Eating a healthy diet, along with exercise and maintaining a social life, is important for healthy aging. If you don’t fuel your body correctly at every age and stage of life, you can’t live your best life.
Here are five ways that seniors can make sure that they’re getting the nutrition they need:
Meal planning for the win!
As we age, our taste buds are fewer, and medications, as well as a more sedentary lifestyle, often interfere with a person’s overall appetite. That makes the effort of buying groceries, making meals, and then sitting down to eat them a lot less palatable. The temptation is there to either order in food that is high in fat, sodium, and sugar or just not eat much at all. Either option is a bad idea, particularly as we age.
Whether a personal care worker is involved in the homemaking aspects of a senior’s life, or they are still independently providing for their own nutritional needs, a little planning goes a long way. A senior or home care provider can help to pull together a plan that makes sense, given the person’s level of activity and vitamin/mineral needs.
Planning meals a week ahead, and a month at a time, helps ensure a couple of things:
- That the meals are balanced, with lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables being the staples.
- Planning saves money because there is less waste and more opportunity to take advantage of specials. Batch cooking is also an option, with a homecare worker helping out if necessary. Preparing multiple meals at once and storing them in the freezer for the upcoming days is a lot simpler than having to cook three square meals a day!
- With a plan in hand, a person is more likely to get down to the task of preparing the meal. There’s no thinking or decision-making required: you just follow the plan.
Get protein and calcium in sufficient quantities
When deciding what to eat, make sure that lean proteins and calcium figure high on the list of ingredients. A major research study conducted by the European Society for Clinical and Economical Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) concluded that protein, combined with calcium had, among other results:
- Hip fracture risks decreased with consistent and measured protein intake, combined with calcium;
- Bone density was improved;
“In fact, in the elderly, we find that a common problem is not too much protein, but too little. This review of the literature confirms that a balanced diet with sufficient protein intake, regardless whether of animal or vegetable source, clearly benefits bone health when accompanied by adequate calcium intake. This is particularly important for seniors with osteoporosis, and individuals at risk of malnutrition due to acute or chronic illness, or recovering from an injury.” – Professor René Rizzoli, Professor at the Division of Bone Diseases of the Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine. (Source)
An excellent way to get both is with smoothies, enhanced with a high-quality protein powder. This can help particularly when seniors are less inclined to eat a full meal, including a protein, such as post-illness or post-operative situations.
Drink water and stay hydrated
Older people sometimes do not realize that they are thirsty until they are well and truly dehydrated. But as our bodies are made up of 60% water, even mild dehydration can lead to a lot of issues, including:
- Fatigue
- Cognitive problems (the ability to think clearly)
- Headaches
- Constipation
Chronic dehydration leads to a loss of the important fluids that surround the brain, muscles, and connective tissues, as well as other organs. The body needs these fluids to keep it healthy and moving.
Up the fiber
Speaking of constipation, mild dehydration and a lack of activity can quickly and easily lead to constipation for seniors. Sufficient fiber in the diet will help to deal with that as well as control blood sugar, avoiding or lessening the effects of diabetes, help with cholesterol levels and blood pressure, so incorporating enough fiber in the diet is clearly important.
Good sources of natural fiber in foods include:
- Beans
- Whole grains, including bran cereals that are low in sugar
- Brown rice
- Berries
- Nuts, including almonds and walnuts
- Crunchy veggies, like broccoli and celery
As a person ages, the ability to digest some of these foods becomes a little more difficult but a small quantity can go a long way!
Avoid mindless snacking
Out of boredom, people will sometimes turn to snacking as a way to alleviate that feeling. But snacking often involves foods that are pre-packaged and chock full of fat, sodium and / or sugar. If snacks are a must have, there are ways to do it that are less of a problem:
- Allow a snack as a reward for activity accomplished: going to the store, going out to visit a friend, or even just taking a walk around the neighborhood.
- Prepare snacks in advance to have at the ready, like cut up vegetables and a low fat dip, for example. Hummus is a wonderful legume based option that will also give you a protein boost. Low fat yogurt with fruit mixed in is another great option that will also give you some of the calcium and protein that you need.
Keep these tips in mind to make sure that balanced nutrition isn’t a thing of the past in the lives of seniors!
If you or an aging loved one are considering in-home senior care in Atlanta, please call the compassionate, caring staff at Mothers Helping Hands Home Care. Call Today! 470-260-4137.