Baby Boomers Make Better Dietary Choices
Advancing Years Mean Old Habits Have To Go
Changing As You Age
Flick's diet in 2008 is much different than it was in her 20s and 30s. Back then, fast food was a regular component of her weekly intake -- meals filled with sugars and starches. She acknowledges that vegetables probably weren't an integral part of that diet."I think every decade I got a little more disciplined with eating," she said.It's a stark contrast to her years in Minnesota, where she was born and raised. Back then, most dishes seemed to be either fried or mashed, she said. Today, her focus is on being well-balanced with chicken and salmon for protein and at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables for vitamins and nutrients."I usually try to eat five small meals per day," Flick said.While the availability of healthful options at stores and in restaurants virtually overflows nowadays, Flick said, she recognizes that eating right can be cost-prohibitive."To eat right is an expense. I feel bad, because I know plenty of people who would like to eat right," she said.Flick's grocery bags usually come stocked with apples, Romaine lettuce, broccoli, celery, spinach and perhaps a lime or lemon. She has a juicing machine and loves to turn fruits and veggies into liquid."I wash them good and throw them on in," Flick said, adding that at one point a few years ago, she had to slow down on the carrots because they were turning her skin orange."That Jack Lalanne really has the secret, I'm afraid," Flick said of juicing, referencing the famed health enthusiast.Controlling Blood Pressure
Like Linda Flick, Oklahoma resident Vel Reggio eats more healthfully today than she did in her youth. However, there was no life-changing cancer diagnosis for the 60-year-old resident of Choctaw.Instead, Reggio struggles with high blood pressure, a condition that afflicts millions of Americans. She has to watch her sodium intake, and she is supposed to get more exercise than she does."Which I don't do," she said. "I keep trying."While Reggio's dietary habits are sounder these days, she stressed that she has always loved green vegetables, particularly asparagus and broccoli. In fact, she has passed on her love of broccoli to her grandchildren."They have to have the broccoli dish. They'll fight over the broccoli. They love the vegetables, but we started them when they were very little," Reggio said.When Reggio was growing up, there weren't nearly the number of fast-food options, she said. Nevertheless, she still counts cheese - a fast-food staple -- as one of her primary, life-long dietary weaknesses."I used to eat anything and everything I wanted," she said.In terms of meat-eating, Reggio said she has always eaten chicken. While she tries to stay away from red meat, she can't make any promises."I wish I could, but I love meat loaf," she said.Reggio said she's always been a big believer in eating yogurt for its good bacteria, and she tries to avoid sweets."Sugar should be a big no-no," she said.But what should Baby Boomers eat? In Greiger's article for Today's Dietitian, she wrote that nutritionists recommend Baby Boomers eat omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in fish; antioxidants from fruits, vegetables and grains; and plant-based proteins from whole grains, nuts and legumes.Copyright 2008, Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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