What Should You Eat to Get Stronger?
With age comes some decline in muscle, and for many people that’s accompanied by a drop in strength and function. Severe muscle loss, known as sarcopenia, can increase the risk of illness and even death.
Although you can’t prevent all age-related muscle loss, you can slow it down significantly and even boost your strength level in the process. You’ve probably heard that exercise, especially weight training, can help you build and maintain muscle. What isn’t discussed as often is the role that diet plays in keeping your muscles in good shape. “You can’t get stronger without eating properly, so diet is essential,” says Elizabeth Klingbeil, RDN, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Follow these eating tips to fuel muscle growth and feel stronger.
Bump Up Your Protein: Protein is core to building muscle and, even more so, maintaining it, Klingbeil says. The National Academy of Sciences recommends that adults eat 0.36 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. But an analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 42 percent of men and 50 percent of women over age 70 don’t get that much.
Excerpted from Consumer Reports
