Turning thirty might be considered a new twenty, however it is also a great reminder to start paying more attention to your physical health. Here are 5 modifications to make to your diet to help you stay healthy as you enter a new decade.
It is impossible to avoid getting older, however, you can age in a healthier way if you begin now. You may not be able to influence the entirety of how you age (genetics and the environment are out of your control), but there are aspects that you can manage, such as the foods you eat, the amount of exercise you get, how much stress you’re exposed to, and the quality of your sleep. These factors are more important than one might believe in protecting against long-term illnesses and promoting a longer life. Beginning to make alterations as soon as possible is beneficial, since even minor daily modifications can have a cumulative effect, either in a positive or negative way.
Embrace your 30s and make the most of this decade. Now that your body is no longer growing, it is important to keep providing it with nutrients so you can remain in good health and feel just as good in your 50s and beyond.
What Is a Healthy Diet?
It is not necessary to completely restrict yourself from foods you enjoy nor is it necessary to maintain an unrealistic thinness to have a healthy diet. It’s about feeling wonderful, having more vitality, enhancing your wellbeing, and lifting your spirits.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be overly complicated. It’s understandable if you’re feeling overwhelmed due to the abundance of different nutrition and dieting guidance that is available. You’re not the only one in this situation. It appears that whenever you hear one specialist proclaim that a certain food is beneficial for you, you will find another who states the exact opposite. It is important to take note of the overall diet pattern, rather than relying on certain foods or nutrients, in order to have a positive effect on one’s mood. One of the most important aspects of a nutritious diet is to substitute processed food with natural food as much as feasible. Consuming food in its most natural state can have a major impact on your cognitive, physical, and emotional health.
By following these basic guidelines, you can figure out how to make and persistently follow an appetizing, varied, and healthy eating regimen that is beneficial for both your mind and body.
The Fundamentals of Healthy Eating
It is not necessary to follow an excessive diet plan; on the contrary, it is important to attain a balanced consumption of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals in order to stay healthy. It is not necessary to eradicate certain food types from what you eat, instead opt for the most beneficial options from each food group.
Protein provides the fuel to get up and stay active, as well as aiding in mood regulation and brain performance. Excessive amounts of protein can be dangerous for those with kidney problems, however, the most recent studies indicate that the majority of us should be consuming more high-grade protein, particularly as we become older. It is not necessary that you consume more animal-based foods; you can get all of the required protein your body needs by eating various plant-based sources of protein every day.
Fat. Not all fat is the same. Consuming unhealthy fats can be detrimental to your health and elevate your chances of certain illnesses, whereas beneficial fats guard your cardiovascular system and brain. It is essential for both your physical and emotional wellbeing to include healthy fats, such as omega-3s, in your diet. Adding more beneficial fats to your diet can enhance your spirits, strengthen your overall health, and even reduce your waist size.
Fiber. Consuming meals with a great deal of dietary fiber (cereals, fruit, greens, nuts, and legumes) can help keep your bowels functioning regularly and reduce your danger of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can also enhance the appearance of your skin and even aid in weight loss.
Calcium. Not having enough calcium in your eating regimen can also result in osteoporosis, as well as contribute to feelings of stress, sadness, and sleeping issues. No matter how old you are or what your gender is, it is essential to incorporate calcium-rich foods into your diet, reduce intake of items that decrease calcium, and ensure you are getting enough magnesium, vitamins D and K to ensure calcium can do its job properly.
Carbohydrates provide your body with a significant amount of energy. But the majority of carbs you consume should be from unprocessed sources (veggies, entire grains, fruit) instead of sugar and refined carbs. Reducing your consumption of white bread, cakes, carbohydrates, and sugar can help avoid sudden increases in blood sugar, changes in mood and energy levels, and an accumulation of fat, particularly around your midsection.
Making the Switch to a Healthy Diet
It is not necessary to completely change one’s diet to a healthy one. You don’t need to be flawless, you don’t need to cut out all the foods you like, and you don’t need to make all the changes at once—attempting to do so typically ends in breaking the rules or giving up on your new diet.
A more effective method is to implement a few minor alterations at once. Having small aspirations can assist you in accomplishing more in the long run without feeling deprived or inundated by a drastic dietary transformation. Contemplate forming a nutritious diet as a collection of small, reasonable steps—like including a salad in your diet every day. Once you make small alterations to your lifestyle and they become routine, you can keep adding more beneficial decisions.
1. Fill up on fiber.
Fiber does more than keep you regular. A 2019 study published in The Lancet revealed that increasing fiber intake is linked to a decrease in the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. The study discovered that as the amount of fiber eaten increased by 8 grams, the likelihood of chronic health issues decreased by anywhere between 5-27%. The greatest security was observed when individuals consumed 25-29 grams of fiber each day. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines suggest that women aged 31-50 should ingest 25 grams of fiber and men aged 31-50 should consume 31 grams of fiber per day, however, the majority of Americans are only consuming 11-15 grams.
Fiber also lengthens telomeres. Telo-what? Let us explain. Telomeres are complexes comprised of both DNA and protein located at the extremities of chromosomes. They protect our genome and fight off diseases. As time passes, telomeres get shorter, but factors such as stress, smoking, obesity, lack of sleep, and unhealthy eating habits accelerate the process. In other words, having longer telomeres is connected to a longer life, and shorter telomeres signify a shorter life. It is essential to extend the telomeres in your 30s, and increasing fiber intake is one of the most beneficial methods to achieve this. A research paper from 2018 discovered that for every 10 grams of fiber added to every 1,000 calories, it would equate to a decrease of 5.4 years in biological aging. Fill your plate with loads of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes because these high-fiber foods will provide you with energy and vitality.
2. Incorporate more omega-3s.
“Focus on getting more omega-3s in your diet,” says Sarah Anzlovar, M.S., RD, LDN, owner of Sarah Gold Nutrition. “While it may seem premature, your 30s are the best time to think about putting in place healthy habits that help you age well. Omega-3s are linked to both short-term health benefits such as better mood, improved cognition, and reduced inflammation, as well as longer-term health benefits like reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and better brain health as you age. And if you’re planning to start a family, omega-3s are incredibly important to a baby’s brain development. The best source is fatty fish such as salmon or sardines, but you can also get them from plant-sources like walnuts, chia seeds and hemp seeds.”
“Omega-3 fatty acids may also preserve telomeres,” says Nicole Stefanow, M.S., RDN, registered dietitian in New York. “As telomeres get shorter our cells can’t do their jobs properly causing the cells to age. Eating foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish, can slow the pace of aging by preventing the shortening of telomeres.”
Focus on food first to get omega-3s. Have salmon for dinner once a week. Mix flax or chia seeds into oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothies and enjoy walnuts or pecans as a snack.
3. Stop fad dieting.
Now is the perfect time to cease any dieting habits that you may have established in your twenties. Dr. Lisa Leslie-Williams, PharmD., Natural Health & Holistic Food Expert, and Founder of the Domestic Life Stylist urges people to replace trend-based diets and eating habits with a more nourishing lifestyle. It might sound cliche, but hear us out. Fad diets produce a quick drop in weight, only to be followed by regaining the lost pounds and then some. This is referred to as yo-yo dieting or, in scientific terms, “weight cycling.”
“Weight cycling has long-term detrimental heart health effects including increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and depression,” says Anzlovar, who helps women ditch diets in her virtual private practice. Overall, yo-yo dieting tends to lead to a higher weight. Research shows that up to 95% of people who diet to lose weight end up regaining what they’ve lost and up to two thirds end up at a higher weight than they started each time they diet. Yo-yo dieting and weight cycling can also lead to a slower metabolism.”
“Pick a healthy eating lifestyle that will work for you and then stick to it,” says Dr. Leslie-Williams. “Whatever dietary changes you make, adapt them, not just on weekends. Not just when your class reunion is coming up. Not just for the wedding, not for a milestone birthday, not just when it’s convenient, but year-round for wellness that is long lasting way after your 30th birthday.”
4. Choose more calcium.
The formation of bone density is completed by the time people reach the age of twenty-five to thirty, having begun in their younger years. It is essential to concentrate on keeping up bone thickness in your 30s to avert deterioration, and the most ideal approach to do that is to get enough calcium. Gagnon emphasizes the importance of consuming foods with high calcium content, like yogurt, cheese, broccoli, spinach, kale and almonds, as bone mass begins to deplete in our 30s. It is suggested that people between the ages of 31-50 consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium on a daily basis. A serving of 8 ounces of yogurt has 415 mg of calcium, 1.5 ounces of cheese has 307 mg. If you don’t consume dairy, you can get calcium from foods like salmon, tofu, soybeans, oatmeal, and plant-based milks that have been fortified.
After the age of 50, bone density decreases substantially. In addition to getting enough calcium, strength training also helps keep bone mass as you grow older.
5. Power your plate with plants.
If you were raised on vegetables being more of an accompaniment, it is high time to make them the primary focus of your meals. Consider making the majority of your plate composed of non-starchy veggies and having the protein and whole grains as accompaniments. Gagnon emphasizes the need for an emphasis on consuming more plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, oils) and fewer animal products (meat and dairy). Eating a diet consisting mainly of plant-based foods provides a wealth of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, which can reduce the chance of becoming obese, developing diabetes, suffering from heart disease, inflammation, and cancer.
Moderation: Important to Any Healthy Diet
What is moderation? Basically, it means consuming only the amount of food that your body requires. At the close of eating, it is desirable to feel contentment, but not overly full. For many of us, eating in moderation means consuming less food than we currently do. But it doesn’t mean eliminating the foods you love. Having bacon for breakfast once a week can be seen as being in moderation if you have healthy meals later in the day, however, having it followed with a box of donuts and a sausage pizza would not be considered balanced.
Avoid viewing specific foods as “forbidden”. When you prohibit certain foods, it is typical to crave them more and afterwards feel like you have failed if you give in to your desires. Begin by cutting back on the amount of unhealthy foods you consume and limiting how frequently you have them. By cutting down on unhealthy foods, you may find that you no longer have a strong desire for them and only treat them as a special treat.
Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently. When eating out, pick an appetizer instead of a main course, divide a dish with someone else, and don’t get anything oversized. At home, visual cues can help with portion sizes. The portion of meat, fish, or chicken you eat should be roughly the same size as a deck of cards while half a cup of mashed potato, rice, or pasta is similar in size to a standard light bulb. Using smaller plates or bowls for your meals can make your brain believe that the portion size is larger than it actually is. If you are not content after eating, include more leafy vegetables or finish the meal with a piece of fruit.
Take your time. It’s essential to take your time and view food as a source of sustenance instead of just something to scarf down in between tasks or while getting the children. It can take a while for your brain to signal that your body has had enough nourishment, so take your time while eating and stop before you reach the point of feeling stuffed.
Eat with others whenever possible. Consuming food by oneself, especially while watching television or being on the computer, is often linked to thoughtlessly consuming too much.
Limit snack foods in the home. Be careful about the foods you keep at hand. It can be harder to eat in moderation if there are unhealthy snacks and desserts easily accessible. Surround yourself with nutritious options, and when you feel like rewarding yourself, go out and get it.
Control emotional eating. We don’t always eat just to satisfy hunger. A lot of us use food to manage our stress or to try and procure a better feeling when we are feeling down, lonely, or bored. By finding alternate methods of managing strain and feelings, you can once again have authority over what you consume and your emotions.