Herbalife Nutrition Experts Share How To Address Inner and Outer Nutrition Needs By Age

As the body ages, it undergoes many changes and so does the nutrition it needs. While a balanced diet and an active lifestyle are important at any age, there are challenges specific for each age that need to be addressed.

In the most recent Herbalife Nutrition E-Wellness Tour, Susan Bowerman, Senior Director, Worldwide Nutrition, Education and Training of Herbalife Nutrition, and Laura Chacon-Garbato, Chairwoman of the Outer Nutrition Advisory Board of Herbalife Nutrition, shared how eating habits and lifestyle choices can affect our body and skin.

The Herbalife Nutrition E-Wellness Tour is a monthly event presented by Herbalife Nutrition Philippines with the aim of imparting nutrition education to the public through a forum with health and nutrition experts and members of the media and the blogging community.

In the April event, Bowerman and Garbato discussed the challenges that people face in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s and offered solutions on how to best address their inner and outer nutrition needs.

“When we talk about nutrition from the inside, we talk about how diet impacts every part of your body — every organ and every cell. Everything you eat also ends up on your skin. This is why we wanted to have this inside-out approach and talk about it from both angles. You can’t have one without the other,” Bowerman said.

Establish Healthy Habits In Your 20s

While it may be challenging for people to start practicing healthy habits in their 20s as they begin to socialize and eat out more, it is important to keep in mind that eating habits at this age may affect their health in later years.

According to Bowerman, it is at this age that one should start consuming more calcium and iron.

“In your 20s, you still have the ability to put down some bone mass. You continue to accumulate bone mass until in your mid to late 20s, so getting enough calcium at this time is critically important. Iron is also important, especially for women,” Bowerman said.

She also advised against crash dieting and watching one’s alcohol calorie intake.

Garbato, meanwhile, said that prevention is important when it comes to the skin’s health in one’s 20s.

“When you’re younger, you tend to indulge a lot more. We need to remember that diet can impact the way the skin looks. There are also hormonal changes happening in the body, so there’s an excess production of oil. It’s an adjustment period for a lot of people, and lifestyle habits can really impact the way the skin looks,” Garbato said.

She advised establishing good self-care habits and avoiding the ones that can negatively impact the skin.

Eat Nutritious Meals And Exercise Regularly In Your 30s

In their 30s, most people juggle between their career and family life. They have less time to prepare balanced meals and exercise. Because of these, they find themselves putting on weight and not be able to take it off as quickly as they did when they were in high school or college.

To stay healthy, Bowerman recommended that people in their 30s make sure that they eat regular, healthy meals and snacks. Getting organized and stocking up on nutritious staples in their homes and setting aside time for exercise will also help.

When it comes to the skin, it is in their 30s that people start seeing the first signs of aging as their hormone levels start to decrease. Stress, changes in nutrition, and lack of sleep can also have adverse effects on the skin.

This is why, Garbato said, people should be more mindful of their self-care routine.

“In our 30s, we should make sure that we’re masking, exfoliating, hydrating, and using that eye cream,” Garbato pointed out.

Re-Establish Your Health Habits In Your 40s

“If you don’t challenge your body or change your routine at all, your body doesn’t really continue to grow or develop because it becomes used to that same routine all the time,” Bowerman said.

She added that at this age, people should watch their calories — how much they take in and how much they expend. It is also important that they pay more attention to their muscle mass.

When it comes to skin, Garbato said that it is in one’s 40s that fine lines, dryness, sunspots, and loss of firmness start to appear.

To counter these, one needs to re-evaluate their diet and exercise.

Practice Diligence And Focus In Your 50s

As their muscle mass start to decline and calorie requirements drop, people in their 50s should control stress eating. They should also eat more nutrient-dense foods and get plenty of calcium.

As with any age, having a daily skincare regimen must be prioritized and moisturizing day and night is crucial.

In closing, Bowerman and Garbato shared some advice about staying healthy at any age.

“Try to eat fruit or vegetable with every meal. It’s an easy rule to live by,” Bowerman said.

For Garbato, it’s all about consistency.

“Make sure that you are consistent with your self-care. Consistency is going to help you get through the different stages of your life and it’s going to help you age gracefully,” she said.