Diet for women after 50 years
The older a person becomes, the greater the danger for him is overweight. Therefore, the desire to lose weight after 50 is not just a whim of women, but a banal concern for their own health. Obesity entails the development of joint diseases, an increase in blood pressure, and the risk of diabetes mellitus is significantly increased. It is possible to prevent these problems, but this will require parting with body fat, which often accumulate over the years.
Content:
- Nutrition rules for women over 50
- Features of the menu
- Diet menu for women after 50 years for 7 days
- Sample menu for a month
- Healthy products for women over 50
- Popular diets for women over 50
- Sports exercises after 50 years
- Reviews of doctors and those who have lost weight
Nutrition rules for women over 50
To lose weight, you must adhere to dietary rules that have been developed specifically for women over 50:
Watch your energy balance
In the struggle for a slim figure, it is necessary to give up the use of fatty and high-calorie foods, and also not to overeat. If you do not follow this rule, then metabolic processes will not be able to disperse, which means that fat will continue to be deposited in problem areas: on the hips, abdomen, waist and, most dangerous, on the internal organs.
Introduce lipotropic foods
The diet should contain foods that do not disrupt the work of the pancreas, do not provoke fatty liver hepatosis, do not lead to atherosclerosis. To do this, the menu should have a sufficient amount of protein foods, but products containing a large amount of cholesterol and lipids should be discarded.
Varied and balanced nutrition
Products to be preferred:
- Vegetables, fruits and herbs.
- Nuts and legumes are valuable sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids and calcium. Regular consumption of these products in food is the prevention of cancer, stroke and heart attack.
- Low-fat varieties of fish and meat.
- Fermented milk drinks such as kefir and yogurt. After 50 years, one should not forget about cottage cheese as a valuable source of calcium.
- Flaxseed and green fenugreek seeds are a source of phytoestrogens - they are natural analogues of female sex hormones. In the period after menopause, they acquire special value.
- Cereals, bread, pasta should be present on a woman's table, as they are valuable sources of energy. Dark grains such as oatmeal, yach, and barley contain three times more B vitamins and iron than white grains. In addition, they have enough magnesium and potassium, without which the normal work of the heart muscle is impossible.
- You should eat honey, raisins, dates, rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, corn, barley, as sources of glucose, which is necessary for the proper functioning of the brain.
-
The consumption of butter should be limited to a teaspoon per day, as it contains a lot of cholesterol. Use olive oil for dressing salads. It is better to refuse mayonnaise altogether.
- You need to eat sweets, as they increase the level of pleasure hormones (endorphins) in the body. However, preference should be given to marmalade, marshmallow, pastille. Moreover, even these sweet foods must be limited in the diet.
- You need to eat at least 5 times a day, but the portions should be small. Heat treatment of products: cooking, steaming, baking.
- A woman over 50 should be getting enough fluids per day. Its volumes are equal to 2 liters of pure water. This is the only way to ensure normal blood density. This, in turn, is the prevention of blood clots.
- It must be remembered that tea, milk, juices belong to food, which also has a diuretic effect. Therefore, it is imperative to drink clean water. This is the only way to avoid dehydration.
Not a day without minerals
Calcium is a basic trace mineral for the prevention of osteoporosis. The risks of developing this disease increase significantly after age 50. To prevent bone thinning, you should enrich your diet with low-fat cheese, tofu cheese, yeast, mustard seeds, almonds, low-fat yogurt and ice cream, and brown seaweed. Fish, such as salmon and mackerel, are excellent sources of calcium. Canned sardines should not be overlooked.
- Boron prevents calcium from leaching from the bones, increasing their strength. Sources of boron are foods such as raisins, prunes, almonds, and figs. From vegetables, cabbage and asparagus should be included in the menu. Strawberries and peaches are delicious sources of calcium.
- Lignins are necessary for women over 50 to combat hot flashes and eliminate dryness in the intimate organs. To do this, it is enough to eat 2 teaspoons of flaxseed once a day. It can be added to salads, fermented milk drinks, yoghurts, and baked goods. Salads can also be seasoned with flaxseed oil.
-
Magnesium, like boron, prevents the leaching of calcium from the bones. It is also good for the heart and blood vessels. Regular consumption of foods with magnesium helps to normalize blood cholesterol levels, cope with sleep disturbances, get rid of depression and bad mood. Sources of magnesium are lettuce leaves, wheat bran, cashew nuts, and seaweed. Three tablespoons of minced almonds are enough to get 1/3 of your daily magnesium intake. About 320 mg of it should be ingested per day.
- Omega-3 fatty acids are an indispensable element that a woman's body must enter with food. These fats are essential for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, for lowering blood cholesterol levels. In order not to provoke an omega-3 deficiency in the body, it is necessary to eat fatty fish. To do this, 2 times every 7 days, you should include 100 g of salmon, trout, mackerel or sardines in your menu. Omega-3 is also found in walnuts and flaxseed (oils obtained from these products are equally useful).
- Vitamin E is an antioxidant that is essential for the heart. It allows you to fight dryness and thinning of the vaginal wall, helps to reduce the intensity of hot flashes. To get vitamin E from food, you need to include green peas, avocado, asparagus, chicken egg yolk, soybean and corn oil, brown rice, and beans in your diet.
Take vitamin complexes
The body of a woman over 50 is not always able to absorb all minerals and vitamins from food. To avoid a deficiency of nutrients, you should take vitamin and mineral complexes adapted to the person's age. An example of such drugs are: Gerimax, Multivitamins, Centrum Silver, Vitrum Centuri, Gerovital.
Eliminate Dangerous Foods
Over the age of 50, you should not include the following foods in your menu:
- Alcoholic drinks, spicy dishes, as their intake contributes to the intensification of the symptoms of menopause: sweating and hot flashes.
- Salt and salted foods: cucumbers, tomatoes, sausages, sausages, smoked meats. Salt triggers the leaching of calcium from the bones, which increases the risk of osteoporosis. This, in turn, threatens fractures and disability.
- Flour products, fatty dishes, sweets. All of these foods contribute to weight gain and also increase the risk of breast cancer.
Daily physical activity
Daily gymnastics for women over 50 is a prerequisite for maintaining their own health.
However, there are some recommendations that must be followed:
- Do not perform sharp bends and kicks.
- There must be breaks of 15 seconds between exercises. If during this time it was not possible to rest, then it is necessary to increase the interval to a minute.
- It is better to refuse running and jumping, brisk walking becomes the best option.
- New exercises should be introduced no more than once every 30 days.
- You need to breathe deeply and evenly during training.
- If a woman has just begun to exercise, then strength exercises should be abandoned. They can only be started after 3 months.
- After completing the complex, you must definitely rest.
Features of the menu
The menu should be compiled based on the following principles:
- The diet should be based on plant products. Every day, vegetables and fruits, as well as greens, should be present on the table. Moreover, in the total mass fraction, their number should not be less than 50%.
- Foods should be rich in vitamins A, B, PP and E. It is imperative to consume food containing polyunsaturated fatty acids.
- Do not drink after eating. It should take at least half an hour before a woman drinks this or that drink.
- You need to eat often, but in small portions. This will allow not to stretch the stomach walls, and the body will not spend a lot of energy on digesting food.
- Protein products must be present in the menu of every woman. The emphasis should be on low-fat fish, seafood, poultry. You can also cook veal and rabbit dishes.
- The maximum serving size at one time should be 300 g.
- The menu should be balanced: the amount of proteins - 20%, the amount of carbohydrates - 35%. Taking vitamin and mineral complexes is a prerequisite for a woman's normal well-being.
- To avoid overeating, you need to chew food thoroughly, refuse snacks on the go. If a person eats slowly, then satiety will come faster.
- In a week without harm to health, you can lose no more than a kilogram of weight. Although this process will be long, it will avoid disruptions and exacerbation of various diseases.
Diet menu for women after 50 years for 7 days
To get rid of excess weight without harm to health, you should consult a nutritionist to draw up the right menu. However, if this is not possible, then you can independently study the principles of proper nutrition for women over 50 years old and plan the menu.
You need to eat at least 6 times a day, so you need to cook six dishes. At the same time, the portions should be small - about 250 g per meal.
An approximate menu for 7 days for a woman after 50 years:
Day of week | Dishes |
Oatmeal and green tea. Apple. Vegetable soup, tea. Low-fat fermented milk drink. Mashed potatoes with vinaigrette. Before going to bed: a glass of kefir and an apple. |
|
Cottage cheese with parsley and dill, tea with lemon. Bunch of grapes. Minced chicken cutlets, baked vegetables. Fruit salad. Steam omelet, orange. Low fat yogurt. |
|
Rice porridge with milk and freshly pressed juice. Pear. Chicken fillet cutlets, cauliflower soup. A glass of yogurt. Zucchini pancakes, cucumber-tomato salad with vegetable oil. Green tea. |
|
Hercules flakes with dried apricots and prunes, coffee with milk. Cottage cheese pancakes, herbal tea. Chicken fillet in foil, lettuce, cucumber. A glass of tomato juice. Stewed potatoes, fish zrazy. Apple. |
|
five |
Casserole with cottage cheese and raisins, tea. Two boiled soft-boiled eggs. Baked vegetables and mackerel. A glass of fermented baked milk. Seafood, buckwheat. Banana. |
Seaweed with carrots, compote with dried fruits. Grapefruit, walnuts. Soup with minced chicken meatballs, cheese. Tea with marshmallows. Baked beef, steamed vegetables. Vegetable juice. |
|
Salad with prunes, beets and garlic, tea with lemon. Plums. Baked potatoes with green peas, baked hake. Apple juice. Fish soup, stewed vegetables. A glass of low-fat kefir. |
Sample menu for a month
Women over 50 who decide to take a step towards a healthy lifestyle need to rethink their approach to nutrition. A well-designed diet should always be adhered to, and not for a short period of time. To do this, you can use the sample menu for a month. The proposed option is allowed to be combined at your own discretion, but without violating the basic principles of proper nutrition.
Breakfast options:
- Low-fat cottage cheese with fruits or berries. You can add sour cream to the dish.
- Oatmeal in water or low-fat milk. Dried fruits and honey can be added to the porridge.
- Cheese casserole.
- Cheese sandwiches, eggs.
- Buckwheat porridge with your favorite berries.
- Fruit salads with yogurt or sour cream dressing.
Lunch options:
- Vegetables and boiled buckwheat.
- Vegetable soups with bread.
- Mashed potatoes with fresh vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers.
- Grilled or oven baked fish.
- Vegetable cabbage rolls.
- Chicken breast and cornmeal porridge.
Snack options:
- Vegetable or fruit juice.
- A glass of fermented milk drink (kefir or fermented baked milk).
- Fruits: oranges, pears, apples.
- Low fat yogurt.
Dinner options:
- Boiled fish fillets and vegetables.
- Baked vegetables with one potato.
- Vegetable stew.
- Vinaigrette and boiled rice.
- Cauliflower and tomatoes.
- Minced chicken cutlet and buckwheat porridge.
Also, the daily menu can be supplemented with bread, a portion of vegetables or fruits. A glass of red wine is allowed once every 7 days.
Healthy products for women over 50
Each specific product has a specific effect on the body. For example, hard cheeses are good for keeping teeth and bones in good condition.
Calcium from food is essential to fight osteoprosis. The woman's menu must include such products as: cottage cheese, fatty fish, butter, yogurt, soy milk, vegetable margarine, chicken eggs, natural yoghurts.
Popular diets for women over 50
There are diets that are adapted for women over 50. They are characterized by a reduced protein content, yet remain balanced. Such nutritional methods allow not only getting rid of excess weight, but also fixing the achieved result.
Diet of Margarita Koroleva
Margarita Koroleva offers women after 50 years of age an author's weight loss system. It is 100% consistent with all the principles of proper nutrition. You need to eat at least 5 times a day, in small portions, be sure to drink enough water.
The author of the diet does not urge his followers to completely abandon flour products, but it is imperative to limit the intake of these products into the body. All desserts should be eaten in the morning. This will allow the body to process them qualitatively. Dinner should be at 18:00. In order not to feel hunger, you can drink a glass of kefir before a night's rest.
Salt should be replaced with soy sauce, lemon juice, and spices.
The presented weekly menu is distinguished by a balanced food set. In 7 days, you can lose about 1.5 kg of excess weight.
Breakfast | Dinner | Snack | Dinner | |
A serving of pineapple, a glass of yogurt | Chicken fillet, asparagus | Pureed vegetable soup | Seafood and lettuce | |
Cottage cheese with berries, grated carrots with sour cream | Fish with vegetables | Apple | Egg, cauliflower | |
Omelet from 2 yolks and 1 protein with the addition of herbs, berries | Baked fish and spinach | Fruit juice | Baked zucchini | |
Vegetables with rice | Low fat meat, stewed vegetables | Pineapple slice | Spinach and mushrooms | |
five | Oatmeal with honey, berries, apple, fruit juice | Steamed fish, fresh vegetables | Almonds (4 pcs) | Stewed vegetables, boiled egg |
Buckwheat with onions and carrots, cucumber | Chicken fillet, lettuce | Dried apricots and prunes | Fish and broccoli | |
Zucchini pancakes, fruit with honey, yogurt | Stewed vegetables and meat | A glass of kefir | Peeled potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers |
Read more: Diet of Margarita Koroleva
Elena Malysheva
Elena Malysheva's diet is universal and suitable for all women, regardless of their age. The menu is distinguished by a balanced composition and an optimal ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. During the diet, the woman will not feel hungry, but the fat will gradually start to go away. The undoubted advantage of the Malysheva diet is a lasting result.
Losing more than 4 kg per month for women over 50 can be dangerous. Therefore, the diet is designed for 2-4 months. Weight loss technique according to E.
Malysheva assumes compliance with the following rules:
- A hunger strike is unacceptable. You need to eat food at a strictly defined time, at least 4 times a day.
- Drink about 2.5 liters of water every day.
- In one approach to the table, you should not eat a portion that exceeds 250 g.
- The daily calorie content of the diet should not exceed 1300 kcal.
- Food must be chewed thoroughly. The slower a person eats, the faster satiation occurs.
- You can not give up sports, but excessive physical activity is also unacceptable. A great option for a woman after 50 years is brisk walking around the stadium or cycling.
- Rest should be of high quality and complete. Sleeping less than 8 hours a day is unhealthy.
Menu. When compiling the menu, the emphasis is on vegetables. You cannot eat foods that are sources of fast carbohydrates. You should refuse smoked foods, sweets and fatty foods. E. Malysheva opposes the use of salt, as it inhibits metabolic processes and retains fluid in the body. What's more, the salt in the food leads to overeating. It is enough just to get rid of salt and weight loss will not keep you waiting.
Breakfast options:
- Boiled egg, bread from grain flour.
- Stewed vegetables, a slice of bread.
- Porridge made from 4 types of cereals.
- Buckwheat with milk.
- Salmon.
- Oatmeal cooked in milk.
- Sandwich with tomatoes and cheese.
Options for snacks between breakfast and lunch:
- Yogurt with fruits.
- A glass of green tea, one banana.
- Bread and a glass of kefir.
- A handful of cherries.
- Mousse with cottage cheese.
- Cauliflower.
- Radish and cottage cheese.
Lunch options:
- Boiled chicken, salad, rice.
- Cottage cheese and tomatoes.
- Asparagus and chicken fillet.
- A sandwich with herbs and meat.
- Vegetables with calf meat.
- Puréed soup with squid.
- Vegetables with mushrooms.
Second snack options:
- Berries and a glass of kefir.
- Bread and tomatoes.
- Apple.
- Vegetable juice, grain loaf.
- A glass of yogurt and kiwi.
- A glass of yogurt and oatmeal cookies.
- Tomatoes and bread.
Dinner options:
- Low fat fish, salad, rice.
- Chicken fillet, cauliflower, kefir.
- Salad with asparagus and crab meat.
- Kefir, cottage cheese, tomatoes.
- Lamb and vegetables.
- Steamed cod, salad.
- Minced fish cutlets, fresh vegetables.
Read more: Elena Malysheva's diet for a month
Buckwheat diet
Buckwheat diet in the classic form involves eating only buckwheat. This nutritional method is not suitable for women over 50. Therefore, if a method of losing weight with the help of a buckwheat diet was chosen, it is necessary to supplement it with other products that will allow the body to function at full strength.
Women over 50 are advised to opt for the “Multi Menu” diet. In addition to buckwheat, it is supplemented with products that, without stress for the body, will allow you to part with fat deposits. The diet lasts 30 days. During this time, you can lose weight by 3-5 kg.
Foods that can be eaten:
- Low-fat fermented milk drinks (yogurt, kefir), as well as cottage cheese and cheese.
- Any fruits and dried fruits.
- Any vegetables, but you need to give preference to cabbage.
- Any low-fat meat and fish.
- Chicken eggs.
In addition to buckwheat, you can choose any three products from the list of allowed ones and eat them 200 g per day. Dishes should be steamed or boiled. It is also allowed to bake food.
Menu. You should eat 5 times a day. The menu should be based on a list of approved foods. Buckwheat, as a main course, is not boiled, but steamed. It is filled with hot water in the evening. In the morning, ready-made cereals are obtained, which can be eaten.
Breakfast options:
- Buckwheat porridge and any citrus fruit.
- Buckwheat porridge and any regular fruit.
Lunch options:
- A glass of kefir.
- Nuts and dried fruits.
- Vegetables.
Lunch: Buckwheat porridge with any vegetables, or with boiled meat. Complement lunch with citrus fruit.
Afternoon snack options:
- Any fruit.
- A glass of yogurt or kefir.
- Boiled chicken egg.
Dinner: Buckwheat porridge with kefir or fermented baked milk, boiled or baked vegetables, lettuce.
Read more: Buckwheat diet
Protein diet
The classic protein diet is not suitable for women over 50. It can provoke an exacerbation of chronic diseases and lead to other health problems. You should choose diets that are age-appropriate, but at the same time allow you to have a toned body and a beautiful figure.
Protein diet rules:
- Protein products should not become the basis of the menu, but you should not refuse to eat them.
- The menu should be balanced: 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbohydrates.
- If you sharply limit the intake of fats in the body, then this will negatively affect the state of health: hair will begin to fall out, the skin will deteriorate. Moreover, at the age of over 50, these problems become quite acute.
- Protein products must be of animal origin. Only in this case will the body receive the amino acids it needs.
- Simple carbohydrates should be excluded from the menu. Preference should be given to complex carbohydrates as a valuable source of energy.
Menu. You should not consume more than 1600 kcal per day, and in order to start losing weight, another 300 kcal must be taken away from this figure. The proposed menu is focused on 1200 kcal. In order not to exceed this figure, you should not make portions larger than 250 g.
Menu # 1:
- Oatmeal.
- Orange.
- Soup with vegetables and chicken fillet.
- Cheese and green tea.
- Cottage cheese with fruit and a glass of fermented milk drink.
Menu # 2:
- Vegetables and protein omelet.
- Pear.
- Chicken broth soup.
- A portion of cottage cheese.
- Vegetables and chicken fillet.
The proposed menu is indicative only. It can be modified at your own discretion, but the calorie content of 1200 kcal should not be exceeded.
Learn More: Protein Diets
Sports exercises after 50 years
Before starting to do sports exercises, women after 50 years should consult a doctor. Moreover, it should be a specialist with medical education, and not a trainer in a fitness room. You should undergo a comprehensive examination and get an assessment of the general condition of the body.
The doctor, taking into account age, body weight, the presence of certain diseases, will give the woman specific recommendations about sports training.
An illiterately selected complex will lead to the fact that the desired result cannot be achieved. Instead of a slender body, a woman will get joint pain. Such activities as jumping, step aerobics and running on asphalt should be abandoned immediately.
What do we choose? There is no specific workout for women who have entered menopause. Nevertheless, experts advise opting for body flex. These exercises combine breathing exercises and stretching. You can also do Pilates and water aerobics. This will strengthen the muscle frame, but will not load the joints. Strength exercises are possible. Don't forget about cycling, running and walking in the fresh air.
Strength exercises will tighten the muscles, while the loads should be minimal, but continue for a long time. Strength training can be done at any age, but the technique must be correct. Therefore, it is very good when there is third-party control of a professional trainer.
During strength training, hormones are produced in the body. They allow you to regulate the work of the body as a whole. In addition, such loads make it possible to strengthen not only muscles, but also bones, and are also an excellent prevention of osteoporosis.
Basic Rules:
- Aerobic exercise should alternate with strength training. If you deal with them separately, then the desired result will not be achieved.
- Exercise should be regular. This will make it easier to endure the symptoms of menopause.
- Be sure to strengthen your back muscles. This guarantees a beautiful posture, and is also the prevention of spinal diseases.
- Warm-up is a must start for any workout. During exercise, you need to control the level of blood pressure and monitor the pulse. A contrast shower in the morning and evening will strengthen the vascular wall.
- Loads should be long-term, but not too intense. This will normalize oxygen circulation in the body. You should take a break of 1-2 days between workouts. The most suitable workout schedule for women over 50: 2 strength training for half an hour a week, 2 cardio workouts for 45 minutes a week.
- An excellent trainer for women over 50 is an ellipsoid. It does not compress the joints and intervertebral discs, but engages all muscle groups. The blood begins to circulate qualitatively throughout the body, which ensures its normal functioning.
- To get rid of joint pain, you can visit the hammam, but saunas and baths should be treated with caution due to the high temperature regime. In the hamam, you can bathe and warm up longer without fear for your well-being.
Reviews of doctors and those who have lost weight
Evgeny Ovchinnikov, nutritionist:
“I suggest that all my patients over 50 years old first undergo a comprehensive examination in order to have a complete picture of their health. Otherwise, the diet can be harmful, causing an exacerbation of chronic diseases. You cannot "throw yourself into the pool with your head", choosing any diet you like. Do not lose weight abruptly.
The process of losing weight should be smooth. The diet should be combined with physical activity. It is imperative to take multivitamin complexes. I cannot name a universal recipe for losing weight, since there is none. Everything is purely individual. Contact a specialist so that later you do not regret the consequences of an incorrectly selected diet."
Reviews of those who have lost weight
Polina, 52 years old: “I only met a man at 50 years old who became my true love. We decided to get married, but first I needed to lose weight. It took me 3 months to lose 10 kg. But for the second year I have been the happy wife of the best husband.
To lose weight, I just started following the principles of good nutrition. Refused baking, bread, sausage, confectionery. It was difficult at first, but then I got involved. Now I go in for sports and enjoy life in the new status of a wife."
Valentina, 54 years old: “Even in my youth I tried to diet. But the weight always returned. After retirement, I decided to radically change my lifestyle and I succeeded. For 2 years I got rid of 18 kg of excess weight. Now, with a height of 164 cm, I weigh 65 kg. This form is ideal for me. I was losing weight according to the system of Elena Malysheva. First I ordered ready-made sets, and then I began to prepare them myself. I continue to eat healthy, which makes me look better than I did when I was 40.”
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).