Healthy Eating—Special Foods for the Fiftysomething Crowd

Baby boomers are privy to all sorts of nutritional supplements, diet and exercise plans, modern technology and aesthetic advances designed to make us look well, feel well and age gracefully. Some of these advances are pretty hard to maintain, some are just freakishly expensive, and some are just wishful thinking. But Maureen Callahan with nextavenue.org says that there is new research which shows that there are particular foods which specifically help men age well—and a whole different set of foods that are specifically helpful to women. 

I know, I know. In our busy lives, it's hard to maintain the short-order cook status of keeping everybody's "special foods" in order at the dinner table. None of the foods listed are harmful to the other sex—or your children—but incorporating these lists of fives foods from the Fiftysomething Diet as part of your regular diet will certainly have beneficial effects on your general health.

5 Foods for Men:

Certain foods and nutrients give men a distinct advantage in warding off chronic diseases, like prostate cancer, high blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

• Tomatoes
• Flaxseed
• Whole grain cereals
• Bananas and oranges
• Chocolate (Yes, chocolate!)

5 Foods for Women: 

Nutrient needs change for everyone after the age of 50, but the disease-fighting compounds and nutrients found in these foods specifically provide a health edge for women in the prevention memory loss, hip fractures, and breast and stomach cancers.

• Strawberries and Blueberries
• Dark, Leafy Greens
• Green Tea
• Walnuts
• Red Wine/Alcohol (What? No chocolate?)

Check out the website to read more about the Fiftysomething Diet.