Ushering in the second youth of life, but found that the physical fitness is not enough to keep up with the footsteps of the companions, only to realize that the diet in the past has long ignored the needs of the mature body, and regards “less oil, less salt, and light food” as the basis.muscle strengthhas been lost unconsciously.
Poor physical strength, easy to choke and cough, troubles of mature age
“Why has my physical strength become so poor? I’m prone to choking on food?” A woman in her 60s described helplessly. Hair, broken nails, etc. Nutritionist Zhang Zhuting said that after a person reaches the age of 30, his muscle mass will gradually decline, and his body will lose weight.proteinRapid loss of physical strength after the age of 40 or 50. Without exercise and diet, it is easy to face the problem of muscle loss. .
Zhang Zhuting said that the most obvious problem that most mature people generally encounter is that they have to stand up after sitting down. Because of the lack of core muscles, they have to hold things to stand up, and walking will also slow down significantly. worse. The main reason is that when people get older, they often ignore the importance of protein, but protein is the most important raw material to help the body’s tissues repair and maintain health.
Calf circumference measurement to see if there is sarcopenia
How to realize that you may face the problem of sarcopenia? Zhang Zhuting pointed out that grip strength or calf circumference is generally used as a simple evaluation standard. It is recommended that mature people can encircle the thickest part of the calf with the thumb and index finger of both hands. If there are many gaps, pay more attention to muscle mass It may be insufficient, because the latest research has found that once the calf circumference of older men and women is less than 34 and 32 cm, the risk of suffering from sarcopenia is also greatly increased.
Zhang Zhuting gave an example. The recommended amount of protein for adults is 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. In recent years, the issue of sarcopenia has gradually gained attention. Many studies have suggested increasing the protein intake range to 1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight. To prevent muscle loss, if you weigh 60 kg, it is recommended to consume 72 grams of protein a day.
Animal protein is better for long muscle
Zhang Zhuting pointed out that the previous concepts were nothing more than “eat more vegetables and less meat after getting older”, “eating eggs every day will lead to high cholesterol”, etc. The old concept made many people only eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but did not take in protein properly . Meat is one of the main sources of protein, and milk and eggs are also very good sources of protein. Studies have also confirmed that an egg a day will not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, so there is no need to be overly afraid of eating eggs.
Protein can be divided into animal protein and plant protein. Zhang Zhuting said that animal protein can be obtained from whey protein, milk, eggs, seafood, meat, etc.; plant protein is beans, whole grains and roots. Animal protein mostly contains relatively complete “essential amino acids”, which has better absorption and utilization efficiency, and the effect of building muscle is more obvious.
Zhang Zhuting said that the elderly often simply do not eat meat because of bad teeth and “can’t bite”. They also refuse to drink milk because of lactose intolerance. In the long run, this leads to insufficient protein and calcium intake, muscle strength decline, and affects mobility. “At this time Grandpas and grandmas will start to ask about bone and joint care products, thinking that if the knees are not good, they should “repair the knees”, which is a temporary solution, not a cure!” If it can improve the overall muscle mass, it will help support the body weight and the weight of the knees It will not be so big, which will reduce the burden on the joints.
Professional guidance is required for weight-bearing exercise
Zhang Zhuting suggested that in addition to diet, if only jogging, walking and other aerobic exercises are not enough, you can choose weight-bearing and weight-bearing exercises such as squats and lifting plastic bottles to practice grip strength, which can strengthen muscle strength, even if you are old It is also helpful to start doing it when you are young, but the elderly should go to the sports center or gym as much as possible and be guided by professional coaches to reduce the weight loss.sports injury.
“Any age group has time!” Zhang Zhuting emphasized that once she finds that she has the above-mentioned symptoms, start to exercise and supplement protein in the diet, and the symptoms can be improved in the long run. You can even choose to use the one that suits you after professional evaluation by a nutritionist. Excellent protein nutritional supplements to solve the problem of insufficient intake.
How to drink nutritional supplements is better? Zhang Zhuting said that the average intake of protein in three meals is better than concentrated intake in one meal. High-quality protein nutrition can be drunk at the meal that consumes less protein, or replace high-sugar and high-fat afternoon tea. good way.
Nowadays, consumers are becoming more health-conscious. Zhang Zhuting said that many nutritional products also have non-sweet flavors for consumers to choose from. The joy of nutrition. However, for those with special symptoms, it is recommended to consult professional nutrition and follow personalized dietary advice before drinking.
calf circumference test
●Enclose the thickest part of the calf with the thumb and index finger of both hands:
→ If there are still a lot of gaps, pay attention to the possible lack of muscle mass.
●Measuring with a tape measure:
Men: less than 34 cm
Female: less than 32 cm
→The risk of suffering from sarcopenia is greatly increased.