Nutrition
Nutrition is the area with the most advice and the least agreement. A few things are well supported: enough protein to hold muscle as you age, a diet built mostly on plants, whole foods over processed ones, and not much alcohol. Beyond that the evidence thins quickly, and the confidence of the people selling a particular diet is not a guide to how strong it is.
What this means for healthspan
What and how you eat affects blood sugar, blood pressure, weight, bone, muscle and energy. Over decades, those small daily effects add up. For many people, healthy ageing is less about a perfect diet and more about eating enough of the right things, regularly, in a way they can keep up.
Needs change with age. Appetite often falls, and some people eat too little protein to hold on to muscle. Others eat more highly processed food than they realize. A good nutrition assessment looks at both under-eating and over-eating, and at the person's culture, budget, food preferences, health conditions and medicines.
What we assess, and why
We may ask about your usual eating pattern, protein and fibre intake, appetite, recent weight change and alcohol. Where it is useful, we may add body composition measures and selected blood tests. The aim is to find gaps or risks that can be addressed, not to judge your food choices.
Most people do not need extensive testing to eat well. Blood tests are used when your history, symptoms, medicines or health conditions suggest they could change the advice.
What we may assess
Dietary intake, protein and fibre adequacy, appetite, weight trends, body composition and selected laboratory markers when clinically indicated.
What is used is chosen for you, according to your individual risk, clinical appropriateness, the evidence and what you decide with your physician.
Why it matters
Practical, individualized nutrition strategies can support healthy ageing, physical performance and the prevention or management of nutritional deficiencies.
Examples of assessments and investigations
These are examples of what may be considered. Which of them are used for you depends on your history, your risk and what you decide with your physician.
Dietary intake review
A structured conversation, sometimes with a short food diary, about what, when and how you eat. It may be considered for anyone starting a nutrition plan.
Protein and fibre check
An estimate of whether your usual intake is in a reasonable range for your age, activity and health. It is often most useful for people over 65, people losing weight, or people doing strength training.
Appetite and unplanned weight change review
Questions about appetite, chewing or swallowing, cooking and shopping, and any weight loss or gain you have not intended. It may be considered when weight changes without a clear reason.
Nutrition risk screening questionnaire
A short, validated questionnaire that flags older adults who may be at risk of under-eating. It may be considered at home visits or when appetite has dropped.
Body composition measurement
Estimates of muscle and fat, or simple measures such as weight, waist and grip strength. Results vary by method, so we use them as trends over time and not as a verdict on one visit.
Selected blood tests
Tests such as a blood count, ferritin, vitamin B12, kidney function or albumin where symptoms, medicines, diet type or medical conditions make a deficiency or other problem possible.
Vitamin D review
A review of intake, sun exposure and bone risk. A blood level is not routine for healthy adults. It may be considered for people with bone disease, malabsorption or other specific risks.
Alcohol use review
A brief, non-judgmental discussion of how much alcohol you drink, using Canada's guidance on alcohol and health as a reference point.
What the evidence supports, and where it is uncertain
What the evidence supports
- Canada's Food Guide supports eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein foods, choosing plant-based protein more often, limiting highly processed foods and making water your usual drink.
- Older adults may need more protein per kilogram than younger adults to maintain muscle. Expert groups have suggested about 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg of body weight a day for healthy older adults, with more for some people with illness. Protein works best alongside strength training.
- Plant-rich eating patterns, such as a Mediterranean-style pattern, are linked with better heart and metabolic health. Most of this evidence comes from observational studies and some trials.
- Less alcohol is better for health. Canada's guidance describes risk rising with each drink per week.
Limits and uncertainties
- No single diet has been shown to be best for everyone. Evidence for specific named diets, fasting schedules and food eliminations is mixed, and many studies are short or rely on people recalling what they ate.
- Evidence for most supplements in people without a deficiency is limited or negative. Taking more is not always better, and some supplements can interact with medicines.
- Routine blood tests for nutrients in people without symptoms or risk factors often find results that are borderline or of unclear meaning, which can lead to further testing or treatment that is not needed.
- Food sensitivity panels and similar tests sold directly to the public are not supported by guidelines. An unneeded restriction can reduce the variety of your diet.
- Body composition devices differ in accuracy, and protein targets are estimates. People with kidney disease or other conditions may need different advice.
From findings to a plan, and what follows
How findings can inform a plan
Findings can help us set a small number of practical goals, for example adding protein to breakfast, adjusting meal timing around strength training, increasing fibre gradually, or addressing a specific deficiency. Plans are built around your preferences, culture, budget, cooking ability and health conditions, and they may be shared with your family doctor or a registered dietitian.
Follow-up, monitoring and coordination
Follow-up may involve checking in on how the plan is working, repeating weight or body composition trends, and repeating a blood test only if it was abnormal or the result would change the plan. Where needed, we may refer you to a registered dietitian, a dentist or speech-language pathologist for chewing or swallowing concerns, or your family doctor for conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease.
What happens here
The approach is the same in every area: establish where you are, change something on a cadence, then measure again to find out whether it worked. Nutrition does not have a program of its own. It is assessed as part of every membership and worked on with your physician, and with the dietitian, kinesiologist or counsellor where that is what it needs.
Reliable places to read more
These are independent organizations. Monarch Health does not control their content and has no arrangement with them.
Health Canada
Canada's Food Guide: Healthy eating recommendations(opens in a new tab)
Dietitians of Canada, UnlockFood.ca
Older Adults Eating Well(opens in a new tab)
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health(opens in a new tab)
Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology
Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines(opens in a new tab)
Where to go next
The other areas we work on