November 2018 | Beryl Pearn

AFTER A busy schedule which included speaking engagements overseas and on the mainland, Ngaire Hobbins, a qualified dietitian specialising in ageing and brain health, and author of books including Eat to Cheat Ageing, presented in the Meander Valley at the Westbury RSL club.

She’s been described as “an engaging, informative speaker, able to relate easily to lay and professional audiences” and the nearly ninety people who attended her talk would agree. The capacity crowd were treated to Ngaire’s talk titled ‘Have your cake and eat it too’. Ngaire said that with longer life expectancy, what in the past might have been regarded as adequate nourishment for older people, no longer applies.

With many people now living well beyond seventy years of age, seniors need to work to equip their bodies for perhaps an extra twenty years of life. She emphasised the need for people over sixty-five to maintain muscle through exercise and a protein rich diet, saying that for older people, protein should form part of every meal.

The talk was organised by Meander Valley U3A (MVU3A) and made possible with sponsorship from Meander Valley Council and Deloraine & Districts Community Bank® Branch of Bendigo Bank. Those who attended are keen to learn more about this important topic, so the MVU3A Committee is investigating how it might be able to organise a return visit by Ngaire. MVU3A is a voluntary organisation in which members share skills, knowledge and fun in a range of courses and activities. To contact MVU3A, email meandervalleyu3a @gmail.com, or telephone 0484 758 466.