It recently occurred to me that nutrition news is always so emphatic. One day it’s all about cutting carbs, the next it’s counting calories, then it’s eliminating certain fats from your diet. It’s as if there’s always someone out there trying to tell us that if we follow their advice (and most of it involves depriving ourselves from one thing or another), we’ll been in great shape, have perfect physiques and live to be two hundred and two. Well, I’m over it!

You see I’ve been doing a little research of my own, and I’m onto this new kick that’s destined to take over the tabloids. It’s called eating your age. No, not eating the five green beans on your plate because you’re five years old (although that’s been a successful little game in my household). I’m talking about eating the right foods for your body based on your stage of life.

When you start to think about it, it seems so obvious.

Of course, a ten year old kid is going to have different needs than his two year old little brother or his forty-five year old dad, but sometimes when food shopping for the whole family we lose sight of this. If only supermarkets were set up more like department stores, it would all be so simple, right?

But do we rally need that? A lot of this is common sense. In addition to serving portion sizes that are appropriate for different age groups, there are key foods that are beneficial at each stage as well. For instance, dairy products for growing kids, soy foods for maturing women and iron-rich ingredients for the child bearing set. Even fats, both saturated and monounsaturated from foods like California Ripe Olives, almonds and avocados are part of a healthy diet as long as you eat the right amount for your particular phase of life.

What it boils down to is that you have to know who you’re feeding in order to decide what they should be eating. Sure, there are universal foods like whole grains, monounsaturated fats, fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats that remain in style at any age, but others are age appropriate and should be eaten that way. In other words, you might still sneak a little of that trendy skateware into your husband’s summer wardrobe, but keep in mind it’s probably better suited for jr. than the rest of the family!