Good nutrition: it's a way of life

"I have trouble chewing."
"Food just doesn't taste the same anymore."
"I don't have a car to go shopping."
"It's hard to cook for one person."
"I'm just not that hungry anymore."

Is one of these a reason you are not eating well now? Food provides energy and nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy. Nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. As you grow older, you may need less energy from what you eat. But, you still need just as many of the nutrients in food. Nutrition experts can recommend what the average older person needs to eat, but you should also check with your doctor or a registered dietitian, a specialist trained in nutrition. This is especially true if you have a health problem that limits what you should eat. They can help you plan meals that will include the healthy foods you need without the foods you should avoid.

What Should I Eat?
Choose many different healthy foods. Pick those that are lower in fat, especially saturated fat (mostly in foods that come from animals), and cholesterol. Eat or drink only small amounts of sugary or salty foods, and alcoholic drinks, if you drink them at all. Avoid "empty calories" as much as you can. These are foods like sodas, potato chips, and cookies that have a lot of calories, but not many nutrients.

Calories are a way to measure the energy you get from food. If you eat more calories than your body needs, you could gain weight. If you are not active, choose lower calorie foods and eat the smallest number of servings suggested for each of the five food groups (See below). If you are active, you should eat more servings for more calories. The calorie counts for most packaged foods are listed in the Nutrition Facts part of the label or package.

How Much Should I Eat?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed the Food Guide Pyramid to help you make healthy food choices. There are five major food groups. Every day you should try to eat the suggested number of servings from each group. If you can't do that, at least try to eat something from each group each day. Lower fat choices are best.
Make sure you eat vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain foods. The food groups are:

Grains—6-11 servings. One serving is:
One roll, slice of bread, or small muffin; 1/2 bagel or English muffin; 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta; 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, or about 1 cup (1 oz.) of ready-to-eat cereal.

Vegetables—3-5 servings. One serving is:
1/2 cup of chopped raw or cooked vegetables, or 1 cup of leafy raw vegetables.

Fruits—2-4 servings. One serving is:
1 medium piece of fruit or melon wedge; 3/4 cup of juice; 1/2 cup of canned fruit; or 1/4 cup of dried fruit.

Milk, yogurt, cheese—2-3 servings (3 for people over 50). One serving is:
1 cup of milk or yogurt, or 1-1/2 to 2 ounces of cheese.
One cup of soup made with milk, 1/2 cup of pudding from "scratch" or a mix, or 1 cup of cottage cheese counts as half a serving.

Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts—2-3 servings (to equal 5 to 7 ounces of lean meat, poultry, or fish). One serving is:
2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish; 1/2 cup of tuna fish, or 1/2 cup of cooked beans or tofu; 1 egg, 1/3 cup of nuts, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter—each of which can count as one ounce of meat.

Some other tips:
•  Each day eat only small amounts of fats, oils, and sweets.
•  Remember, when counting servings, that there may be more than one "Food Pyramid serving" of a food on your plate. For example, a sandwich made with two slices of bread is two servings of grain products.
•  Sometimes manufacturers put more than one serving in a package or bottle.