Eating right at every age

Age 55

Lutein
Age-related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of vision loss in older adults. (The macula is the part of the eye that distinguishes detail in the centre of the field of vision.) Smoking, exposure to sunlight, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol are all thought to increase risk. Two dietary antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, have been associated with a lowered risk of this condition. The best food sources of these antioxidants are corn and dark leafy greens, such as spinach, collards, beet greens, mustard greens and romaine lettuce.

Vitamin K
It may attract less attention than other nutrients but vitamin K is important for bone health. Research has associated a low vitamin K intake with a higher rate of hip fractures in older adults. In one study women who consumed lettuce one or more times a day had a 45 per cent lower risk of hip fractures than those who ate it one or fewer times a week. Vitamin K also plays an important role in blood clotting. The best food sources are leafy greens such as spinach, broccoli and lettuce.

Age 65

Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium and is found in fluid milk (but not other milk products), fortified soy beverages, margarine, fish oils, eggs and fatty fish such as salmon. Your body makes vitamin D from sunlight, but if you're sun smart you won't get much vitamin D this way. If you aren't a milk drinker or are housebound, try supplements, but be careful; since vitamin D is fat soluble, anything over 2,000 IU can be toxic. The recently released Dietary Reference Intakes recommend 400 IU for people 51 through 70, and 600 IU for people over 70.

Vitamin B12
Evidence suggests that as we age, our bodies do not absorb B12 from food as well as when we were younger. Found in meat, fish, poultry, dairy products and eggs and in some fortified soy products and breakfast cereals, vitamin B12 is important in red blood cell production and nervous system function. New recommendations suggest that people over the age of 50 get 2.4 micrograms of B12 a day by eating foods fortified with vitamin B12 or by taking a supplement.

Some typical vitamin B12 values:
• 3 oz (90 grams) cooked beef: 2.6 micrograms
• 3 oz (90 grams) canned tuna: 2.5 micrograms
• 1 cup (250 millilitres) fortified soy beverage: 1 microgram
• 1 cup (250 millilitres) milk: 0.9 micrograms
• 1 egg: 0.6 micrograms