The Way You Ate 10 Years Ago? Here’s Why It’s Not Working For You Now

Almost as soon as you blow out the birthday candles — and how did there get to be so many, anyway? — you may notice changes in the way your body processes the food you eat. Especially if you’re 50 or over.

“The biggest complaint I get from clients is that the diet they followed 10 years ago is no longer working for them today,” said registered dietitian nutritionist Lisa Moskovitz. “They may find it easier to gain weight while eating those same foods of a decade ago, or they’re finding that sugar and carbs affect them differently.”

It’s happening because nutritional needs naturally change with age. “It’s not an overnight transition, but with hormonal and metabolic shifts over time, along with lifestyle changes, there are nutrients the body needs more or less of,” Moskovitz said. And those hormonal shifts apply to both women and men.

If you were hoping this was the part where we told you that a minimum daily intake of cheese doodles and lasagna were needed for your golden years — yeah, that’s not going to happen. To break it to you quickly, you need fewer calories and more nourishment, plain and simple. Registered dietitian Kinga Balogh put it this way: “As your body ages, you may be needing a lower overall amount of food, mostly due to decreased activity patterns, yet the need for essential nutrients often goes up.”

How many fewer calories are we talking here? Moskovitz offered this handy rule of thumb: “Cut back about 100 calories and increase about 5 grams of protein per day for every 10 years on earth. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but something that can guide you throughout various life stages.”

While you’re taking in fewer calories, you may also have noticed that foods that never bothered you before are now contributing to digestive problems. There’s a good reason for that, said Dr. Dale Bredesen, senior director of the Precision Brain Health Program at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute. “Over the years, we can become more sensitive to salt, simple carbohydrates, ultra processed food and toxins,” he said. “Because we’re all different, it’s important to note your own response, and work with a knowledgeable nutritionist or physician.”

If you’ve just gone through menopause (and congrats on making it through, you brave hot flash warrior), you might notice changes with your diet, too, Moskovitz said: “Many women find that post-menopause is when they notice an increased sensitivity with certain foods, which can manifest as gastrointestinal issues and weight management difficulties.”

There’s no such thing as a perfect food or a food you should eat all the time. But whenever you can choose a whole, nutritious food over an ultra processed one, you’ll be doing your future self a big favour. And in the meantime, upping your intake of protein, calcium and fibre can get you started in the right direction.

People over age 65 should eat 0.45 to 0.55 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily, or about 68 to 83 grams for a 150-pound person.

Why is it so important? Dr. Mikhail Kogan, the medical director at the GW Center for Integrative Medicine and an associate professor of geriatric and palliative medicine, said that protein replaces what’s naturally lost with age. “Older adults need higher protein intake to preserve muscle mass and prevent sarcopenia, which is age-related muscle loss,” he said. Sources like lean meats, fish, legumes and plant-based proteins will help you meet daily goals. Four ounces of chicken, beef or pork contains 25 to 30 grams of protein; a cup of Greek yogurt has 23 grams of protein; and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter contain 7 grams of protein.

If you think that muscle loss won’t affect you for a while, the bad news is that it’s probably already started. “This involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength and function begins in your 30s and 40s, and picks up steam between the ages of 65 and 80,” Balogh said. “You may lose up to 8% of your muscle mass per decade.” Balogh also noted that men need to be particularly careful: “In general, men have slightly higher protein requirements than women, since protein requirements are based on body weight, and theirs tends to be higher.”

Women 51 and older need 1,200 mg of daily calcium, while men need 1,000 mg daily. Everyone over 70 needs 1,200 mg.

“Seniors, who are at higher risk of bone loss, benefit greatly from putting an emphasis on eating calcium-rich foods,” Balogh said. The reason is that those foods, she said, can “stimulate more calcium uptake by bones, increasing bone mineral density, reducing the risk of bone loss and helping avoid fractures.”

She noted that, unlike protein, women are usually directed to eat more calcium than men. Women need to incorporate at least one extra serving of calcium-rich food. This additional amount could be a serving of yogurt, a portion of salmon or a glass of milk, all of which have about 200 mg of calcium.

Women over 50 need 21 grams daily, and men need 30 grams.

“Seniors certainly benefit from added fibre in their diet, as fibre helps the passage of food through the digestive system,” Balogh said. “With aging, it is common to notice a more sluggish transit time of food.

Fibre comes to the rescue by offering a reliable remedy against constipation, bloating and abdominal cramps. She noted that more fibre requires more fluid, too. “Optimising fluid intake while opting for fibre-rich foods is sound nutritional advice.”

“To maintain digestive health and prevent constipation, you should increase the fibre you get from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes,” Kogan said. Examples include 15.5 grams of fibre in a cup of cooked lentils, 5 grams from a cup of cooked broccoli or 20 grams from one serving of chia pudding.

It’s easy to look back on a lifetime of less-than-stellar food choices and feel as if there’s not much that can be done now. But these experts said there’s still time. One example is with calcium intake, which can still do a body good at any age, said Kogan: “While many assume they’ve missed the boat on calcium, it’s never too late. While bone density peaks in early adulthood, calcium intake in your 60s and beyond can still help slow bone loss and reduce fracture risk, especially when paired with vitamin D. The key is pairing these nutrients with weight-bearing exercises for better absorption and use.”

Bredesen agreed, saying, “It’s never too late to improve your diet. Even relatively advanced conditions such as cardiovascular disease, some cognitive decline or arthritis can be improved with optimal diet and lifestyle approaches.”