Healthy Tips After 50 Podcast

Nutrient Needs & Aging - An Interview

Dr. Cris Azzola, N.D., is my guest again in today’s podcast for the second part of our discussion around how our bodies change as we age. The first podcast was about digestion and this podcast is about how our nutrient needs change, partly as a result of our digestive changes.

We talked about protein, iron, vitamins, calories (density and number of), muscle mass, exercise, and food combinations. I learned a lot about what foods to add to my diet and what to cut back on. Our bodies do change so much as we get past 50.

One of my big takeaways was that this is not a one size fits all kind of discussion - there are so many different things that can affect your nutrient needs. Some of those things arer your physical issues, what kind and how much exercise that you do, and your level of stress no name just a few. These are the kinds of things to talk about with your doctor or health advisor.

If you’d like to contact Dr. Azzola you can do that at her website www.DrAzzola.com or via email at [email protected] The video of the podcast is available on YouTube https://youtu.be/_KtqiYbhwS4

What is Calorie Density?

Have you heard of calorie density before? I hadn’t and I was surprised as I’ve been a student of healthy food and diets for over 30 years. I was especially surprised to learn that it is one of the main reasons that we overeat.

Calorie density is also known as energy density (hadn’t heard of that either) and is a measure of the calorie content of food relative to its weight or volume. The usual measure is the number of calories per 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of food.

Fruits and vegetables are examples of low calorie dense foods. They are also examples of foods that can fill up your plate at the same time as providing lower calorie totals. Another interesting fact is that low calorie dense foods are not necessarily low in carbohydrates so you can end up eating healthier foods with fewer calories leading to weight loss. A perfect trifecta!

I quote from the Nutrition Health Newsletter which is published by CSPI, a non-profit who has been “America’s Science-Based Food and Health Watchdog for Nearly 50 Years. You can check them out at cspinet.org

Reminder to Take Care of Your Hearing

This week’s show is a rebroadcast of one from the middle of 2019. I’m running it again because hearing and hearing loss is such an important subject, especially during this pandemic. We are all staying close to home and even more so for us older people. We are the ones who are most at risk for hearing loss and not getting it checked regularly and/or taken care of can make us more vulnerable to brain issues.

There are many studies showing that people with hearing loss who don’t get some kind of “intervention” such as a hearing aid or implant tend to have increased brain shrinkage and are more likely to develop dementia.

Hearing loss can be caused by ear wax or fluid buildup in the ear, by a punctured ear drum, various health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, etc., and heredity / genetics. The long term effects of hearing loss can be self-isolation, faster decline of cognitive abilities, and as I said previously dementia.

Any one of those items should be enough of a reason to get your hearing checked on a regular basis or when you feel like you’re not hearing as well as you used to. The latter is what got me to go and I’ve been wearing a hearing aid for more than 3 years now - it made a big difference in my life and it could in yours as well.

For more information go to my website to read my blogpost Hearing Loss for Older Adults https://healthytipsafter50.com/hearing-loss-older-adults/

What Song Makes You Get Up and Dance?

For me I love almost any kind of music and it makes me feel good to know that there are positive, physical benefits from listening (and dancing) to it.

I talk about an NIH-funded music and health initiative. It’s so exciting to learn about some wonderful results they are getting from their research into Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and stroke recovery.

There are also interesting updates related to the grieving process, using music to help be more productive, and learning how music affects the brain.

Music can help people support and connect with others. It can help us to strengthen our own brains by learning and playing an instrument. It can also help you to remember where you parked your car or left your keys. All of these are in the podcast.

Hope you enjoy it! Let me know in the comments what you found most interesting or helpful. And let me know

What Song Makes You Want to Get Up and Dance?

To Celebrate Menopause Month starting Oct 1, I have a very special guest with a unique perspective on menopause, sex, hormones, and more. Joining us is Katie Enright, founder and CEO of Lavinia, a company that focuses on enhancing people's sex lives through the use of cannabis. Katie shares how she transitioned from studying theology and considering a life as a nun to becoming an advocate for sexual education and incorporating cannabis into her own recovery journey. Her company, Lavinia’s mission is to enhance peoples sex lives through cannabis and to normalize two historically taboo subjects (sex and cannabis).

She explains how cannabis acts as a vasodilator, increasing blood flow, and how it can improve sexual experiences when used topically or ingested. Improving women’s sexual health before, during, and after menopause is very exciting (if you’ll pardon the pun) for all women going through the multi-year, multi-decade process of aging. While currently only available in California, Katie discusses the future potential for broader distribution and the benefits of cannabis in improving various aspects of our lives. Stay tuned to learn more about Katie's products and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

If you live in California and are 21 or over you can legally purchase cannabis locally and/or order it from a list of sites on their website - www.ohlavinia.com