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Good nutrition is even more important as you enter your 40s. Here are some diet tips that women can follow to stay healthy and fit as they age.

In your 40s? Here are 5 diet tips that will help women stay in tip-top shape  |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

New Delhi: As you age, it’s even more important to watch what you eat, because that’s one of the best things you can do for your health. Perhaps, your metabolism slows down, you begin to lose muscle, and your body undergoes a lot of changes as you turn 40. Women, like men, can struggle with weight and other medical conditions such as hypertension, heart issues, obesity, high blood pressure or cholesterol levels upon turning 40. But a healthy, balanced diet along with a regular exercise routine, good sleep, low stress can help you maintain weight and improve overall health and well-being.

Perhaps, it’s completely natural for women going through the stage of menopause or peri-menopause to experience a variety of emotions, whether it’s PMS, tiredness, anxiety, depression, or difficulty concentrating. But, eating right and making other healthier lifestyle choices can help you keep health problems at bay. Yet, knowing what to eat or which foods work best for you and your needs will help you stay healthy and fit way past age 40. Check these metaboost connection reviews.

What to eat, what to avoid to stay healthy and look fab in your 40s

Good nutrition is even more important as you enter your 40s. So, what should you put on your plate? Dr Alka Bharti, consultant nutritionist & dietician, Motherhood Hospital, Kharadi, Pune, shares some diet and nutrition tips for women over 40:

1. Load up on fibre: Adding whole grains to your diet can help improve metabolism, prevent or relieve constipation. Foods high in fibre can aid weight loss. A high-fibre diet may help lower blood sugar or cholesterol levels, lower your risk of certain cancers, and maintain bowel health. Replacing refined grains like white bread and white rice with whole grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice, and oats) will help you get more fibre from your diet. Moreover, salads are a good source of fibre. Eat coloured salads – spinach, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, or even raisins, oranges, and strawberries to stay healthy. These ingredients contain fibre, potassium, antioxidants, and vitamin C. Fibre also helps keep the skin elastic and protect it against the harmful UV rays of the sun. If you already have high blood pressure, eating more whole-grain foods might help lower your blood pressure. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Mediterranean diet both recommend eating whole grains.
2. Eliminate white stuff from the diet: Do you tend to eat those sugar-laden foods or have snacks or namkeens loaded with salt? Then, you are doing it all wrong. Beyond 40, it is necessary to bid adieu to the white stuff. Too much salt in the diet negatively impacts blood pressure because it causes the body to retain water. It is this extra water that raises blood pressure. You will be shocked to know that this, in turn, strains the heart, kidneys, arteries, and the brain. Give up fried, processed, junk, and spicy foods too. Salt is also present in high amounts in cheese, frozen food, and that yummy pizza. Eating a lot of sweets can be harmful as it can speed up the ageing process, cause high blood glucose, leading to diabetes. Not only this, other problems like heart disease, kidney or nerve damage can also occur. Say no to aerated drinks, sweets, ice creams, and chocolates. So, try to eliminate added salt and refined sugar from the diet. You can speak to your expert about healthier alternatives to added sugar and salt.
3.  Eat foods rich in lutein: Cognitive problems occur as you age -memory issues, difficulty in concentrating, or confusion are some of the common problems. Opt for foods packed with lutein, a pigment that is present in many fruits and vegetables like green leafy vegetables and carrots. Eat spinach, asparagus, seafood, or snack on a cup of sunflower seeds as they are jam-packed with vitamin nutrients, including E linked to memory and vision. Visit https://www.collegian.psu.edu/the_savvy_student/testoprime-review-2022—what-makes-it-number-one-testosterone-booster/article_521ae7d4-180c-11ed-a11a-d363dde7aa63.html.
4. Say ‘yes’ to antioxidants: Want a radiant skin at and beyond the 40s? Then, don’t forget to include antioxidants in your diet. That’s because your skin loses elasticity and you may spot wrinkles, blemishes, and black spots as you age. Add omega-3 fatty acids in your diet to nourish your skin. You can eat salmon, sardine, and mackerel for this.
5. Protein and calcium are must: Whether you want to stay strong, increase muscle mass, or reduce fractures and falls, include lean meats, fish, eggs as well as veggie options like beans, lentils, nuts, and grains, in your diet. Speak to your nutritionist about the quantity of protein that you must eat as going overboard with the nutrient isn’t a good idea. A lack of calcium invites bone loss, which increases during menopause because of the body’s natural loss of estrogen. Make sure you are eating enough calcium by eating foods like seeds, yogurt, almonds, figs, lentils, etc, to keep your bones healthy.