An excerpt from the Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50 Foods that fight serious disease Think changing your diet at this point can't matter much? Think again! At any age, improving your diet gives you a powerful weapon against chronic disease. What you eat and what you don't may determine whether and when you develop a disorder that reduces the quality of your life, or threatens to shorten it. To prevent high blood pressure... Maintain your desirable weight, and after age 50, limit your daily sodium to 1300 mg daily (1200 mg after age 70.) Aim for at least 8 daily servings of fruits and vegetables to get enough potassium. The new guidelines recommend 4.700 mg of potassium daily, or double the old amount. Get enough calcium and protein by consuming 2 to 4 servings of fat-free or low-fat dairy products daily, and include plenty of whole grains, fish, and poultry in your diet. Restrict intake of fat, red meat, and sugary food and drinks. Limit daily alcohol consumption to no more than one drink for women and two drinks for men. To protect your heart and help prevent stroke... Limit your saturated fat and transfats to less than 10% of caloric intake (or 7% if you have high cholesterol). Center your diet around fish, skinless poultry, and plant-based, unprocessed foods, such as whole grains, fruit, vegetables, legumes and nets. Eat fish at least twice a week. Replace foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol with soy protein (25 grams daily). Opt for fat-free and low-fat dairy products, limit cholesterol to 300 mg daily (200 mg if you have high cholesterol), and get 20 to 30 grams of fiber daily. Consume at least 400 micrograms of folate daily from fruits, vegetables, and grains and/or a supplement. Maintaining a desirable weight can help prevent metabolic syndrome, a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and marker for potentially developing Type 2 diabetes. To avoid developing Type 2 diabetes... Keep your weight at a desirable level. Limit saturated fat intake to no more than 7% of total calories and get at least 15% of total fat calories from monounsaturated fats. Limit dietary cholesterol to less than 20 mg daily, which means restriction of all dietary sources including eggs and shellfish. Get at least 25 grams of fiber daily, restrict your intake of white flour and sugar, and aim for at least 8 daily servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables. To protect bones against osteoporosis... Consume 1200 to 1500 mg of calcium daily. Besides dairy products, good sources include canned salmon and sardines, dark green leafy vegetables, shellfish, and some fortified cereals. You can take calcium supplements if necessary to reach this goal. Be sure you get 400 to 480 IU of vitamin D daily to enhance calcium absorption, from sources like milk and fatty fish. Emphasize fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and restrict caffeine consumption to less than 300 mg daily. More than this may contribute to bone loss in some older women. (An average 8 oz. cup of coffee contains 115 to 175 mg caffeine, and an average 12 oz. soda has 30 to 50 mg.) To help prevent prostate cancer... Limit your intake of fat from animal sources, especially meats and dairy products. Limit red meat, choose lean cuts, and eat small portions (about 3 oz.) Eat a diet rich in whole grains, have at least 5 servings daily of fruits and vegetables, and include plenty of cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. One research study found that 3 or more servings a week was associated with a 41% lower risk of prostate cancer as compared to than less than one serving a week. Eat several servings of cooked tomato products (such as tomato sauce) per week. A high intake of lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes, is associated with 16% to 21% reduction in prostate cancer risk. To lower your risk of breast cancer... Maintain a desirable weight and limit fact intake, especially saturated fats and transfats acids. Get at least 25 grams of fiber daily, and include several servings of whole grains. Include at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet, and limit alcohol consumption to fewer than 7 drinks a week. To counter colon cancer... Limit your intake of red meat. Choose lean cuts and small portions (about 3 oz.) Eat several servings of whole grains and at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Include plenty of spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, oranges, berries, and carrots. Get 1200 mg of calcium daily from calcium rich foods, such as 2 to 3 servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products. For more healthy living advice for men and women over 50, subscribe today to Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50.