America has eating and exercise issues which translate into over-weight problems, and these have increased steadily over the past 30 years. It is estimated that 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese.

Lisa the Vegetarian

Forty percent of adults in the 55-64 age range, and these are all Boomers, are obese. Obesity is a well-established cause of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and strokes, and a risk indicator for certain types of cancers.

In addition to what you eat or do not eat, eating patterns are also associated with obesity (even after controlling for total energy intake and physical activity), and here is what we know about adult eating behaviors:

• Eating Frequency. Eating episodes are inversely associated with the risk of obesity. In comparison with those who reported three or fewer eating episodes per day, adults who reported four or more eating episodes per day experienced a significant 45 percent lower risk of obesity.

• Skipped Meals. Skipping breakfast is associated with a significantly higher risk of obesity. Adults who regularly skipped breakfast had 4.5 times the risk of obesity as those who regularly consumed breakfast.

• Eating Out. In comparison with adults who rarely ate breakfast away from home, those consuming breakfast out frequently had more than twice the risk of obesity, although no linear trend was observed. Likewise, adults eating dinner out frequently had an approximately twofold increased risk of obesity in comparison with those who rarely ate dinner away from home. In contrast, eating lunch away from home wasassociated with a reduced risk of obesity.

• Fruits and Vegetables. Adult eating patterns currently fall well below the recommended levels for daily fruit and vegetable intake of 2 or more servings of fruit and 3 or more servings of vegetables. Government data from 2003 shows that the percentage of older Americans who eat five or more fruits and vegetables varies by race and ethnicity: 40 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander older adults meet the five-a-day recommendation, but only 31 percent of whites, 26 percent of Hispanics, 25 percent of African Americans, and 24 percent of Native Americans meet the five-a-day standard.

• Nutrient Levels. Several nationwide surveys have revealed that a large proportion of older adults do not receive their daily recommended nutrient levels from food intake alone. Granted, while these levels are only numerical benchmarks, they do provide a series of thresholds for analyzing the nutritional behaviors of older adults. For example, in a large national study that looked at adults 51 years of age and older, more than half failed to receive the recommended daily intake of Vitamin A, Folate, Vitamin E, and Magnesium from food sources alone, and more than 20 percent failed to receive the recommended daily intake of Vitamin B-6, Vitamin C, and Zinc. However, in the same study 37% of men and 47% of women consumed at least one type of supplement every day, the most prevalent being multivitamin-multimineral supplements. The use of supplements changed the daily intake averages in a positive direction for those who used them, resulting in revised shortfalls among supplement users (as opposed to non-supplement users) of about 5 percent for both men and women for Vitamin A, B-6, B-12, C, and Zinc, 10 percent for Vitamin E and Folate, and 25 percent for Magnesium. Thus, more than 85 percent of older adults taking regular supplements met their total daily intake for the nutrients studied, except for magnesium.

• Nutrient Excesses. It was also determined supplements boosted total intakes of iron and zinc to the extent that a considerable proportion of older adults, particularly men, exceeded the tolerable upper intake level. Due to adverse effects associated with iron overload and its association with coronary heart disease, the Institute of Medicine has recommended that men and postmenopausal women avoid both iron supplements and highly fortified foods. In contrast, approximately 15% of men aged 51 to 70 years and 10% of men aged 71 years and older who are supplement users were exceeding the tolerable upper intake levels for zinc. Excess consumption of zinc has been associated with a risk of reduced copper status, impaired immune response, and lowered HDL cholesterol levels. Increased consumption of zinc appears to be needed by a sizable proportion of older men and women, but obviously should be undertaken with some care to avoid an overload problem. The tolerable upper intake level for vitamin A was exceeded by 9% of women aged 51 to 70 years and by 5% of women aged 71 years and older who took supplements. This finding is of concern because excessive long-term vitamin A intake has been associated with hip fractures in postmenopausal women

Healthier Boomer Diets

Eating healthier foods, eating more intelligently in terms of timing and amounts, and consuming the right balance of foods is highly achievable by all adults with careful planning and a little common sense. You do not necessarily need to stop eating meat, but less of it, particularly red meat and meat by-products, supplemented with more fish and fowl is a good start toward better health and vitality. The Food Pyramid, presented in an earlier blog posting (You Are What You Eat…and Drink, Part II) is a helpful guide to daily food intake and better food and nutritional balance.

The next logical step is in the direction of one of the healthier specialty diets, such as, Mediterranean, Asian, Latin American, the Mayo Clinic diet, or Harvard University’s Healthy Eating Pyramid. Each of these diets is helpful for daily food intake decisions and better food and nutritional balance. Here is an example of the Mediterranean diet that reflects the food culture of Southern Italy, Greece, and Crete, offering a delicious route to eating and drinking your way to better health. Basically, the diet consists of portion control and

• high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds;
• olive oil as an important source of monounsaturated fat;
• low to moderate consumption of  dairy products, fish and poultry;
• very little consumption of red meat;
• eggs, consumed zero to four times a week; and
• wine consumed in low to moderate amounts.

Moving further away from meat of any kind, a healthy vegetarian diet consists primarily of plant-based foods, such as vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fruits, and for most, dairy products (e.g., milk, cheese, yogurt) and eggs. Because the emphasis is on nonmeat food sources, a vegetarian diet generally contains less fat and cholesterol and more fiber. Vegetarian diets are healthy and nutritious, and can be delicious and pleasing. Meatless substitutes, such as Portobello mushrooms, soy burgers, tofu dogs, and nut loaves, add additional variety and interest to a vegetarian lifestyle.

More restrictive vegetarian diets—vegan, raw vegan, macrobiotic, fruitarian—may not provide all the nutrients aging Baby Boomers need. According to the Mayo Clinic (2010), here are the nutrients that may be lacking in restrictive vegetarian diets and how they can be acquired from non-meat food sources:

• Protein. Protein is necessary for maintaining healthy skin, bones, muscles, and vital organs. Vegetarians who consume eggs or dairy products have reliable protein sources. Other sources include soy products, meat substitutes, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.

• Calcium. Calcium builds and maintains strong teeth and bones. It is easily obtained from low-fat dairy products and dark green vegetables, such as, spinach, turnip and collard greens, kale, and broccoli. Other options include Tofu enriched with calcium, fortified soy milk, and fruit juices.

• Vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 is involved in the production of red blood cells, DNA synthesis, and neurological functions, and is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs and cheese. Vegans can get vitamin B-12 from some enriched cereals, fortified soy products, and by taking a supplement.

• Iron. Iron is an essential component of red blood cells and can be obtained from a wide variety of foods, including dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, tofu, dark leafy green vegetables, and dried fruit. Absorption of iron from non-animal sources is boosted by foods rich in vitamin C that are eaten along with the above iron-containing foods, such as, strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage, and broccoli.

• Zinc. Zinc is an essential trace element and a component of over 100 bodily enzymes, and has a role in the metabolism of DNA and RNA, neurological functions, and the human immune system. Red meats, especially beef, lamb, and liver, have some of the highest concentrations of zinc. In plants, zinc varies based on levels of the element in soil. Food plants containing the most zinc are wheat (germ and bran) and various seeds (sesame, poppy, alfalfa, celery, mustard). Zinc is also found in almonds, beans, whole grains, soy products, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and blackcurrant.

The Vegetarian Food Pyramid offers quick, specific guidance for dietary balance. In a blink, food intake proportion levels for broad food groups are represented. Due to their generic nature, however, food pyramids offer little help in selecting ingredients or preparing actual meals. For this, a wide array of books and websites are available, with and without a strong dose of vegetarian philosophy (see Additional Reading, below).

Vegetarian Diet Pyramid

The Vegan Food Pyramid goes even further by removing from your diet all foods processed with or containing animal products (e.g., sugar, gelatin, some wines), eggs, honey, and all dairy products.

Vegan Diet Pyramid

There are some things in adulthood beyond individual control, like death and taxes as the saying goes. Fortunately, diet is not one of them. Eat healthy, nutritious food, eat more frequently, eat smaller portions, live longer and prosper.

Additional Reading

Berley, P. (2004). Fresh food fast: Delicious, seasonal vegetarian meals in under an hour. New York: William Morrow Cookbooks.

Loma Linda University, School of Allied Health Professions. (2010). Vegetarian nutrition sources on the Internet. Retrieved March 2, 2010 from http://www.llu.edu/allied-health/nutrition/links.page

Madison, D. (2002). Local flavors: Cooking and eating from America’s farmers’ markets. New York: Broadway Books.

Marcus, E. (2001). Vegan; the new ethics of eating (revised ed.). New York: McBooks Press.

Mayo Clinic. (2010). Nutrition and healthy eating; Vegetarian diet: How to get the best nutrition. Retrieved March 2, 2010 from MayoClininc.com at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2010). Vegetarian nutrition; general information and resources. Retrieved March 2, 2010 from http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=2&tax_subject=257&topic_id=1359&debugMode=false