Age well with proper diet during adulthood

Adulthood

Physical activity = calorie intake

Adults have already reached their maximum growth and are not supposed to grow any taller. Any overeating during this phase can therefore only make them grow sideways - fat!

Adults vary greatly in their level of physical activity, from sedentary to very active. So their calorie and nutrition needs also vary greatly. Since they are already fully grown, adults do not need as much protein and fats as children and teenagers.

Body building and its damages

The practice of "bodybuilding" - special weight-training exercises combined with a very high-protein diet and protein supplements - is unnatural and harmful. If you desire a muscular body, you should develop it naturally over many years of hard physical work, not "instantly" within a few months.

Eating excessive amounts of protein will speed up ageing, increase cancer risks, damage the kidneys and cause problems such as gout. Moreover, there are issues over the safety of protein supplements made from either whey protein or soy protein isolate.

Career affecting our diet

As adults embark on their careers, chances are they will eat at home less often. This means they have less control over the quality of their food. Meanwhile, work demands may also prompt some adults to eat hurriedly, skip meals or eat at odd hours. It is important to be aware of these behaviour patterns and not allow them to become habits.

Those more successful in their careers will also have greater opportunities to eat more and to eat more richly. Rich foods are, in fact, "party foods" that our ancestors might eat a few times a year. If you party almost every day, you are only headed for trouble.

Rather than splurge on rich foods, I would encourage you to cultivate a taste for higher quality foods, such as those produced to organic and traditional standards. Until you have tasted them, you will not know the vast difference between, say, a regular olive oil and a premium brand, or between commercially-produced soy sauce and soy sauce made according to traditional methods. Go for quality, not party.

“Old-age” diseases

Finally, bear in mind that adulthood is the time when many "old-age" diseases begin to take root. Only one generation ago, people who developed heart disease, diabetes or cancer would do so in old age or late adulthood. Increasingly, such diseases are afflicting people in their 30s or younger.

So don't be complacent with your life even if you are presently "healthy" as an adult.