A Mom's Diet By The Decade

A mother’s nutrition needs never stop changing. In part one of this series, experts at Abbott Healthcare delve into a mother’s dietary requirements to fuel her health through her 40s, 50s and beyond

Prioritising a mother’s nutrition—from your pregnancy and lactation to grandchildren and your golden years—is vital to ensuring that you are the healthy, happy mother children love to be around. But just like motherhood never stops changing, neither does a woman’s nutritional needs. Here’s a decade-by-decade guide to fueling a mother’s health:

Nutrition Needs During your 40s and 50s

Befriend B12: Vitamin B12, which supports the health of both your red blood cells and nervous system, is a vital part of keeping you energised, especially when it comes to helping you make school lunches before work and drive the kids to football practice. However, throughout the years, your body’s ability to absorb and use the B12 you eat may wane. That’s because your gut gradually produces less Intrinsic Factor, a protein necessary for the intestines to effectively absorb B12. Severe fatigue and anemia can be the result of this. “B12 deficiency is very common among the Indian population due to poor dietary intake,” says Dr Irfan Shaikh, medical head for pediatric and maternal nutrition at Abbott Healthcare.

To make sure your levels are where they were in your younger years, a simple blood test at your doctor’s office can assess your levels. If you are low, talk to your doctor about supplementing or adding more meat, eggs and milk to your diet.