Why is it important to adjust our diet when entering our forties? What physiological changes occur at this time and what are our new nutritional needs? “Over the age of 40, there is a decline in aging, a reduced ability of the body to regenerate and eliminate toxins. that we accumulate on a daily basis, manufactured by our own body or consumed from the outside,” says Gemma Hortet, nutrition and health coach, holistic dietitian specialized in Energy Nutrition and Vitality and author of the book “Feed your vitality. Energetic nutrition to feel young at any age”.
As this expert continues, “this means that, If we want to prolong our health and slow down aging, we have to take measures prevention specials”. Especially in the case of women. And, as this nutritionist explains, “in the case of women This fourth decade of life and until menopause is a whirlwind of physical events “That, with good nutrition and lifestyle habits, it will be more bearable.”
Changes we should make in our diet at 40
“The first thing to reduce are quickly absorbed carbohydrates such as pasta.a, rice, bread and all white flour, because they cause a rise in glucose too quickly and can cause insulin resistance, which translates into overweight and long-term metabolic diseases”, Underlines Gemma Hortet. Here are 25 foods with healthy carbohydrates.
According to this expert, Another thing that we have to reduce a lot is alcohol, “not only because it is toxic but also because it is still sugar.”and as such, it also causes a rise in glucose in addition to inflaming our body and exhausting our liver, making us more likely to suffer from cholesterol or fatty liver.”
Surprisingly, according to this nutritionist, “Fruit is also another food that we must limit, since it contains a lot of sugar”. As he points out, “the best fruit we can eat are red fruits, such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, pomegranates…because they contain less sugar and are very rich in antioxidants.” Other foods that we should also reduce, according to Hortet, are sausages and red meat since they are pro-inflammatory. Here you have 20 healthy and delicious foods to control sugar.
It is also important to improve our diet from an energy point of view since, as the nutritionist explains, ““As we age, it becomes more difficult for us to do good tissue repair and digest food.”. “If from the age of 40 we continue to consume foods that are not very beneficial for our health because they poison us or inflame us, we have to dedicate too much energy to detoxifying and repairing ourselves and this means reduce above all our vitality and age biologically more quickly“, Explain.
“The older we are, the easier we have to make it for our body if we want our energy to be dedicated to repairing ourselves and giving us vitality. One can be 40 years old chronologically (what it says on our ID) but 30 biologically because it avoids inflammation and poisoning. with the lifestyle habits that you carry out daily, and one of the most important is diet, in addition to physical exercise,” emphasizes Gemma Hortet. Here are foods that reduce inflammation.
The most important foods after 40
As Hortet emphasizes, “It is very important to ‘vegetarianize’ our diet, if we have not done so before. As this expert explains, “the plant kingdom is where most of the medicinal phytonutrients and antioxidants that give us health and well-being are found.” “With this I do not mean that we become vegan, far from it, but reduce animal protein to only once a day at most and that it comes mostly from oily fish small like sardine, mackerel or anchovy, it is already a wonderful option,” he says. “Oily fish is a powerful anti-inflammatory rich in omega 3 and excellent quality protein that repairs our tissues and improves our mucous membranes,” she emphasizes.
“It is also very important introduce vegetables into the two or three meals we eat a day because fiber is found in them that nourish our microbiota, the seat of immunity, emotional well-being and organic repair,” emphasizes Hortet. Discover some curious things about your digestive health and how to take care of it.
Something very important also, according to this nutritionist, is that “At a culinary level we have to create type 3 resistant starch with our preparations, because in this way we reduce the glycemic load of starchy foods and feed our bacteria better.” This, as Hortet explains, It is achieved by cooking legumes, potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot… and letting it refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours. in the refrigerator before consuming it. “Then we can heat it without problems to less than 140 degrees. By doing this we feel more satiated and improve our blood glucose,” she notes.
“It is also important consume quality fats such as avocado, raw extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds daily, and don’t forget to hydrate ourselves very well,” says Gemma Hortet. According to this expert, “we need to drink around two liters of water a day and it is best to sip it between meals so that we don’t urinate it right away and it really hydrates us.” “If this happens to you, try adding a splash of sea water to a liter of mineral water.”recommends. Here you have 10 healthy, hydrating and sugar-free drinks.
The importance of nighttime ‘digestive rest’
The author of “Feed your vitality” also recommends take a nighttime digestive break of at least 12 hours between finishing dinner and having breakfast. “This not only helps us regenerate our body better, but it helps us detoxify better and have more energy.” If you do not have any endocrine pathology or are pregnant, the nutritionist emphasizes that it is important “Do not eat more than three times a day and leave a space of 4-5 hours between meals to aid digestion. and the subsequent inter-digestive cleansing that prevents abdominal bloating and digestive disorders.” For example, having breakfast at 9-10 a.m., lunch at 2 p.m. and dinner at 8 p.m. would be ideal. Do you know the benefits of fasting?
On the other hand, the foods that we should avoid after turning forty according to Hortet are “processed and industrial preparations such as pizzas, croquettes, cookies, dumplings… also all sugars in cakes, cookies, pre-made sauces, chewing gum, sugary drinks, industrial ice cream, etc., alcohol and all sausages.”
“What we have to reduce and I recommend taking only occasionally cured cheeses, Iberian ham, liver and derivatives., seafood, red meat, red wine, unfiltered beer and breads with gluten because they are more difficult to digest, contain more antinutrients and toxins to eliminate and inflame the body,” says Hortet. “Thus, It is better that we eat these foods at midday, only occasionally and very well accompanied by foods that help us eliminate their toxicity, such as salads. green leaves such as arugula, escarole, lollo rosa or endives,” he adds. Here you have 8 recipes for healthy and light salads.
Why it is so important to eat more fruits and vegetables at 40
As Gemma Hortet emphasizes, “Vegetables are essential for health at any age, but from the fourth decade of our lives even more, since they are going to be great allies for all the hormonal disorders that we are going to suffer with premenopause and menopause.” “They are going to satiate us more, they are going to regulate our blood glucose, They help us prevent constipation, eliminate hormones, increase our antioxidants and add vitality. to our lives,” he adds. Here you have 50 foods rich in fiber.
According to this expert, “The ideal dish from this vital time should be at least 50-60% vegetables in food, of which at least 30% must be green (cabbage, broccoli, artichokes, asparagus, spinach, green salad leaves…) and the rest starchy, which are rich in carbohydrates, such as carrots, pumpkin, beets, parsnip , turnip… or whole grains such as rice, quinoa, millet, etc.” “Then we need 20% good quality fat such as olive oil, olives, seeds, nuts or avocado, and another 30% protein such as legumesblue fish, white fish, white meat or eggs,” he adds.
In the dinner, For Hortet, the ideal is 60% steamed, wok-cooked or pureed vegetables, because they are digested better and will help us rest well., and 40% protein such as legume hummus, tortillas, tofu, tempeh, white fish or oily fish.” Here you have 6 recipes for creams and soups that are easy to make.
4 ideal vegetables at 40 that we can eat every day
“Any green leaf would be fine, but Especially arugula is wonderful to eat at lunch because it has a high nutritional density: In small quantities we find a lot of folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, calcium… micronutrients that are ideal for bones and also help us drain fluids and toxins and improve our liver health.” Here is a recipe with arugula and lentils.
As a second vegetable, Hortet recommends the turnip, “which we can add to vegetable creams, to sautéed vegetables or eat grated raw in salads; It is a fresh spicy, very diuretic and rich in vitamin C that helps us cleanse the blood and impurities in the body and move the stagnations of toxicity, fat and phlegm.”
The third recommendation is carrot “because it is very rich in provitamin A, a wonderful vitamin that helps us improve the state of our mucous membranes and our skin, something very important in premenopause,” says Hortet. Here you have all the ways to cook carrots.
Fourthly, the author of “Feed your vitality” recommends beets, “wonderful for its nitric oxide content, a vasodilating antioxidant “which helps us regenerate better as we age, improving the cellular health of our mitochondria and preventing aging.” As Hortet points out, “We can eat it in creams, grated raw in salads or stewed in the oven.”.
Antioxidant beet cream
Take note of the wonderful beet recipe that Gemma Hortet shared with us:
Ingredients
- 500g carrots
- 1 onion
- 250g raw beets
- 1 turnip
- Tamari
- Oregano
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- EVOO
Preparation
Cut the onion into half moons and sauté with olive oil and a little salt until golden brown. Add the chopped carrots, the chopped turnip and mineral water to cover the food. Cook covered over medium heat for about 15 minutes. After this time, add the chopped beet and cook for 5 more minutes. Blend everything very well with a good blender and flavor with the tamari and oregano to taste. Decorate with toasted pumpkin seeds.