Nutrition by the Decade
Elizabeth Somer, M.A.,R.D.

1. The 20s and 30s - Your Health and the Health of Your Baby

Ironing Out Fatigue:
A blood test called serum ferritin is the most sensitive indicator of tissue iron levels. If you are iron deficient, include more iron-rich legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, extra-lean meat, and strawberries in the daily menu. Cook in cast-iron pots (the iron leaches from the pot into the food), include a vitamin C-rich food such as orange juice with iron-rich foods to boost absorption, and take a moderate-dose multiple that contains iron.

Gearing Up for Pregnancy:
Since one out of every two pregnancies to women in their 30s is unplanned, it’s wise for all women during the childbearing years to eat daily at least two folic acid-rich foods, such as spinach, kidney beans, or orange juice, and take a multiple that contains 400 micrograms of folic acid.

Boning Up on Calcium:
Consume at least three servings daily of calcium-rich foods, such as nonfat milk and yogurt, dark green leafy vegetables, calcium-fortified soymilk, canned salmon, and legumes, and/or take a calcium supplement (500 milligrams).

2) The 40s - Rev A Sluggish Metabolism
The Weighting Game:
Besides daily exercise, spread your food intake evenly throughout the day, starting with breakfast.

Make Every Bite Count:
Go natural. Cut back on processed foods, which typically are lower in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and higher in fat and sugar than wholesome minimally processed foods.

Prepare for Long Life:
Slow the aging process by eating two fruits and/or vegetables at every meal or snack, eating more whole grains than refined grains, and drinking three glasses of nonfat milk (or the calcium equivalent) every day. Also, move more.

3) The 50s - Mastering Menopause

Manage Your Hormones:
Add a few servings of soy to the weekly diet, go light on coffee.

Protect Those Bones:
Milk and fortified OJ or soymilk are excellent sources of calcium and the only reliable dietary sources of vitamin D, a nutrient essential for transporting calcium into the bones. Include three servings daily of calcium-rich milk (1 cup nonfat milk or yogurt, 1 ounce low-fat cheese, 2 cups fat-free cottage cheese) or calcium- and vitamin D fortified OJ soymilk.

Save the Heart:
Heart disease risk is significantly reduced by adopting a low-saturated fat, high-fiber diet based on a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, legumes including soybeans, and nonfat dairy products. Now’s the time to savor an occasional glass of red wine.

Middle-Age Spread:
Besides daily exercise, switch from three square meals to a nibbling mentality. Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that women who divided their food intakes into several little meals and snacks throughout the day were leaner with less body fat than were women who ate the same calories, but packed them into two or three big meals. In fact, the more little meals and snacks the women ate (up to six a day), the lower their body fat.

4) The 60s - The Anti-Aging Diet

Antioxidants Against Aging:
Include at least eight fruits and vegetables in the daily menu. The best choices are ones with color: carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, and oranges, to name a few.

Increased Nutrient Needs:
Nutritional needs are high, while calorie needs are dropping. That means every bit must count. Vitamin D requirements increase to 400 to 600IU, so drink nonfat milk, eat fortified cereals, or take a multiple that contains vitamin D. You also need 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily (1,500 milligrams for postmenopausal women who don't tatake hormone replacement therapy).

Hearty News:
Base your diet on fruits and vegetables (for folic acid), whole grains and legumes (for vitamin B6), with small amounts of extra-lean meats and nonfat milk products (for vitamins B12 and B6), and olive oil. Take a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement.

Move, Move, Move:
Develop a routine that includes daily weight-bearing exercise such as walking or jogging, with two to three sessions weekly of weight lifting. Then, ‘just do it’ come rain or shine!