Let your vitamin stores run low and you run the risk of serious health problems. Dr Wynnie Chan shows you how to up your intake

We run the risk of letting our nutrient stores run low after we hit middle age, as our bodies no longer require the same amount of calories we consumed in our 20s, 30s and 40s.

A man sees his calorie requirements drop from around 2,550 calories a day at the age of 50 to 2,380 at 60. By the age of 75 it will be down to 2,100. A woman's calorie needs also reduce, but less drastically - from 1,900 a day at 50, down to 1,810 after 75 years of age.

It is never too late to start healthy eating habits - try eating more vegetables and fruit and cutting back on fatty foods like cheese and red meat. Your body will feel the benefit of eating less saturated fat, and an improvement in your diet will set you up for a healthy and nimble old age.

Vitamin D and calcium are important because they reduce the risk of osteoporosis - brittle bone disease. And, of course, the stronger your bones are the more mobile you'll stay for the rest of your life. It is also worth remembering that the B vitamins are still as important to your body today as they were in your 20s. Eating plenty of foods rich in vitamin B will help guard against mental and nerve problems. Fibre is also important, as it is believed to help protect against high cholesterol, as well as helping to protect against bowel diseases.

Give me sunshine
Deficiency of vitamin D, the 'sunshine' vitamin produced via sunlight on the skin, is common. Vitamin D is essential, as it makes sure that the calcium we eat is absorbed by the bones. As we age and our bones become thinner, it's important to stock up on vitamin D - it can be found in meat and meat products, oily fish, dairy and low-fat spreads, fortified breakfast cereals and eggs.

Bone builder
In the early years after the menopause, increasing the amount of calcium you eat will not stop bone loss from certain parts of the body altogether, but in later menopause, doses of up to 500 mg of calcium may stop bone loss from the spine and the forearm. If you are thinking of taking a calcium supplement speak to your GP or - even better - obtain more calcium by eating dairy products (such as yoghurt and cheese), canned fish with bones, bread, green leafy vegetables and tofu, and by drinking more milk and hard water.

B good
Keeping up your intake of B vitamins such as folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 will lessen your chances of heart disease, strokes and prevent anaemia. Good sources of folate include green leafy vegetables, offal, yeast extract and fortified bread and fortified breakfast cereals. The richest source of vitamin B12 is liver but useful amounts can be found in eggs, meat, milk, fish, fortified breakfast cereals and yeast. Vitamin B6 exists in a wide variety of foods, including meat, fish, eggs, cereals and some vegetables such as peas and sprouts.

Keep regular
If the idea of eating bran-enriched cereal doesn't tickle your taste buds then there are plenty of other ways of making sure you get your daily 18g recommendation. Starchy foods such as potatoes, wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread are ideal. But if you do increase your fibre be sure to up your fluid intake as well. You can do this simply by drinking more water or eating water-rich foods such as vegetables and fruit.

Cut the fat
Your 50s are when cardiovascular diseases may start to rear their ugly heads. One simple way of guarding against this is to watch out for the amount and types of fat you eat. Cutting down on fat, particularly saturated fats, is important, so wherever possible you should try to eat reduced-fat versions of meat and meat products, milk and dairy products. There is increasing evidence from scientific studies that a good intake of a type of fat called omega 3 polyunsaturated fats can reduce the risk of heart disease. You can obtain this fat from oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon, pilchards and trout.

So what should I be eating?
You need to make sure you are eating a good variety of the following four food groups:

• Protein - women need around 46g of protein each day, although men need more. Get your quota by eating two to three portions of either lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs or - if you're a vegetarian - peas, nuts, beans and lentils.
• Dairy products - get your calcium requirements by eating three or more servings of the following: milk, cheese or yoghurt.
• Fruits and vegetables - try to eat five or more portions a day.
• Energy-giving carbohydrates - aim for at least five portions a day of either bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta or rice.
  

  Remember that foods containing fat and sugar can be included in your diet in small amounts, but watch out if weight is a problem.

  Try the following meal planner for a tasty and nutritious daily diet:
  

  Breakfast:
  Bowl of porridge made with skimmed milk with a chopped banana, a glass of orange juice and slice of toast with reduced-fat spread

  Lunch:
  Sandwich made with roast pork slices and thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber, followed by a pot of fruit yoghurt and a large slice of melon

  Dinner:
  Fish pie made with a mixture of cod, salmon and hard-boiled eggs, with a mashed potato topping and a serving of peas and carrots, followed by apple pie with custard

  Snacks:
  Crackers, fruit or biscuits

  The following table should help you work out how best to get your daily vitamin needs; if you are worried you have a deficiency you should check with your doctor.

  Source	Males	Females
  Thiamin Pork, beans, nuts and seeds	0.9mg	0.8mg
  Vitamin B6 Fish, meat, chickpeas, potatoes and avocados	1.4mg	1.2mg
  Vitamin B12 All animal products, eggs, meat, cheese, yeast and oysters	1.5ug	1.5ug
  Folate Green vegetables, beans and orange juice	200ug	200ug
  Vitamin C Citrus fruits, broccoli, dark-green vegetables, red peppers, strawberries and kiwi fruit	40mg	40mg
  Calcium Dairy products, orange juice, tinned salmon, almonds, broccoli and sardines	700mg	700mg
  Iron Liver, beef, lamb, clams, oysters, mussels, beans, peas, dried fruits, brewer's yeast, kelp, molasses and wheat bran	8.7mg	8.7mg
  Zinc Beef, pork, poultry, eggs, seafood, cheese, beans and nuts	7.0g	7.0g
  Vitamin D Oily fish including herring salmon and tuna	10ug	10ug