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14

s birthdays accumulate, so do the
roblems that interfere with our
ability to eat well.
For instance, by the time Stu-
/–
art was 30 he was well aware
that certain foods gave him
heartburn. When Paula turned
40 she knew she was lactose
intolerant (problems with di-
gesting dairy products, cramping after
drinking milk or eating some cheeses).
Karen avoided salt after she turned 50
because her body, especially her legs, tend-
ed to retain fluid. Michael cut down on
• foods high in cholesterol when he was 60
because of a cardiovascular problem.
Clara stopped eating fresh apples and
most fruit because she couldn't bite into
them at 70 with her dentures. And Nate
stopped cooking after his wife died; it was
lonely cooking for only one person at age
85.
The dilemma — whatever the age — is
that nutrition remains important. And
because more people are living longer, the
`-) needs of an aging population are shaping
/-
every facet of society in the
next century, including nu- Elissa Dishell
prepares
trition. Although the re-
a healthy
cently-revised recommended
breakfast.
daily allowances (RDAs) do
not distinguish among older adults of var-
ious ages, the food experts now agree that
the dietary needs of people in their 30s
and 40s are different from people in their
• 50s and 60s, which are also different from
• the nutrition needs of people in their 70s
and 80s.
Good nutritional habits never get old
but there are recognized changes in di-
etary needs as the birthdays add up. Many
of these are related to losing lean body
mass and reducing physical activity.
Less muscle tissue and lower expen-
ditures of energy require less calories. On
top of all this, we're often penalized in lat-
er life when chronic diseases develop, such
as osteoporosis, because we didn't take in

,9

RUTHAN BRODSKY

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

enough calcium when we were younger
and now our bones are brittle and easily
break.
The good news, however, is that good
nutrition, even late in life, does help lessen
the effects of diseases like osteoporosis and
even improve the quality of life for most
people.
The not-so-good news is that good nu-
trition means changing ways of thinking
and behaving.
After attending several lectures on nu-

Don Dishell practices yoga.

trition at the Canyon Ranch Spa in Cali-
fornia, Janice Cutler intensified her in-
terest in nutrition beyond counting
calories. "I read everything I can find,"
says Mrs. Cutler of Bloomfield Hills, "be-
cause getting old and trying to maintain
your figure and physical ability is hard
work.
"My husband Donald is on a no-choles-
terol diet because of his family history and
we watch our calories and take vitamins.
The word on what to eat and how much

changes all the time, so we try to use com-
mon sense and figure out what is best for
us.
"We have four very young grandchil-
dren and we need all the energy we can
muster. That seems to be working very
well for us."
Most people, including the young and
active, the not-so-young and active, and
the elderly can get the nutrients they need
by eating a variety of foods each day. In-
EATING page 74