In This ArticleView AllIn This Article1. Fill Up on Fiber2. Incorporate More Omega-3s3. Stop Fad Dieting4. Cut Back on Booze5. Limit Processed Meats6. Choose More Calcium7. Start the Day with Breakfast8. Power Your Plate with Plants9. Work with Your Hormones, Not Against Them10. Exercise Smarter, Not HarderThe Bottom Line
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Fill Up on Fiber
Incorporate More Omega-3s
Stop Fad Dieting
Cut Back on Booze
Limit Processed Meats
Choose More Calcium
Start the Day with Breakfast
Power Your Plate with Plants
Work with Your Hormones, Not Against Them
Exercise Smarter, Not Harder
The Bottom Line
Aging is inevitable, but if you start now, you can age healthfully throughout the rest of your life. And while you can’t control everything about the aging process—like genes and environmental factors— you do have control over lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, stress and sleep. And these play a bigger role than you may think in warding off chronic diseases and increasing longevity. The earlier you start making changes, the better because small changes every day add up—for better or for worse.
While your 30s may seem like the end of the era of early adulthood, embrace it and take advantage of this time. Even though your body is no longer growing, now is the time to continue nourishing it so it can thrive in the coming years—and you can feel just as good at50 years old and beyond.
Here, we share the most important eating changes to make after you turn 30, according to experts and the latest research.
The Prep: 30-Minute Dinners for Healthy Aging
The2020-2025 Dietary Guidelinesrecommend that women ages 31-50 consume 25 g of fiber per day and men ages 31-50 consume 31 g of fiber per day. Unfortunately, most Americans only get 11-15 g.
Fiber also lengthens telomeres. Telo-what? Let us explain.
Telomeres are DNA-protein structures found at both ends of chromosomes. They protect our genes and fight off diseases. Telomeres naturally shorten with age, but stress, smoking, obesity, poor sleep and poor diet lead to shorter telomeres. To simplify, longer telomeres mean a longer life and shorter telomeres are associated with a shorter lifespan.
Your 30s are a crucial time to lengthen those telomeres, and eating more fiber is one of the best ways to do it. A 2018 study in the journalNutrientsfound that every 10-g increase of fiber per 1,000 calories corresponded to 5.4 fewer years of biological aging. So, load your plate up with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes because these high-fiber foods can add years to your life.
How do you get the recommended amount of fiber each day? Try getting 8-10 g of fiber per meal.
One cup of cooked oatmeal for breakfast has 4 g of fiber, per theU.S. Department of Agriculture. Pair that with fruit, like raspberries—1 cup has 8 g of fiber, according to theUSDA—or diced apples.
Be sure to include carbs at lunch and dinner. Make half your plate colorful vegetables and a quarter of your platewhole grains. For example, toss 1/2 cup of cooked farro on your salad for 6 g of filling fiber, per theUSDA.
Bygetting enough fiber each day, not only will you lengthen your telomeres, but you’ll also stay full longer and prevent carb cravings later in the day.
Focus on food first to get omega-3s, rather than going right to a supplement. Have salmon for dinner once a week. Sprinkle flax or chia seeds into oatmeal, yogurt or smoothies, and snack on walnuts or pecans.
If you spent your 20s dieting, there is no better time than now to stop. “Swap fad diets and eating trends for an enriching lifestyle,” saysLisa Leslie-Williams, PharmD., natural health and holistic food expert, and founder of the Domestic Life Stylist.
“Weight cycling has long-term detrimental heart health effects including increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and depression,” says Anzlovar, who helps women ditch diets in her virtual private practice. “Overall, yo-yo dieting tends to lead to a higher weight. Research shows that up to 95% of people who diet to lose weight end up regaining what they’ve lost and up to two-thirds end up at a higher weight than they started each time they diet. Yo-yo dieting and weight cycling can also lead to a slower metabolism.”
“Pick a healthy eating lifestyle that will work for you and then stick to it,” says Leslie-Williams. “Whatever dietary changes you make, adapt them, not just on weekends. Not just when your class reunion is coming up. Not just for the wedding, not for a milestone birthday, not just when it’s convenient, but year-round for wellness that is long-lasting way after your 30th birthday.”
“While it’s nice to kick back and unwind with a beverage socially, this pattern gets ingrained in our college-aged years and can have health implications down the road. If you’re approaching your third decade and looking for better sleep, more energy and an easy way to cut calories, reducing alcohol consumption might be the answer for you,” saysCaroline Thomason, RD, a registered dietitian who helps women recover from yo-yo dieting.
The2020-2025 Dietary Guidelinesrecommend men consume no more than two drinks per day and women no more than one drink per day. One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor. In addition to being a source of “empty” calories—in other words, containing calories but no beneficial nutrients—drinking alcohol can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease and cancer.
“Consuming processed meats such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs and bologna may increase your risk of developing cancer,” saysChristie Gagnon, RD, LD, registered dietitian at Hoorah to Health. “With colorectal cancer on the rise in young adults, I would caution people from eating too many of these foods in their diet.”
Since the 1990s, the rate of colorectal cancer—cancers of the colon and rectum—has more than doubled in young adults under the age of 50, according to theNational Cancer Institute. And there has been an increase in younger people dying from the disease.
“Because we start to lose bone mass in our 30s, it is so important to be consuming high-calcium foods such as yogurt, cheese, broccoli, spinach, kale and almonds,” says Gagnon.
According to the2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines, the recommendation for calcium from ages 31-50 is 1,000 milligrams per day. According to the USDA, 8 ounces ofplain low-fat yogurtprovides 415 mg of calcium and 1.5 ounces ofcheesedelivers about 300-375 mg, depending on the type. If you don’t eat dairy, reach for salmon, tofu, soybeans or fortified foods and drinks like oatmeal and nondairy milk.
It’s important to note that after the age of 50, bone density tends to decrease substantially, according to theNational Institute on Aging. In addition to getting enough calcium and vitamin D, strength training can also help preserve bone density as you age.
While some tout the benefits ofintermittent fasting, the majority of people benefit fromstarting the day with a balanced breakfast.
“Whether it’s because they don’t make the time, aren’t used to eating in the morning—like old habits from missing breakfast hours in college—or think it’s better to save the calories for later, skipping breakfast is one of the most common things I see my younger clients doing,” says Anzlovar. “But skipping breakfast often sets you up for sugar cravings and overeating later in the day. Prioritize protein, fiber-rich carbs and healthy fats at breakfast to give you the energy you need for your day and keep your blood sugar stable until lunchtime.”
Eating breakfastwill also increase the chances of getting all the nutrients you need. And research, like the 2021 review inProceedings of the Nutrition Society, suggests that breakfast skippers consume significantly more calories, carbs, total fat, saturated fat and added sugars during the rest of the day compared to those who eat breakfast.
If vegetables were more of a side dish when you were growing up, it’s time to make them the main dish. Fill most of your plate withnon-starchy vegetablesand add protein and whole grains on the side.
“I can’t stress enough the importance of focusing on eating more plant foods—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, oils—and less animal products—meat and dairy,” says Gagnon. “A plant-based diet is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, all of which will help decrease your risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, inflammation and cancer.”
This is exactly how people in theBlue Zoneseat—the five regions of the world where people live the longest. Their diets consist of mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and seafood with very little animal products and minimal alcohol. They also stay social, physically active and keep stress low.
Try swapping meat for beans a few times a week. “Beans are rich in polyphenols, antioxidants that may help decrease inflammation, cancer risk and aging. Beans are an excellent source of soluble fiber, which can help decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugars,” says Gagnon.
Gagnon also encourages eating morecruciferous vegetableslike, “Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnip, collard greens and kale. They are low in calories—about 25 per serving—and rich in folate, vitamins C, E and K, and fiber. Glucosinolates give them their unique flavor and smell and may help prevent cancer from forming and/or spreading.”
Plant-Based Diet for Beginners: Your Guide to Getting Started
“Eat for your hormones!” says registered dietitian and certified aromatherapistAmanda Liptak, RDN, CA. “Progesterone begins to decrease as early as your early 30s, and one of the most magical benefits of this hormone is calming your nervous system, making it easier to cope with stress. So, aim for nutrient-rich, mood-boosting foods high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B6. You can find them in salmon, whole eggs, walnuts and flax. Foods high in magnesium also support mood and help boost progesterone, so make sure to include pumpkin seeds, dark leafy greens, black beans and lentils.”
Last but not least—and not technically an eating change but just as important—focus on exercising smarter, not harder. While scientists debate the exact percentage and reasons, they do agree that muscle mass tends to reduce as we age, per a 2021 review inAgeing Research Reviews. So while your metabolism doesn’t “break,” it does slow because you lose muscle. This is because muscle is metabolically active, meaning it burns calories even when you’re sitting at a desk all day. The less muscle you have, the fewer calories you burn at rest.
Add strength training to your routine 2-4 times per week to build muscle. And set aside your fears of becoming bulky as you add muscle. Instead, you will burn fat, get lean and boost your metabolism. If you’ve been trying to lose weight unsuccessfully and are not strength training regularly, your 30s is the time to get started. Strength training helps people lose weightandmaintain the weight loss.
“Create an exercise routine you enjoy,” recommends Anzlovar. “Exercise offers so many benefits—from stress relief and mental health to cardiovascular benefits and feeling strong and confident in your body—independent of your body size.”
Those who exercise also live longer and have reduced risk of chronic diseases, like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. “If you haven’t found a type of exercise you like, experiment with different forms, from studio classes to dancing or even walking. While it’s never too late to start moving your body, the longer you go without creating an exercise habit, the harder it can be to start,” says Anzlovar.
Finally, don’t forget to eat enough protein to support muscle growth. Daily protein needs from ages 19-70 years old are 0.8-1 g per kilogram of body weight, per the2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines, but depending on your goals, you may need more.
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