Diets for Seniors

Seniors often reach an age when they have the time and money to relax and enjoy life, but find they no longer know how. Our lives are so bound up with rules that inhibit us and numb us out from almost any feeling of joy and happiness.

It is difficult for many people to even enjoy a good meal. We are either eating the wrong food, too much of the right food, breaking precious diet rules, not enough of the healthy stuff or doing it all at the wrong time of day. It is time to bring back some form of common sense and joy in breaking bread with family or friends and doing it without regret or guilt.

With little effort or searching I have found mindless diet rules out there that are meant to be broken or make no sense. There are many dated diet guidelines and myths. No doubt you have heard them bantered around in the past but are they worth our attention? And will they really help us lose more weight or make dieting less of a pain in our lives?

Dumb Diet and Food Rules to Reconsider:

• Eating at night adds weight. It is not when you eat during the day that should concern you. Pay attention to the total daily calorie intake.
• Eat at the same times every day. NO! Have something to eat when you’re hungry, and ignore responding to clock time.
• Dieting with someone is easier. Dieting together can help but losing weight is a individual trek. Ultimately you must fight the battle whether you choose to do it solo or in a group.
• Dietary fat gives you the feeling of fullness, causing you to eat less. Digesting fat does take longer, but it is not a very good appetite control agent. Attack hunger by eating protein foods first, followed by carbohydrates, then fats.
• When you veer off track and crash on your diet, relax and get back on track the next day. Total BS! Get back on track with your next meal.
• Saying NO to food offered at social gatherings is rude. Turning down food that you know will blow your diet is socially acceptable and smart.
• Skip a meal to lose weight. Skipping meals only kicks your appetite up for the next meal and causes people to overeat. Just eat smaller portions when you need to eat.
• Everything is fattening-bread, nuts and pasta. If you buy whole wheat bread and pasta they are good sources of healthy nutrients. You won’t gain more weight with them than some other food that has the same calorie content.
• All calories are equal. Only a half-truth! A 100-calorie apple is healthier than a piece of white bread with the same calories. Look for good calories when you are attempting to lose weight or control your hunger.
• Always leave a clean plate after a meal. This is one of our best generational guilt trips of all time. Leaving a little food is absolutely acceptable but if you just can’t leave, try to put less food on your plate to begin with to avoid overeating.

Bottom line…don’t believe everything you hear! Much of it is just wives tales. Now you know the truth, go tell your friends.

Examine all the dumb rules in your life and get rid of them. Find time to laugh out loud and with gusto. Find that natural grin you once had even if you can only restore it for just a moment during the day.

Enjoy your life fully now, not as a defining point but just for the fun of it, just for the joy of it, just for the love of it, just because you feel like it or for no damn reason at all.

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About The Author:

Janet Shapan, has been a publisher, writer and media designer in the special interest magazine and TV production business for over 25 years. A Boomer, her passion is identifying and sharing current innovations in health, wellness and other lifestyle categories of interest to Seniors. For more information on Senior Living, visit: http://For-Seniors.org or http://LivingSenior.org