Oh to be 25 again, without a care in the world, and to be able to eat whatever you want. Wow. I can’t even imagine being able to eat whatever I want at this point in my life. That is, if I care what I look like, and how I’ll feel afterward! I don’t know anyone who can do it after 40 (or at least be honest about it). Perhaps if I watched a little of what I put into my body in my twenties, it might be easier in my forties? Hmmmm . Maybe? But it seems the minute I turned 40, a number of changes took place. It wasn’t until I actually watched what I was putting into my body that I realized such a direct correlation between nutrition and diet and how I was feeling. Here are the things I’ve learned about nutrition and life after 40.

Life After 40

• Overall, animal proteins are getting tougher to digest. I tend to do much better without them. Avoid them if you can. I get a lot of protein through almond milk, nuts, raw spinach salads, quinoa, and chia & hemp seeds.
• I never eat a starch without a protein. Doing so can cause insulin to spike, and you are more apt to store fat. So even if I eat an apple, I will have a few raw almonds with it.
• I rarely eat processed foods. Choose foods that are natural. If it comes in a box from the freezer section at your local conventional grocery store, it’s likely not natural. If a box says “all natural ingredients”, that doesn’t mean it is all natural. It is still packaged, and processed.
• To add to the above, I choose not to eat foods with more than 5 ingredients listed. It’s so much simpler, and really, it helps when you’re trying to figure out how natural it really is.
• I only eat organic. Period. No matter what the Nay-Sayers out there say, it’s safer than the alternative.
• I avoid all GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). Even when I give my kids a treat and buy potato chips, I will first opt for organic, but if it’s unavailable I will always choose a Non-GMO verified brand.
• Do not eat past 7 pm. Believe me; I remember how back in the day after a late night out, a sub went down perfectly. I can’t even imagine how I would feel doing that now!
• If your goal is to lose weight, you won’t go wrong to eat like a queen at breakfast, a princess at lunch and a pauper at dinner.
• Always add exercise to the above. At the very minimum, walk for 20 minutes at an accelerated speed every day.

So there you go – my golden rules. Life after 40 isn’t too bad for all you twenty-something’s out there. So far it’s working – I certainly don’t feel like I’m over 40!

Sandy leads a busy life in Toronto and realized the importance of a healthy diet after surviving cancer.