Has aging changed the way we eat?

The topic came up at a recent lunch with friends.

As I took a bite of my baked salmon, my mind snapped back to another lifetime. A teenaged me, sporting the requisite ponytail and saddle shoes of the era, was sitting on a round, red, faux leather stool at the counter in Murden’s Drug Store in Norfolk, Virginia, where she grew up.

She was sharing a chocolate milkshake and french fries with a friend. The hamburgers sizzling on the grill emitted an enticing smell that left us wanting. We had the appetite but not the funds. It was a time when children lived on their weekly allowance, if they were lucky enough to have one. When it was gone, it was gone.

Not once did it occur to me that the grease dripping from the burgers might not be healthy. Or that it might give me an upset tummy. I never worried that the beef might have been left out of the fridge too long and spoiled. Or that the milk used to make our shake had passed its expiration date. I didn’t worry that I might be allergic to the ketchup I was slathering on my fries.

Then I didn’t worry; now I do. I think the worry factor is a big part of the changes we make in our food choices as we get older. Much more information — mostly accurate, though not all — is at the ready. So we question more and, not surprisingly, worry more. While knowledge is power, it can also play havoc with an active imagination.

My tummy — and I am guessing this is true for many of you reading this — has no problem letting me know which foods have become my enemy. While there are a plethora of ads suggesting what antidotes to take if one of these enemies makes its way into our delicate, aging digestive systems, none has decreased my need to smell the milk before I drink it. None has kept me from spending an inordinate amount of time at the market trying to decipher sell-by dates and then, when I get home with the food, wondering whether I actually saw a 2023 that looked like a 2025.

Eating as I age: It’s complicated.

Email patriciabunin@sbcglobal.net. Follow her at Patriciabunin.com.