Regular strength exercises combined with healthy eating is essential and does not have to be hard. For example, enjoying healthy eating patterns, which can include healthy fats like nuts and olive oil, plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources and three servings of dairy each day, can help set older adults up for success.
- Maintaining optimal muscle mass is one way to stay well through older adulthood. While some loss of muscle is expected, there are ways to help minimize and support healthy aging, including regular resistance training and consuming a balanced amount of high-quality protein each day.
- During this time in life, it may be difficult to become comfortable with a set income. Dollar for dollar, dairy foods are one of the most affordable sources of nutrition. In fact, three servings of milk can cost as little as 60 cents per day, and research has shown that dairy foods are the lowest cost sources of calcium and vitamin D — both nutrients of public health concern.
- Lactose intolerant? The good news is even individuals with lactose intolerance can still benefit from dairy’s nutrients. Adding lesser amounts of dairy foods into meals or choosing foods with minimal or no lactose, like hard cheeses and Greek style yogurts, are great strategies. Lactose free milk is also still real milk, just without lactose.
Quick Tips: Use milk instead of water in oatmeal and soups and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt to enhance creaminess while adding a splash of nutrients and high-quality protein. It can be hard for older adults to stay hydrated. Luckily, milk naturally contains about 90% water, plus it comes with important nutrients that play a role in hydration.
Recipe: Eggplant pizza slices
Makes 8 slices
70 calories per slice
Ingredients:
1 globe eggplant (peel if desired)
1 cup tomato pasta sauce
¾ cup mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Directions:
- Preheat oven to four hundred degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Slice eggplant into rounds about ½ inch thick. Place slices on baking sheet.
- Top each eggplant slice with a rounded tablespoon of sauce. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese on top of sauce and ½ teaspoon breadcrumbs on top of cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Recipe: Baked meatballs
Makes 21 meatballs
150 calories per 3 meatballs
Ingredients:
½ cup finely grated carrot
1 egg
½ cup oats (old fashioned or quick cooking)
¼ cup skim or 1% milk
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon oregano
1 lb. lean ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, or chicken)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients except ground meat.
- Add the ground meat and mix in evenly.
- Using your hands, shape the mixture into 21 (about 2-inch) meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet with space between each one. Bake in 2 batches or on 2 baking sheets if needed.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the outsides are browned.
Recipe: High-rotein banana split
Makes 2 servings
190 calories per serving
Ingredients:
1 banana, cut in half crosswise and again lengthwise.
1 cup Greek yogurt (plain or flavored)
1 cup whole-grain fortified cereal
1 teaspoon honey
¼ cup sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup canned pineapple pieces (fresh or canned in 100% juice and drained)
Directions:
- Place two pieces of banana next to each other in each of the two-cereal bowls.
- Over the banana in each cereal bowl, spoon half the yogurt and sprinkle half the cereal. Drizzle with honey.
- Top with fruit and serve.
Tips: Try any fruit, such as blueberries and slice peaches. Use any type of yogurt. Look at the Nutrition Facts label for nutrients of concern such as protein, calcium, saturated fat and added sugars.
Interested in free nutrition education lessons from OSU Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)? Contact Nancy Lyons at 937-244-9654 or lyons.489@osu.edu.
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