We are unable to have the power to determine every aspect of the process of growing old as our genetic makeup and some environmental components will have an effect on our physical bodies. We can put our emphasis on our nutrition, psychological health, and physical activity to foster a strong body and mind as we get older.
The focus of our goals and ambitions can vary greatly depending on whether we are in our 30s, younger, or older. It is at this point that we are likely to be solidifying our professions. We may find ourselves working harder than ever with a high level of dedication and concentration, potentially leading to feeling drained or burnt out. This is a period when forming a family may be on our minds, or we may be striving to balance careers, transport, and caring for infants. The thirties can be a fatiguing and overwhelming time period. We are so focused on other matters that nutrition is probably not our main worry; however, eating properly will have a positive effect on our lives in our 30s and afterwards.
“In our 30s, most people will be balancing work, social life and fitness,” says Aveen Bannon, registered dietitian with the Dublin Nutrition Centre. “They might be thinking about having kids, or looking after them already, so routine is key. Let batch cooking become your best friend and consider planning meals for the week ahead. Stock up on healthy snacks such as fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, nuts, and seeds to curb hunger between meals.”
One of the major worries in our thirties may be attempting to get pregnant without much knowledge about how our diet can help enhance our fertility.
Bannon suggests that both men and women should focus on improving their health and nutrition before attempting to conceive, as it takes a few months for any dietary and lifestyle changes to impact the maturation of sperm.
Regardless of whether we are attempting to get pregnant, eating a nutritious and balanced diet will help us start the next decade without feeling sluggish, fatigued, and suffering from health issues that could have been prevented. The best diet is one that is low in saturated fats, high in fruits and vegetables, and has minimal amounts of processed and unhealthy food.
Bannon suggests that men should consume five servings of fruits and vegetables with a mixture of colors every day to get a good amount of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, which can minimize oxidative stress and improve sperm quality. It is important to include foods that are high in folate in your daily meals, for example spinach, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, avocado, and breakfast cereals that have been enriched with vitamins. Additionally, healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds should also be part of your diet. She suggests decreasing the consumption of high saturated fat items such as fast food, candy, potato chips, and alcoholic beverages. Also, men should consume a significant amount of seafood that offers omega 3, zinc, and selenium, which are essential for maintaining sperm quality.
Women should take at least 10 micrograms of vitamin D and 400 micrograms of folic acid for a period of at least 12 weeks prior to attempting pregnancy, according to Bannon. She emphasizes the need for all women of childbearing age to take folic acid, as half of all pregnancies are not planned beforehand and insufficient folic acid can cause neural tube defects in infants. Bannon recommends keeping a Body Mass Index of 19-30kg/m2 for the purpose of encouraging proper ovulation, and decreasing caffeine intake to 200mg a day, the equivalent of two cups of coffee or three cups of tea. Also, it should be noted that chocolate and energy drinks contain caffeine as well.
Fish containing oil, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, are an excellent source of omega 3 and iodine, both of which are essential to produce a healthy egg and the baby’s development. Bannon suggests that it is essential to obtain an adequate amount of calcium for successful fetal growth. You can get calcium in your diet by drinking milk or plant-based fortified options, such as yogurt and cheese. Iron insufficiency is a frequent occurrence in women who are having their period, so it is essential to get iron from a variety of foods like eggs, dark-colored vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and beans.
The Best Foods to Eat in Your 30s
“Regardless of your age,” says Dr Conor Kerley, Founder & CSO at Phytaphix, “Irish research demonstrates that average diets are too high in fat, especially saturated fat, sugar, and salt. Average intakes of fruit and vegetables in Ireland is less than 2.5 portions daily, less than half of the recommendation. Furthermore, over 80 per cent of Irish adults do not get enough fiber. Remember, fiber is only found in whole plant foods such as legumes, seeds and nuts. In addition, vitamin D is a nutrient of concern because the major source is sun. Few foods contain vitamin D so look for fortified foods and speak to a dietitian, pharmacist, or GP about a supplement.”
Folate is essential for having a healthy gestation and avoiding neural-tube problems and it might also aid in decreasing the danger of coronary illness. You can get folate from chickpeas, avocados, orange juice, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, and whole grains that have been enhanced with the nutrient.
Lean beef, pork, and beans are iron-rich foods as well as fortified cereals, which are essential for avoiding digestive problems and enhancing our immune system. Keep your bones healthy by incorporating calcium-containing food into your diet, and make sure to include potassium-containing foods like potatoes, beans, and tomatoes to keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.
Top Tips for Nutrition and Health in Your 30s
- Trim back on calories from refined starchy foods, including sweets and sugars found in beverages and foods. Aim for foods rich in calcium, folate, and iron.
- Avoid fad dieting which leads to rapid weight loss followed by gaining the weight back and then some. Dieting in such a manner has been recognized to increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and depression, with the potential for higher weight in the long-term.
- Being in your 30s does not make you immune or less at risk for illness. Take the opportunity now to begin testing for issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and be proactive in screening if there is a family history of cancer or heart disease.
- Prioritize exercise by committing to a healthy regime which will help with better sleep, more energy, and a positive mental wellbeing. Exercising smarter, not harder, is what you should aim for.
- It’s advised to cut back on alcohol consumption in your 30s as it can have a detrimental effect on egg quality and sperm quality and production.
7 Eating Changes You Should Make When You Turn 30
1. Fill up on fiber.
Fiber does more than keep you regular. A 2019 review of multiple studies published in The Lancet revealed that consuming more fiber can reduce the chances of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer. The study additionally demonstrated that for each 8 grams of fiber ingested, the probability of developing illnesses over time decreased by between 5 and 27 percent. The greatest level of security was observed when people consumed an amount of fiber between 25-29 grams every day. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines suggest that women aged 31-50 should have 25 grams of fiber in their diet daily, while men in the same age group should have 31 grams. Unfortunately, most Americans only eat between 11-15 grams.
Fiber also lengthens telomeres. Telo-what? Let us explain. Telomeres are composed of both DNA and proteins and are located at the extremities of chromosomes. They protect our genome and fight off diseases. As people get older, their telomeres decrease in size naturally, however, negative habits such as being under stress, smoking, being overweight, lack of sleep, and bad nutrition can cause the telomeres to become shorter than usual. In short, having longer telomeres increases one’s lifespan while shorter telomeres can be linked to a shorter life expectancy. It is important for your wellbeing in your 30s to maintain the length of your telomeres, and one of the best methods of doing this is to increase your fiber intake. A research conducted in 2018 revealed that for every 1,000 calories, every 10 gram increment in fiber consumption would relate to 5.4 fewer years of biological aging. Fill your dish with fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes, since these fiber-rich foods will really help energize you.
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.”
3. Stop fad dieting.
It is the perfect opportunity to cease from dieting if you have been doing it during your twenties. Dr. Lisa Leslie-Williams, a PharmD, Natural Health & Holistic Food Expert, and Founder of the Domestic Life Stylist, encourages people to opt for an enriching lifestyle rather than following the latest fad diets and eating trends. It might sound cliche, but hear us out. Fad diets result in a temporary decrease in weight, which is subsequently regained, accompanied by an increase in additional pounds. This is referred to as fluctuating weight or “weight cycling” in the scientific community.
“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.”
Dr. Leslie-Williams recommends selecting an eating lifestyle that is beneficial for your health and remaining devoted to it.
4. Cut back on booze.
Relaxing with a drink can be enjoyable in social settings, but this kind of behavior can become a habit during college which could lead to health issues later in life. Caroline Thomason, a registered dietitian who helps women recover from yo-yo dieting, suggests that if you are close to 30 years old and wish to have a better night’s sleep, more energy and an effortless way to reduce calories, then reducing your alcohol intake may be the solution.
The Dietary Guidelines suggest that men should not exceed two alcoholic beverages a day and women should not go beyond one alcoholic beverage a day. The amount of one serving of an alcoholic beverage is equal to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. Drinking alcohol can cause health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and cancer, and can also provide calories without any beneficial vitamins or minerals.
5. Limit processed meats.
“Consuming processed meats such as bacon, sausage, hotdogs and bologna may increase your risk of developing cancer,” says Christie Gagnon, RD, LD, registered dietitian at Hoorah to Health. “With colorectal cancer on the rise in young adults, I would caution people from eating too many of these foods in their diet.”
Consuming three servings of whole grains every day can lower the likelihood of colorectal cancer by 17%. This might be caused by the beneficial effects of fiber on the digestive system, providing nourishment for beneficial bacteria to grow and producing substances that minimize inflammation and prevent chronic illnesses.
6. Choose more calcium.
The formation of bone density starts when we are young and usually reaches completion by the time we are between 25 and 30 years old. In your thirties, it is important to concentrate on maintaining your bone density to avoid any decrease, and the most effective approach to do this is to get enough calcium. Gagnon emphasizes the significance of consuming calcium-rich foods like yogurt, cheese, broccoli, spinach, kale, and almonds in our 30s since we begin to lose bone mass at that age. It is suggested that people aged 31-50 consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium each day. Eight ounces of yogurt contain 415 mg of calcium, 1.5 ounces of cheese contain 307 mg, and if dairy products are not part of your diet, you can get calcium from salmon, tofu, soybeans, and fortified foods and beverages such as oatmeal and non-dairy milks.
7. Power your plate with plants.
If you were raised with vegetables being a secondary part of a meal, it’s time to make them the focus. Consider covering the majority of your plate with non-starchy vegetables and supplementing it with some protein and whole grains. Gagnon emphasizes how critical it is to center one’s diet around plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and oils, and to limit one’s intake of animal products like meat and dairy. A diet that consists of mostly plants is packed with nutrients, compounds, and fiber which can lower the possibility of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, inflammation, and cancer.