The most important thing to remember as we age is that things (internally) slow down. Metabolism rate decreases over time, so our body requirements must change accordingly. What helps most in older age groups is changing the QUANTITY and FREQUENCY of foods eaten. Smaller, more frequent meals help to balance overall glucose levels (to help prevent or treat diabetic tendencies), and help to ensure that food has enough time to be absorbed by the body's digestive enzymes. This eating pattern is good for anyone, but particularly useful for the older body.
The biggest challenge is how to discover if your body is aging. Externally, many people are interested in keeping fit, and over-the-counter anti-aging products as well as cosmetic surgeries are allowing people to feel (visually) young for great lengths of time. So often, no one outside of an individual will know if the individual is actually aging. Most people continue in their normal patterns of life (including eating styles) as if no change is occuring. The best way to discover if your internal body is slowing down is by observing symptoms. Does it take a long time before your food feels fully digested? Do you notice more bloating or gas? Are bowel movements less (or more) frequent than in previous years of your life -- remembering that any minor changes are normal for any age. Do you fatigue easily, doing your normal work or life routine? Are your sleep patterns changing? Are you noticing any forgetfulness?
Of course, the signs of aging are too numerous to list in this webpage alone; most important to remember is that the signs of aging can occur at any time. The body slows down when it has been used excessively -- this may occur from moderate stress on the body over many years, or one single major stressful event. What we believe at the Menen Centre, is that adequate healing time (including nutritional and lifestyle changes) provide the most beneficial results. There are no quick fixes for true health, but there are many useful tools to help you get there. We encourage you to get an assessment by a Naturopathic Doctor (our bias, of course!) in your area to help you create a plan that is individualized to your personal needs.
