080923 Healthy eating after 50

Taken from literature provided and made available by the Veterans Administration for all of us Veterans.

Choosing healthy foods is a smart thing to do—no matter your age! Healthy habits like eating well and being physically active can help you reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

How Much Should I Eat?

How much you should eat depends on how active you are. If you eat more calories than your body uses, you gain weight.

What are calories? Calories are a way to count how much energy is in food. The energy you get from food helps you do the things you need to do each day. Try to choose foods that have a lot of the nutrients you need, but not many calories.

Just counting calories is not enough for making smart choices. Think about this: a medium banana, 1 cup of flaked cereal, 1½ cups of cooked spinach, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, or 1 cup of 1% milk all have roughly the same number of calories. But, the foods are different in many ways. Some have more nutrients than others do. For example, milk gives you more calcium than a banana, and peanut butter gives you more protein than cereal. Some foods can make you feel more full than others.

How Many Calories Do People Over Age 50 Need Each Day?

A woman:

■ Who is not physically active needs about 1,600 calories

■ Who is somewhat active needs about 1,800 calories

■ Who has an active lifestyle needs about 2,000-2,200 calories

A man:

■ Who is not physically active needs about 2,000-2,200 calories

■ Who is somewhat active needs about 2,200-2,400 calories

■ Who has an active lifestyle needs about 2,400-2,800 calories

Here’s a tip: Aim for at least 150 minutes (2½ hours) of physical activity each week.

Try to be active throughout the day to reach this goal and avoid sitting for a long time.