Healthy eating and physical activity are important during all stages of life, says K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist Sandy Procter.
Healthy eating, physical activity important at all life stages
K-State nutrition expert shares tips during National Nutrition Month
March 8, 2021
MANHATTAN, Kan. – While healthy eating habits are best established early in life, Kansas State University nutrition specialist Sandy Procter said it’s never too late to work on healthier food choices and an improved quality of life.
Procter is highlighting the benefits of good nutrition in light of the recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 – which provide direction for living healthy through all life stages – and National Nutrition Month in March.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recognizes National Nutrition Month each year to bring focus to healthy living. This year’s theme is “Personalize Your Plate,” encouraging Americans to choose foods that are healthy and appeal specifically to them.
“The dietary guidelines and this year’s theme for National Nutrition Month fit so nicely together because it really is about taking the guidance provided and the foods available to fit our own lifestyles and preferences,” Procter said. “We need to keep in mind that the dietary guidelines are available to us, and work so that they become a part of us. That’s the way we create good practices that become habits.”
Listen to an interview by Jeff Wichman with Sandy Procter on the weekly radio program, Sound Living
For the first time since their introduction in 1980, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer specific guidance for healthy nutrition from birth to age 2 – and even before the baby is born.
“We know that chronic diseases may show up later in life, but if we begin eating healthfully at an early age, we can do things from birth that will help fight off tendencies leading toward chronic disease,” Procter said.
For example, research continues to show that breastfeeding offers protective effects against being overweight and Type 2 diabetes – for both infant and mother.
Procter said it’s important to continue the emphasis on good nutrition through the teens and into adulthood.
“We have a limited time during our lives when we naturally add to our bone density,” she said. “After our mid-30s, we can work to maintain our bone density, but we don’t automatically have the capacity any more to build bone density.
“It is essential that we focus on getting nutrients and weight-bearing exercise for kids, including healthy play. Foods that contain valuable nutrients – especially calcium and protein – are essential for growth and good bone formation.”
Yet, those who maybe didn’t start out with healthful habits are not doomed, Procter said.
“It’s never too later to start eating more healthfully, and really that’s why National Nutrition Month is here to remind us of that,” she said.
Procter encourages those in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond to be physically active, make healthy food and beverage choices and monitor portion sizes. She said 85% of the calories we eat each day needs to go toward meeting nutritional needs.
The other 15% could be considered discretionary calories, such as those foods or beverages we allow ourselves to have “sometimes, because they provide pleasure or satisfaction but likely to contribute very little to nutritional needs,” according to Procter.
“Just about the time we stop adding new bone, we know our calorie needs begin to drop as we age, due to decreased muscle mass. We see ongoing decreases in metabolic rate,” she said, so “it takes less fuel for us as a human machine to function. If we eat as much in our 50s as we did when we were in our 20s, we’re likely going to start putting on weight.”
“We need to work to increase our muscle mass, which tends to decrease as we age,” Procter said. “When we build more muscle, it requires more protein to keep that muscle mass, but it also helps us burn more calories. It’s sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy, I guess, that if we work to build muscle, it’s going to help us use more calories, and it will help us feel more comfortable keeping active. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.”
More information on healthy eating and nutrition is available online from K-State Research and Extension.
