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As the holiday season comes to an end, many people are determined to adopt healthier eating habits.
However, rather than giving in to fleeting temptations food trendsthe focus should be firmly on providing the essential nutrients our bodies really need.
This becomes particularly important as people enter their 60s and above, a stage of life when significant physiological changes occur that require heightened attention healthy.
come on Body with important Nutrients Essential for maintaining health, strength and energy.
To guide these choices, registered dietitian Nigel Denby, founder of Your Menopause by Harley Street at Home, has listed key foods for 2026 designed to support health into your golden years.
Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables to boost your immunity
Older adults tend to be more susceptible to colds and flu during the cold winter months, so Danby recommends naturally boosting immunity with antioxidant-rich foods.
“The recommended five fruits and vegetables per day are designed to provide us with the minimum amount of antioxidants we need to maintain optimal health,” says Danby.
To make sure our bodies are getting all the antioxidants they need, Danby recommends eating a variety of fruits and vegetables every day.
“You can usually tell what antioxidants are in fruits and vegetables just by looking at the color,” Danby says. “Dark leafy green vegetables tend to be high in B vitamins, orange and yellow vegetables tend to contain vitamin A, and many purple vegetables (such as red cabbage) are rich in anthocyanins, another powerful antioxidant.”
Add more minced meat to your meals to boost iron levels
“Iron levels tend to be lower in people over 60 for a number of reasons,” the nutritionist says. “If older adults are struggling on a low income, they may not be able to include meat in their diet as often as they would like because meat is very expensive.
“Also, a lot of people in their 70s and 80s wear dentures, or their gums tend to recede a little, which can make chewing things like red meat more difficult.”
Danby praised red meat as one of the best food sources of iron and suggested that older adults who have difficulty chewing should consider cooking with minced meat.
“There’s just as much iron in ground red meat as there is in sirloin steak,” Denby says. “I recommend choosing leaner cuts of meat that have more iron and cooking them slowly so it’s super tender.”
However, some vegetarian foods also contain iron.
“You can also find iron in legumes, and fortified breakfast cereals are a great way to get more iron into your diet,” says Danby. “egg Also a really affordable and versatile source of iron. “
Keep the skin on vegetables to increase fiber intake
“We found that a lot of fiber intake is very low, which can lead to all kinds of gut problems, irritable bowel syndromeconstipation, which may be a particular concern for older people who are at risk of diverticulitis, for example,” Denby said. “Most people in the UK don’t eat enough fiber, but this is more common in people in their 60s. “
The easiest way to increase your fiber intake is to add more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your meals.
“You don’t need to eat bowl after bowl of whole bran to increase fiber, there are better ways to do it through foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains,” says Danby. “Eating more oats in particular is a really easy way to get more fiber.”
Another way to increase your fiber intake is to put the peeler down.
“Eating things like baby potatoes and leaving the skin on will also increase your fiber intake,” Danway says. “Also, when the weather is cold, like now, adding foods like beans to casseroles and stews is a great way to add more fiber.”
Add protein to every meal
“Adults typically need about one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day,” says Danby. “We use protein to build new muscle tissue and new cells, and as we age we tend to lose muscle tissue through a natural process called sarcopenia, so older adults may need more protein than we first thought.”
Various dairy products, meat, fish, chicken, eggtofu and even nuts and beans are all great sources of protein.
“We now tend to recommend that people eat protein at every meal, so maybe some eggs or yogurt for breakfast, some cheese or cold meat for lunch, and then some chicken, fish, red meat or tofu in the evening,” advises Danby.
Eat yogurt and cheese to keep bones strong
“We also found that older adults have increased osteoporosis and more fragile bone density, so calcium and vitamin D are very important,” Denby said. “People over 60 rarely get enough calcium and may want to start thinking about eating three servings of dairy-rich foods a day.
“A serving can be a small pot of yoghurt, a block of cheese (about 40g) or about 200ml of low-fat milk.
“If people prefer to choose dairy-free alternatives, it’s important to make sure these are fortified with calcium, as few of them naturally contain calcium.”