Is Your Diet Aging You? Foods to Embrace (and Avoid) After 50

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Your body is constantly degrading and producing new cells, tissues, and components of your organs. As you age, that process slows down, trending more toward degradation. Bones begin to lose density, connective tissues thin, organ function declines, and neurons die without replacements being made. This depends heavily on nutrient status and external stimuli, so there are ways to slow these processes down. 

Let’s start with what foods can help you age gracefully so you can retain memory, cardiovascular health, bone and joint strength, and general health well into your later years. 

Ensure You Don’t Have Any Deficiencies

First and foremost, it is much easier to become deficient in a vitamin or mineral when you are older. This is not only because older people tend to eat less, but also because the body becomes less efficient at absorbing and utilizing nutrients over time. Deficiencies can quickly cause problems and cause your body’s cells to degrade more quickly.

To ensure you are covering all your bases, you’ll need a diverse diet full of leafy greens, fruits, healthy fats, and grains. Another option is to use a multivitamin. There are plenty of multivitamins out there formulated specifically for people over 50, like: 

Another thing to consider is that excess caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, or sodium all alter the absorption of nutrients, perpetuating any deficiencies you may have, so it’s best to avoid them where possible. 

Support Your Memory 

Something cool about the brain is that it is “plastic” which just means that it is dynamic and reactive. The more you use a neural pathway, the more resources your brain allocates to that area of the brain. So staying sharp means using all areas of the brain by practicing skills, doing puzzles, learning languages, and doing activities that require coordination. 

When we look at the brain structurally, the hallmark of aging is the loss of fat, or “white matter” in the brain. The purpose of that fat is to keep neurons from dropping signals as they move from one neuron to the next. So, a critical strategy to support your memory is to ensure you have enough healthy fats and magnesium, which helps with nerve signaling and protects brain cell integrity.

You can learn more about nutrients for healthy aging in this article. For memory supplements, try: 

Eat this: Nuts, leafy greens, fatty fish, berries

Not that: refined grains, processed meats, sugary snacks

Maintain Cardiovascular Fitness

Checking cholesterol and blood pressure is usually part of any wellness exam, and are important indicators of cardiovascular health. Beyond any exercise recommendations, watching what you eat can make a big difference in these factors and your overall health. 

Guidance shows that you should avoid sodium, saturated fats, overly-processed items, and trans fats and swap them for omega-3s, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. For supplements to improve heart health, check out our article about nutrition to support heart health. 

Eat this: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats

Not that: fried foods, highly processed foods, salt, added sugars, and alcohol

Fortify Bones and Joints 

Your bones and connective tissues are always in flux, being broken down so they can be repaired at an equal rate. But if the body doesn’t have what it needs to replace the aged or broken down tissue, that tissue will weaken over time. This can cause brittle bones, aching joints, and loss of range of movement. 

Nutrients that are important for bone and joint health specifically include calcium and protein, specifically collagen protein. There are a few supplements that can help with bone and joint health:

  • Bone Renewal Capsules by Pure Synergy contain essential nutrients for rebuilding bone density, like calcium, magnesium, and other trace minerals. Combined with therapeutic herbs that reduce inflammation, it’s a great option for bone health. Plus, it’s plant-based and certified organic. 
  • Bone Broth Collagen by Ancient Nutrition provides the amino acids your body needs to repair and strengthen your connective tissues and bones. It is derived from the most natural source: bone broth. 

Eat this: low-fat dairy, leafy greens, fish with bones, nuts and seeds

Not that: alcohol, sugary drinks, high sodium pre-packaged meals

Conclusion 

Nutritionists agree, diets like the Dash diet and the Mediterranean diet are the best choices of approaches to nutrition as you age. Both emphasize the importance of nutrient-dense whole foods while limiting added sugars, sodium, and processed foods that can deplete your body’s nutrient reserves. 

Paired with regular physical activity, adequate sleep, and other healthy habits, you can protect your heart, preserve your memory, and keep your bones and joints strong as you age. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What are the necessary brain vitamins?

Vitamins that are important for brain health include B vitamins, vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. 

What are some good memory supplements?

Lion’s Mane Memory & Nerve Support is a popular memory supplement, as well as magnesium supplements like MagMind Magnesium L-Threonate, or omega-3s. 

What is the best bone and joint supplement?

A good bone and joint supplement would contain the minerals needed to build bone density, like calcium, or collagen to improve joint range of motion.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.