Is There An Age When You Can Start Eating Whatever You Want?

Experts in gerontology give it to you straight.

We’ve all heard about a 105-year-old woman, usually living somewhere in France, who drinks a bottle of red wine every day in between the time she spends smoking cigars and eating chocolate cake. You might have read about her and thought, “That’s going to be me when I’m older — I won’t have to care at all about what I eat!”

If you’ve had your heart set on a culinarily decadent old age, you might want to slow that (dinner) roll. According to medical and nutrition experts, what you eat continues to matter, even in your golden years. In fact, when you’re older, eating well may even matter more.

What you need less of is calories. What you need more of is nutrients.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, most older adults have lower calorie needs but similar or even increased nutrient needs compared to younger adults.

“Following a healthy dietary pattern and making every bite count is particularly important to this age group,” the office has said. That’s why, according to Mayo Clinic registered dietitian Katherine Zeratsky, “Older people need to be thoughtful about their calories also being nutrient-dense.”