Nutritional Needs for Adulthood Life Stage
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Nutritional Needs for Adulthood Life Stage
Dietary needs of a person change as he or she advances through the distinct life stages from childbirth to childhood, eventually to adulthood later in life. A healthy diet includes proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, vitamins, water and minerals. Dietary needs always change in terms of energy value and nutritional content of foods required for a good health. A salient general principle is that more energy is significant and is required to support periods of growth and even to fuel the active lives. Eating well and being active is significant for everyone. This study shall focus on the dietary and meal plan for adulthood stage (Ebersole, 2008).
During senior or elderly years from age fifty until the end of life, a collection of both physiological and emotional changes occur in this stage. Many adults both men and women face serious health challenges such as diabetes, cancer and heart diseases during this particular stage of life. Both men and women experience a lot of loss of strength and muscle mass (Larsen, 2011). Fat deposits accumulate in the abdominal area increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes. The skin becomes thinner and in case of an injury it takes a longer period to heal. At around the age of seventy, men begin to experience bone loss since estrogen and testosterone levels begin to decline. Nervous system disorders with profound effects become common and physiological conditions such as depression make adults pay less attention to foods.
Due to the reductions in the metabolic rate and lean body mass, adults require little energy than young adults. The requirement of a person of age fifty-one and above are 1600 to 1200 calories for women and 200 to 2800 for men depending on the activity level.