Sariah Israelsen: Thanks for joining me again for another USU Extension educational highlight. I'm Sariah Israelsen and I have asked Jenna Dyckman, a dietitian and extension assistant professor, to talk about diet changes as you get older. So, thank you so much for joining me today.
Jenna Dyckman: Yeah, of course.
Sariah Israelsen: So first off, Jenna, I would like to talk about how our bodies are changing as we get older and how that will require us to change the kind of diets we have.
Jenna Dyckman: Yeah, that's a really good question. So as we age, obviously, we can see the outward signs of aging. But sometimes we don't think about what's happening inside our body and how we're changing as we grow older.
And some of the key things that can affect our diet, as we age, our metabolism tends to slow down, our body composition changes, so we lose some muscle mass, we might gain some fat mass, and then our bone density can start to decrease as well.
Sariah Israelsen: So are there some differences that men or women should follow within their diet?
Jenna Dyckman: Yeah, so that's a really good question. Just in general, with nutrition recommendations, they vary a little bit with men and women. So men, generally, they tend to have a higher muscle mass just because of genetics, and that's their gender.
So they require more calories, and certain nutrients they might require a little bit more of. And so as we age, there will be that difference, especially with women, we go through menopause.
And so once we go through menopause, we're losing the production of some hormones. And so our metabolism can slow a little bit more.
So there are some differences. But overall, whether we're male or female, if we're trying to have a healthy diet, there's not a huge difference when just trying to have a healthy diet overall.
Sariah Israelsen: So when changing our diet, what are some easy things that someone can do to change their diet if someone has not even thought about it? Or maybe they want to have a little bit healthier lifestyle, but they don't have a whole bunch of time to exercise or buy a whole bunch of different foods?
What are some easy things they can do to just make those minor adjustments that will make them healthier overall?
Jenna Dyckman: Right, for sure. And one thing to think about, so we're thinking about older adults are thinking about aging. And because as we age, like I said earlier, our metabolisms slow, so we don't need as many calories.
But on the flip side, our bodies require about the same amount of nutrients. So those vitamins and minerals that help keep our body healthy, can help with either managing or reducing our risk for chronic disease, we need a similar amount, or sometimes even more.
And so with older adults, they're really trying to maintain a good way by eating enough but not too much, and still getting those nutrients. So some things that people can do is make sure to have nutrient dense foods at their meals and snacks.
So nutrient dense foods just meaning foods that are higher in nutrients compared to the amount of calories in the food. So nutrient dense foods can be fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, and they all can be part of a healthy diet.
So just finding that balance between those foods. And of course, you know, the foods that that satisfy your sweet tooth or are just delicious. The right. Yes.
Sariah Israelsen: Well, thank you so much, Jenna.
That was Jenna Dyckman USU Extension dietitian and assistant professor. I am so glad you were able to join me and talk with me today.
Jenna Dyckman: Yeah, of course. Thank you for having me.
