Focus: Wellness - Nutrition 101

Diet and nutrition tools, tips and tricks for a healthy retirement

Jul 02, 2021

We all know that we are what we eat and, if you’ve heard anything about The Blue Zones you know that food is a key aspect of health and longevity. But it’s all very confusing; the information and recommendations change irritatingly frequently and, well, hot dogs taste good… so, you may have given up. Don’t! Just don’t try to become an expert and be perfect. My philosophy on everything health-related is that harm reduction is the goal, not perfection. So, how do you get better with your nutrition and stick with it? Let’s start with the basics.

If you go no further in this article, take this away. I promise it will never change. Michael Pollen breaks down nutrition with this sentence. “Eat real (not processed) food, not too much, mostly plants.”

If you want to go a little deeper, there are three types of food, called "macronutrients.” They are proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Fats have about twice as many calories per gram as proteins and carbohydrates. (Alcohol is kind of it’s own beast, but it doesn’t have any nutrients so the only reason to count it is for calories. It has about 1.5x the calories as proteins and carbohydrates.) The only reason I tell you about the calorie count is to help you understand the density of the foods you are eating. That’s the last time “calorie” and “count” will appear in the same sentence in this article. Macronutrients are all very important in your diet. You need some of all of them and there are government recommendations for what “mix” your diet should have of these nutrients. There, now you are all caught up on the basics of nutrition.

You may also have heard of vitamins and minerals. These are called micronutrients and each macronutrient has a mix of micronutrients. Nobody knows how many micronutrients you need in your diet. Everybody is different, so every body has its own needs for micronutrients. The good news is that your body knows exactly how much you need of each of these micronutrients and it will absorb and discard as needed. The best advice out there is to eat a lot of variety of foods so your body has what it needs to choose from to meet your individual needs.

At this point, you practically have a PhD in nutrition. Easy, right?

Macronutrient deep dive

Let’s drive home the point on each macronutrient being important. There are 10 micronutrients that you can only get from carbohydrates. They are key vitamins, minerals and fiber that your body needs to do things like protect you against age-related mental decline, improve the health of your blood vessels and lower your risk of colon cancer. Eat a ton of fruits, vegetables and whole (usually brown) grains so your body has an abundance of these nutrients to choose from. (A note about simple (usually white) carbs, like white rice, white bread and sugar. They have most of the micronutrients and fiber stripped out of them. Your body processes them very quickly and uses resources to do that, but it doesn’t get much nutrition from all of the work you put it through. Stick with the whole grains.)

Proteins are important as well. You can get proteins from both animal sources and plant sources. There are 4 micronutrients that are not adequate in most carbohydrates and plants that are available in animal-based proteins. They are vitamin B12, vitamin D3, vitamin K2 and iron. (Iron is available in plants but its form is not easily absorbed by your body.) If you are a vegetarian, you probably already know this, but you’ll need to go out of your way to get these nutrients. You need protein to help your body repair cells and make new ones. That’s why they help you build strong muscles. It’s an essential function for every organ in your body.

Being a product of our era, many of us think we should avoid fats. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Fats help us absorb the micronutrients found in our proteins and carbohydrates. (If you eat a salad without any dressing, nuts, olives or other fat, your body can’t absorb all of that goodness! Have a handful of sunflower seeds on top!) Dietary fats are also essential to give your body energy and to support cell growth. They also help protect your organs and help keep your body warm. The key to this macronutrient is to remember that it is particularly dense. You need less volume of fats. Also, remember that liquid is better than solid. If the fat solidifies at room temperature, try to minimize consumption.

Don’t give up a thing!

Now that you know everything there is to know about macro- and micronutrients, you’re ready to make some choices. First, your body’s needs change as you get older. Sadly, you will move less so you need to eat less. Also, some bodies don’t absorb some micronutrients as well as they get older. You’ll need to be especially vigilant about vitamin B12, vitamin D and fiber.

If you’re just starting on your journey, here is my diet recommendation for you: eat more! That’s right. Don’t change anything about the way you are eating today, but add to it. Before you eat your main meal, eat half a dinner plate full of vegetables and fruits. If you cook them, add a little olive oil and tons of herbs and garlic. Avoid butter, bacon and other solid fats. Also, add a snack of a small (playing card deck size) portion of a very lean protein like chicken breast, fish or tempeh every day. Again, cook them with olive or avocado oil and add lots of herbs and stay away from proteins that have fat that solidifies at room temperature.

Help your brain help you

Keep a food journal! But not one that lists everything you eat. That’s just a chore that sucks. In your journal, I want you to write down all of the fruits, veggies and lean proteins that you actually enjoyed eating. Pretend you are The Next Food Network Star. Write about these morsels in detail. Use tons of adjectives and recall the flavors, textures and other elements that made them particularly enjoyable. Your brain will remember if you commit these sensations to paper and it will want to try those foods again!

Over time, you will come to enjoy these micronutrient powerhouses as much as you enjoy your hot dogs and Cheetos. Maybe more! And, at some point, you may find yourself cutting back on some of the more dense and processed foods because you’re full enough from the salmon and olive tapenade with sauteed spinach that you had for a snack. But, that’s not the first goal. The first goal is harm reduction, meaning give your body more of the micronutrients it needs and don’t worry about the stuff that might not be as good for it.

You made it through Nutrition 101 (and 102 and 103)! Reward yourself! Go grab a beautiful, sweet, juicy white nectarine and dig in!

Actions to Build Confidence

Tiny: Add a fruit or vegetable to one meal each day

Bold: Cook 5 meals at home each week and try a new fruit, vegetable or lean protein with each of them.

Audacious: Write a food journal of all of the real food that you are adding to your diet and replace a processed food with one from your food journal each day for the next week.

Next Week’s Focus: Connections - Single’s Edition!

Retiring and aging as a single can be very fulfilling! But it comes with some risks. Mitigate them through making the right connections and live well!

Got a great recipe to share? Put it in the comments!

Have a nutrition success story? I want to hear about those! Brag about them in the comments or send me an email by responding to this newsletter and I’ll congratulate you anonymously next time!

I always respond to all questions and comments.

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