Report:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/256/701/413/

[robinhood1]

12:16 AM on 05/02/2011

There is nothing stopping you from buying Vitamin D at you local drug store etc. I have been taking extra Vitamin D for several years now. It is inexpensive.

[Trittydi]

01:35 AM on 05/02/2011

I buy our 5,000, 10,000 and 50,000 IU VD3 pills on the internet.

Much cheaper than in the stores.
*

[Tina Yord]

01:25 PM on 05/05/2011

True, it is recommended to get vitamin D in the form of pills if not able to get enough from the food. So there is nothing wrong with this and it is actually advisable.

[f0rTyLeGz]

02:37 AM on 05/01/2011

What hooey! If you want to be fit and strong you must have aerobic exercise. You must ride a bike five days a week for an hour ALWAYs trying to go faster. When you are fit, you DON'T WANT to eat crap.

[BeHonest120]

09:18 PM on 05/03/2011

This may be fine for you but everyone is different. I must do aerobic exercises and ride a bike? Shattered my left leg so I'm limited on what I can do. I admit to being a bit flabby but take no medications and I am 70 years old and told I look 60. Ignore the fast foods and pay attention to what you eat. Until I hurt my leg five years ago I walked daily, did yard work and worked out with weights. I have become lazy but as long as I'm healthy I don't worry too much about it. I've earned it.

[baomike]

02:27 AM on 05/01/2011

Eat that stuff and life will end at 60, or at least you wish it would.

[SanJoaquinValleyGrower]

02:23 AM on 05/01/2011

Please tell me this article isn't a prime example of Huff post aol?
Because it's really stupid.

[Trittydi]

03:21 AM on 05/01/2011

Seriously - they should be embarrassed to put it up. Who's vetting this stuff?
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[George Braque]

01:55 AM on 05/01/2011

More filler content/click bait from HuffPo... A few years ago, this site didn't seem half bad.

[Trittydi]

03:22 AM on 05/01/2011

And it's a ridiculous article.
*

[sophie4nyc]

01:35 AM on 05/01/2011

Why is this article written under photos? Seriously, are we not deemed able to read an article-length texts any more - or was there a different reason why the editors found it necessary to distribute the text under stock photos of pills? Please respect our intelligence, this is not a HuffPost quality article.

[f0rTyLeGz]

02:38 AM on 05/01/2011

Page hits? They want the extra clicks?

[NoraHuffposter]

01:35 AM on 05/01/2011

Vitamin D recommendation that doesn't begin until the 50s? And only 400IU when many people, especially those in northern areas, may need as much as 10 times that amount?

This article should be taken down and rewritten. As others have written, most of these categories can be recommended to people of all ages including those younger than 30 and men. Green, leafy vegetables are crucial for everyone's health, for example. And lose the endorsement of the Total cereal. Fiber is best if from fruits and vegetables as they also contain water and other nutrients needed by the body.

[jessiependergrass]

01:28 AM on 05/01/2011

I'm a healthy eater, a vegetarian, read the labels and all that jazz, but sometimes I question the worth of it all. I look at my grandmas who lived in the country most of their life and ate a regular diet filled with fried foods, giant meals, lots of dairy, a few fruits and vegetables, etc. One of them died well into her nineties (never had a major medical concern and it was of complete natural causes), and the other is a very spry, feisty and full of life ninety-year-old bad-ass (and her mother almost hit the century mark and was equally as wild). And there are a lot of country folks like that. I don't know, it just makes me wonder.

[Dolphinfan65]

11:37 AM on 05/01/2011

@ Jessiependergrass; I think they lived that long, because They LIVED life, that long!! Just eating right is one part of life!! there life was EXERCISING and full to begin with.

[jessiependergrass]

11:48 PM on 05/01/2011

Very good point. That's exactly why I find this type of stuff kind of useless. So many people now forget what a whole life means and living life fully outside of living life by eating healthy foods.

[IowaGirl]

11:41 AM on 05/01/2011

I know what you're talking about as the older generation in my family pretty much all lived into their 90s and ate lots of high-fat food every meal, practically. But they were so much more physically active--people just didn't sit around watching tv or playing on computers hours every day. There would have been one day a week, maybe, where people actually took it easy. You have to be active to be fit.

In Iowa there are Amish and Mennonites that have very high-fat, high-carb diets but by and large they are a healthy population b/c they are ACTIVE. And obviously that includes not smoking, drinking, and doing drugs.

[jessiependergrass]

11:52 PM on 05/01/2011

True. I wish a lot more news stories like this would add things like... ways to be active in this decade of your life and take a more holistic approach.