ONSET OF TRUE DIFFICULTY: MATURE ADULTHOOD

As children, our metabolism is so fast that parents are really only concerned with their child's nutritional intake. It is, however, in mature adulthood that a balance between exercise and diet becomes crucial to general wellness, weight management, and avoiding chronic disease.

At the onset of adulthood, energy requirements usually reach a plateau that will last through mid forties.  After that, one's activity levels and lean muscle mass will decrease by 5% every decade, directly lowering those requirements. However, these changes can be prevented by maintaining regular physical activity, including resistance training, which helps maintain lean muscle mass and avoid unwanted body fat build up.

Being nutritionally conscious is especially difficult during adulthood because it is at this time that the body becomes vulnerable to disease. During menopause, for example, women lose 1% of the calcium from their bones per year, and are recommended to consume 1,200 mg of calcium a day. This requirement can be met by consuming four servings of dairy products, low fat or skim preferably, and two servings of green vegetables a day.

Low calcium levels are common, however, to both males and females. When bones become too fragile, adults can develop osteoporosis and other hindering illnesses. Unfortunately, medicine is no help. Medicine can interfere with proper nutrition because it impairs appetite, and absorption and digestion of nutrients.