Eating well to stay well as we get older means balancing two seemingly contradictory priorities. On the one hand, we need to maintain muscle and bone mass, which tends to diminish with age, by taking in proteins with a high biological value, i.e. animal proteins. On the other hand, we need to combat the “acidification” of the body caused by these same foods. This acidification promotes osteoporosis as well as having other harmful effects on the body, including fatigue. Antacid – therefore alkaline – food is provided by plants (fruit and vegetables). So how do we go about making sure our diets contain the right food combinations, in terms of both quality and quantity?
Choosing the right dietary proteins
Proteins ensure the renewal of all the body’s cells and, in particular, help to maintain muscle mass. If muscle mass loss is significant, this is known as “sarcopenia”. Proteins also play other roles. They make antibodies and hormones such as insulin, as well as enzymes involved in multiple reactions in the body, they enable the growth of hair and nails, etc.
When a dietary protein is absorbed, it is broken down by the digestive process into elementary units called “amino acids”. The body knows how to make some, but not all, of these amino acids. So we need to choose dietary proteins that contain all the amino acids the body needs to make its own proteins: muscle, antibodies, maintenance of the various organs, etc. The most useful proteins come from meat (animal flesh), fish, eggs and dairy products, including cheese. Proteins are also found in plants, especially pulses and legumes like lentils, chickpeas and beans, and in cereals, but none of these groups contain all the amino acids. So we need to choose the right combinations to cover all our needs.
Foods of animal origin also contain vitamin B12 – essential for the production of red blood cells – and iron, which the body absorbs easily from meat and fish, with red meat containing the highest concentration. These foods tend to cause metabolic acidification of the body, which the kidneys regulate. However, kidney function diminishes with age. Acidification is the acid-forming potential of a food, with the kidneys helping to regulate the body’s acidity. This should not be confused with the irritating effect on the stomach lining of certain plants such as citrus fruits and tomatoes, etc. The most acid-forming foods are, in decreasing order, meat, fish, hard cheeses, cereals and ultra-fresh dairy products.
To ensure a high enough intake of essential nutrients without causing chronic acidification, choices need to be made.
Plants: antacid foods that protect
Several of the benefits of these foods have been scientifically demonstrated. Firstly, plants are antacid foods, a characteristic that is sometimes underestimated. This alkalinising function is related to the presence of potassium. Plants have numerous protective effects, including a role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and the maintenance of bone health, where the focus has long been on the benefits of calcium and vitamin D.
Colourful foods rich in polyphenols
Polyphenols are only found in plants, in varying concentrations. They are neither vitamins nor minerals, and therefore have no nutritional function. They are known as “phytonutrients” or “bioactive substances” and play a major role in protecting the body’s cells. As well as having a direct effect by neutralising compounds (known as “free radicals”) that damage cell structures, they also stimulate the body’s own production of substances (antioxidants) that repair cells. Some of the fruits and vegetables with the highest polyphenol contents are red fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants and raspberries, and vegetables such as red beetroot, red peppers, red cabbage, etc.
Fill up on vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetables
A number of vitamins and minerals – such as vitamin C – are also found only in plants. The human body cannot make vitamin C itself and we need 110 mg a day, the equivalent of three pieces of fruit, on average. Plants also contain vitamin E in varying proportions, as well as some B vitamins, which are particularly useful for the brain. In addition to potassium, and like vitamins, minerals such as calcium, magnesium and selenium make sure the body’s biological reactions work properly.
Plant fibres have multiple functions: they promote good intestinal transit, help control weight through a satiety-enhancing effect and trap dietary cholesterol, reducing its absorption. They also feed the gut microbiota, which comprises 50,000 billion bacteria of some 5,000 different species. The gut microbiome plays multiple roles: it strengthens our immune system, protects against pathogenic or “bad” bacteria, makes vitamins (K and B12), acts on excess blood cholesterol, etc. Yet the average consumption of plant fibre in France is just 17.5 g per day for the adult population, instead of the recommended 30 to 45 g.
Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables. Among these, an American observational study led by L. Bazzaro on more than 9,000 people followed up over a twenty-year period showed that people who ate an average of three pieces of fruit a day, compared with those who ate just one, had a 27% reduction in the overall risk of age-adjusted mortality from all causes (diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, etc.) with, more specifically, a 42% reduction in the risk of death from stroke and a 20% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are other studies, including the French Nutrinet Santé study, which is still ongoing, highlighting a reduced risk of depression, with figures varying depending on individual status (isolated person, overweight, etc.).
How do you make sure you eat the right food combinations each day?
In addition to ultra-processed products that are low in fibre, minerals and vitamins, certain other foods should also be restricted but not totally excluded from the diet. Cereals, for example, have a tendency to acidify the body and cause weight gain depending on how much is eaten, so they can be used as an adjustment variable. It’s a good idea to control your intake of bread and, especially, pasta. It’s also best not to eat too many legumes (pulses such as chickpeas, beans, lentils, etc.), since excessive intake can cause digestive discomfort. Furthermore, in the 1950s, meat consumption was around 40 kg per capita per year, then peaked and now stands at around 85 kg, which is not necessarily justified from a nutritional standpoint. Current recommendations are to eat 400 g of meat a week. Cured and processed meat products should have only a very limited place in our diet: they contain saturated fatty acids with harmful effects on the cardiovascular system, depending on how much of them is eaten. Fat can also contain persistent organic pollutants that disrupt the metabolism, and these processed products can contain a large number of additives, including nitrites, emulsifiers, colourings, etc.
In conclusion, it’s best to eat plenty of cell-protecting raw or cooked, fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, as well as animal proteins such as fish, especially those containing omega-3 fatty acids (mackerel, sardines, salmon trout), which help maintain good brain function, particularly memory, and combat various inflammatory processes.
Good eating habits for a balanced day!
This could mean starting the day with a bowl of fresh seasonal fruit combined with a plain yoghurt, a slice of bread spread with a little fruit purée, and a hot drink such as chicory (produced in France), to be adapted depending on your age, build and sex. Lunch could be as many vegetables as you like, either fresh as raw vegetables or cooked, combined with a fillet of fish. For example, salmon trout farmed in France, plus 2 or 3 tablespoons of cooked Le Puy lentils, depending on your level of physical activity, alternating with split peas, semi-whole grain Camargue rice, etc. To finish the meal: 30 g of blue cheese with a small 20-g slice of sourdough bread, followed by as much fruit as you like, including red fruits for their polyphenol content, and a portion of fruit purée depending on your appetite. In the afternoon, if you’re feeling peckish or have been physically active, having been out hiking for example, a few nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.) are ideal, combined with fresh fruit. Products containing added sugar, such as biscuits, cream desserts and miscellaneous sweet treats, are not recommended, whatever the time of day. The evening meal can include cooked vegetables again, along with an egg, followed by plain yoghurt or cottage cheese and fruit. Quantities should be adjusted depending on how physically active you are and how hungry you feel, and the best drink is water.
Focus on quality
Obviously, the quality of the products we choose is very important for our health. Various public studies have shown the benefits of eating organic produce, which reduces the risk of pesticide residues, with all their consequences for health. The need to avoid so-called “ultra-processed” products containing multiple additives is also now widely recognised. To protect the planet, we need to move towards foods that are produced in a virtuous way. And to reduce greenhouse gases on a global level, we need to limit transport, particularly of foodstuffs, so it’s important to try to eat products from France or its direct neighbours.
