Seniors Tend To Eat Less, Gain Weight As They Age : AARP Explains

Sunny-sided egg omelet with bacons and cherry tomatoes

As people get into their 50’s and 60’s they tend to eat less.   However, it is still difficult to lose weight.  AARP’s new book, “The Whole Body Reset,” shows that protein is the secret to better health and more energy.  Starting at the age of 60 or so, our metabolic rate begins to drop at a rate of 0.7 percent per year.  And studies show that if seniors fail to get 25-30 grams of protein in the morning are likely to stay in muscle-loss mode all day.  The AARP book recommends that women eat 25 grams of protein in the morning (and men 30) and have at least one daily snack with at least 7 grams of protein.

Colorful Fruits And Vegetables Can Ward Off Obesity And Even Dementia

A doctor is measuring the obese belly of the man

Each day should include at least one helping—a small side salad or a half-cup serving of cooked green vegetables–in order to ensure you get enough B vitamin folate.  Folate plays a crucial role in battling hearing loss and depression in mature adults.  In a study of postmenopausal women, those who were overweight averaged 12 percent less folate in their blood than normal-weight women; those who were obese had 22% less (AARP The Magazine, March/April 2022 Issue, page 36).

Seniors Should Get Regular Checkups, Even If They Feel Good

An obese belly and holding the cheeseburger in his hand

AARP The Magazine just had an interesting article (April/May Issue, page 33) about how some seniors don’t go to the doctor regularly because they feel great.  As we have seen with COVID-19, many diseases and viruses are symptomless but if left untreated can turn into something very serious.  Researchers have been studying this phenomenon which they call future-time perspective.  The more time we perceive that we have, the more we’re able to ignore the fact that we’re overweight, have high blood pressure or cholesterol levels, and other serious health problems.  Make sure you see your doctor at least once per year.

Weighing In At Doctor’s Visits Becoming Increasingly Rare

An obese belly and holding the cheeseburger in his hand

For some doctors, gone are the days when one of the first things a patient had to do during a regular exam was to jump on the scale.  More doctors are de-emphasizing weight as a barometer of the health of a patient.  Health professionals say they are trying to avoid stigmatizing patients who may not want to come in for regular exams because they are embarrassed with being overweight.  “There’s a trend in healthcare to understand that weight isn’t the be-all and end-all,” Natasha Bhuyan, a primary care physician and regional medical director at One Medical, told the Wall Street Journal.