Navigating Nutrition in Different Life Stages

I would like to high light that i am not a qualified nutritionist. This post is purely on my own research and should this trigger you in anyway, please seek help from a healthcare professional. Navigating the different stages of life can be challenging, especially when it comes to understanding how our nutritional needs change over time. 

I want to highlight that change is expected in all areas of our lives - even nutrition and training, and that is okay. Knowing how to support your body through these changes is key to maintaining a healthy relationship with nutrition and keeping your body thriving at all stages.

Whether you're in your 20's, 30's, or 40's, each phase brings unique changes to your body, which will impact your nutritional needs. 

Let's explore these changes and how they may impact your nutrition below.  

Your 20's: The Foundation Years

In your 20's, your body undergoes significant changes. You develop your peak bone mass, generally have a higher metabolic rate due to higher activity and undergo many hormonal fluctuations. Here, you are also figuring yourself out, finding what you enjoy and setting some solid foundations which will influence your nutrition and training for years to come.

At this stage, it is so important that you are providing your body with plenty of fuel to support all of these changes. We require a steady supply of energy, probably allowing more of those soul foods to creep in without noticing any major difference. 

To navigate your 20s, focus on eating a healthy balanced diet and undergoing regular exercise, make the most of that energy.

Your 30s: The Balancing Act

In your 30s, your metabolism starts to slow down (yay!), responsibilities and stress increase (double yay!), and you may start to experience gradual muscle loss (sarcastic wooo). Additionally, a reduction in your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) can start to lead to weight gain if not managed properly. 

During your 30s it is so important to meet your required protein intake and continue to include resistance training to preserve as much muscle as you can (or continue gaining)

Maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise is key in this phase to help balance energy, manage stress and minimise major weight fluctuations.

This is also a time to be kind to yourself and start to embrace balance - we can’t always be everywhere and do everything all the time. Consistency is hard here, but doing the best you can is better than nothing at all. 

Your 40's: The Transition Phase

In your 40's, your hormones can start to shift, and you may begin to experience perimenopause. Along with this, your bone density can start to decline and your BMR may further reduce, causing additional changes in your body composition, including some weight gain. Please remember, this is all very normal to experience, so any women who are going through this, you are not alone.

There is no magic anti-ageing regime, but through maintaining a healthy, balanced diet (don’t forget to meet that protein requirement) and a regular exercise routine, you are taking the steps to minimise or slow these changes the best you can. 

Throughout your 40’s, we should focus on a healthy balanced diet, meeting our protein requirements and maintaining a regular exercise routine.

In Summary

I have been educating myself even more in order to understand that every stage of life comes with its own set of nutritional needs and challenges. What may surprise you is that while our bodies change during these life stages, research suggests the common theme throughout to optimise our health is a well-balanced diet ensuring adequate protein, fibre, healthy fats and continuing to move our bodies.

Finally, it is important to be kind to yourself at all stages of life, and remember that it is okay to welcome and embrace change.