Revamp Your Diet At 40 For Health And Vitality

I have always been told by older and wiser friends that a male's body will start to evolve when you turn 40 years old (Thanks Adnan Chaudhry ), but I never fully grasped what everyone was referring to until I got here myself. As I entered my 40's a few years ago my older brother Patrick passed away from a heart attack at the age of 45. Heart disease in the Maynard family was well documented, but we never lost anyone in their 40's, which was way too early for me to lose a brother which I cared for very much. Over the past few years I have run multiple tests, conducted research, experimented on my own body, and adjusted my diet and exercise habits to improve my cardiovascular and overall health. This article is meant to accelerate others learning on the subject by sharing my key findings. Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor or licensed dietitian, but you too can research and find credible sources that support the findings I am sharing.

The first step I recommend is everyone when they turn 40 years old to perform a baseline diagnostic of their body. Unfortunately many of our family doctors don't have the time or resources to conduct CT scans, administer blood tests, assess and provide constructive feedback and actions based on the findings. Luckily companies like Function Health have emerged that can assist you with the process of running tests and providing feedback at a reasonable price. (Thanks Mark Hyman, MD , Jonathan Swerdlin , Pranitha Patil , and their leadership team)

When I started focusing on my health more I noticed my body was not reacting like it used to. I was making strong progress on my endurance, strength, body fat %, cholesterol levels, but it was taking longer than expected and over time started to plateau, never reaching the levels I saw in my early 30's. Eventually, after understanding how age effects the body I made some additional adjustments to my diet and was able to make further progress.

How Does Age Effect the Body?:

By better understanding the effects of aging on the body, people that are forty years or older can adapt their diet and exercise to improve health and functionality. In my health journey I have had the opportunity to increase my weekly exercise through surfing, trail running, hot yoga (flexibility), Pilates (HIIT workout), cold water therapy (inflammation, mental clarity), and traditional weight lifting (Muscle strength and bone density). Living in Northern California and being married to Emily Maynard my diet has always been fairly healthy, but with the passing of my brother I made further improvements by reducing alcohol consumption, eating more plant-based proteins over animal alternatives, increased my fiber intake, and ate more fatty fish like salmon for Omega-3 fatty acids. It wasn't until the last six months that I noticed my LDL (bad cholesterol) levels had leveled out, my body was putting on muscle mass, but my body fat % leveling out as well. After reflecting on how age effects the body when you are forty years old and assessing my health regiment, I narrowed in on the conclusion that I was consuming far too many simple carbohydrates (e.g., bagels, white bread, tortillas, white rice, crackers, beer, etc.). While I have made a lot of positive diet changes over the years, I never targeted simple carbs and they show up in almost every meal and snack I eat. The issue with this high level of simple carbs in the diet is your body has increased levels of Glucose and Insulin. Amongst other things, this limits the time the body is in ketosis which is problematic when it comes to losing body fat and potentially improving cognitive health and the potential of Alzheimer's. I have come to the conclusion that a person in their 40's cannot effectively consume simple carbs as they did in their 20's. Knowing this, I have made an adjustment to my diet priorities and have seen early results in my energy levels, better sleep, body fat%, and looking forward to my next cholesterol test and LDL level.

A Proposed Set of Diet Priorities for a Person in Their 40's:

1. Consume All-Natural Foods: "If God created it, it is likely OK to consume". An all-natural diet provides nutrient-rich, unprocessed foods that reduce harmful additives that potentially cause cancer, improve digestion, and boost heart health.
2. Support Brain Health (Hardware) & Cognitive Function (Software): Includes foods that enhance cognitive function, such as lion’s mane mushrooms, matcha green tea, and omega-3s. Enhances brain clarity, support neurogenesis, boosts memory and focus, and may reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
3. Improve Cardiovascular Health: Focus on foods that help reduce LDL cholesterol and improve heart health (e.g., healthy fats, fiber, and omega-3s).
4. Reduce Inflammation: Reduce overall inflammation levels in the body, joints, and brain. Includes anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric, omega-3-rich foods, and collagen to help reduce joint pain and inflammation.
5. Improve Gut Health: Improves digestion, supports a healthy microbiome, boosts immune function, and enhances nutrient absorption. Focus on fermented foods, fiber, and prebiotics.
6. Limit (Or Eliminate) Simple Carbs and Sugars: Lower simple carb intake to reduce glucose levels, insulin spikes, and help promote ketosis. Consuming slower burning complex carbs (e.g., brown rice, oats, lentils, beans) help burns fat for fuel, stabilizes blood sugar, reduces insulin levels, and can lower LDL and triglycerides.

To assist with a balance diet, I still believe healthy levels of complex carbohydrates can be consumed, but suggest trying to greatly reduce simple carbs which have little nutritional value and may are processed foods which may cause cancer. Some simple tips in the transition:

• If you want a drink of alcohol, drink dry wine or straight tequila, gin or vodka (These other beverages do not have the simple carbs found in beer, assuming not leveraging sugary mixers)
• When eating sushi eat more sashimi to avoid white rice, miso soup with tofu is a good option, and many restaurants will have rolls wrapped in cucumber vs. white rice.
• Eat whole wheat breads and pastas vs the more common white breads and pasta

For the most part, a person can find a good diet options in almost any setting, as long as you do not frequent most fast food restaurants.

List of Foods To EAT That Support The Six Diet Priorities:

There is a saying that says "Everything in Moderation", but the below foods will likely greatly limit progress towards achieving the above 6 diet priorities.

List of Foods To AVOID That Have Negative Impacts:

While I focused my recommendations on diet, it goes with out being said that this should be in conjunction with exercise, meditation, and other supporting activities.

Best of luck to those that are adapting to the effects of the aging process and are making progress towards their health goals. I look forward to hearing feedback from friends and colleagues that have had similar experiences, and most importantly feedback from actual doctors that can expand more on my findings and recommendations

Christopher M Maynard | [email protected]