Eat well—and enjoy it

A. Meals rich in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, those are what’s going to help with keeping blood vessels, bones and your skin their healthiest. When we look at aging what do we want to prevent? Although people may think it’s the wrinkles, in reality it’s the chronic diseases that should be the biggest fear of aging.

Loretta Tetarenko, dietitian

45, Calgary

Tetarenko has worked as a dietitian for more than 20 years, including 15 in cardiac rehabilitation. She sits on the nutrition advisory board for the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency and does corporate consulting.

Q. What’s your overall approach to eating?

A. I live by the 80-20 rule, which means that 80 per cent of the time I’m making healthy choices and ensuring I’m getting fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy and all those good things, but 20 per cent of the time it’s okay to indulge a little. Instead of splurging on an entire piece of cheesecake, I advise people to eat one-quarter of it.

A. I love popcorn with a bit of margarine on top. I could forgo chocolate, but if the world didn’t have hot-air popcorn, I’d be in big trouble.

A: A rule of thumb for a lot of restaurant meals — and what I usually do — is eat half and take the other half home. This is especially true for women over 40 because our calorie requirements decrease. The other thing our family does when we go out is share meals.

Q. Do you drink?

A. My favourite is red wine. I like to have a Corona in the summertime, but usually I don’t drink beer.

Q. What mistake do you see over-40 women make with their diets?

A. They deny themselves certain foods, thinking they want to be 10 pounds thinner. This creates a whole cycle of denying and binging, and they tend to get 10 pounds heavier. Also, a lot of women skip meals. Eating regular meals or eating six small meals a day is a lot healthier for your metabolism than skipping breakfast, missing lunch and eating one big meal at the end of the day.

Q. Women are so busy at home and work, and they often run errands at lunchtime. How can they ensure they don’t miss meals?

A. Many people don’t plan ahead. They are driving home and turn into the first convenience store or fast food place. When I’m grocery shopping, it’s second nature, I’m thinking, Monday night we’re eating this, Tuesday it’s… The same goes for lunch. Even if you spend just five minutes in the morning thinking, I’ll bring a yogurt, an extra fruit, leftovers from last night’s dinner.

Q. Are there any foods that we can relax about?

A. I don’t classify foods as good and bad, but ones you have more often and less often. Women need to look at the things they do every day that, if changed, might make a difference to their nutritional status. Let’s say you’re having five cups of coffee a day with two teaspoons of sugar in each. If you just change that one thing, it will have a huge impact. If it’s something indulged in occasionally, then just enjoy it.

Q. What about caffeine?

A. It’s one thing I’ve definitely changed since turning 40. In our house, we only have decaffeinated coffee, although I do sneak in the odd caffeinated Starbucks latte. As we age, sleeping problems enter the picture, so I don’t have anything with caffeine in the afternoon.

Q. Your best piece of nutritional advice for midlife?

A. Enjoy eating!

This article originally appeared in the October 2007 issue of More