Stone Age Genes and Modern Temptations🇬🇧
My Journey with Weight Balancing and Food Quality After 50
When I celebrated my 50th birthday, I realized something crucial: my body was changing. Hormonal shifts triggered by menopause made it harder to maintain a stable weight. What used to be easy suddenly became a challenge.
The common advice I received was, “Eat less.” But I already knew it wasn’t just about quantity. With a daily intake of around 1,500 calories, I should have been able to maintain my weight. The real challenge, however, lay in what I was eating.
Food Quality: More Than Just Calories
Over time, I noticed a concerning trend: the quality of our food had seriously declined. Although we still eat foods that seem healthy—like fruits, vegetables, and grains—the original nutrients are often stripped away due to heavy processing.
Here are a few examples:
Grains: Frequently turned into long-lasting snacks with little nutritional value.
Vegetables: Lose essential nutrients during industrial processing and preservation.
Dairy: Often transformed into heavily processed products that are far from raw milk.
Meat: Converted into processed items like sausages and deli meats, packed with additives.
These changes not only impact the taste but also affect our gut health, which plays a vital role in both our physical and mental well-being. Additives used to extend shelf life and simplify food processing can have long-term, negative effects on our bodies.
A Global Challenge
Obesity is a global epidemic—not just a cosmetic concern but a serious health risk. Being overweight increases the likelihood of heart disease, diabetes, and mental health issues.
An important factor to consider is that as we age, our calorie intake should naturally decrease. For instance:
A man between 19 and 25 years old burns about 1,730 calories per day at rest, but by age 65, this drops to 1,530 calories.
For women, calorie needs drop from 1,380 to 1,180 calories in the same age group.
If we continue eating like we did when we were younger, weight gain becomes almost inevitable. At the same time, we are constantly surrounded by calorie-dense, processed foods, making it difficult to maintain a balanced diet.
Small Steps Toward a Healthier Life
The good news is that changes don’t have to be drastic. I started with small, manageable adjustments that I could easily incorporate into my daily routine. Here are a few tips that worked for me:
More vegetables: I added an extra serving of vegetables to each meal. It’s an easy way to increase my intake of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Healthier alternatives with Arctic Matcha: I swapped out traditional snacks for Arctic Matcha, an herbal tea made from Arctic medicinal plants. It’s rich in fiber and can be enjoyed as a classic tea or an energy shot several times a day.
Benefits:Supports gut health without adding extra calories.
Contains essential plant compounds that promote healthier skin and hair.
Reduces the need for supplements, simplifying my diet and saving money in the long run.
Natural, unprocessed foods: I prioritized minimally processed, natural foods. These are more filling, provide essential nutrients, and support my body’s health in a natural way.
Stone Age Genes and Modern Temptations
Our ancestors developed the ability to store fat during times of abundance in order to survive periods of scarcity. Today, food is always available. Meanwhile, we move less and often consume calorie-dense, processed foods without realizing it.
Comparison:
Natural foods like fruits and vegetables often contain fewer than 100 calories per 100 grams and keep you feeling full for longer.
Processed foods, on the other hand, can contain 300–400 calories per 100 grams but offer little nutritional value.
Result: Over time, we gain weight gradually and without even noticing it.
Social Inequality and Knowledge
Weight issues aren’t just individual challenges—they’re a societal issue. Studies show that people with access to nutrition knowledge tend to find it easier to maintain a healthy weight. It’s not only about economic resources but also about understanding what our bodies truly need.
A Call for Change
Weight balancing is something that concerns all of us—not just for aesthetic reasons but, more importantly, for our health. It’s time to start focusing on food quality and making small, sustainable changes.
Next time you go grocery shopping, ask yourself:
What does this food provide my body?
Is it a source of energy and good health, or just empty calories?
Together, we can take small steps toward better balance—for both body and mind.
Bonus Tips
Keep track: Start a food journal to eat more mindfully.
Stay active: Even small amounts of daily movement can make a big difference.
Practice mindfulness: Enjoy your meals to reduce overeating and increase satisfaction.
Try Arctic Matcha and experience the benefits of natural foods. Share your journey in the comments below—let’s build a healthy community together!
