As people age, eating well can improve mental faculties, resistance to illness, and reduce the risk of developing cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Here are some senior nutritional tips to ensure your elderly relative has a healthy, balanced diet.
Understand the daily nutrition requirements: The USDA created a website to show you what your daily nutrition requirements are and how you can work them into your diet. The nutrition requirements are organized into a checklist to help you easily maintain a healthy eating regimen for your meal preparation. The website is called MyPlate and can be found here: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Eat less sugar as you get older: One of the most resilient senses is our ability to detect sweetness in food, which unfortunately leads to seniors consuming more sugar than is healthy. Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce sugar intake like using naturally sweet foods like fruits instead of sugar in meal preparation, avoiding soda, and replacing refined carbs with complex carbs.
More fiber, and then even more fiber: Did you know the average male over the age of 50 should have at least 30 grams of fiber a day, and the average woman over 50 should have 21? Did you also know that most people don’t even get half off that?
Regardless of your answer to those questions, it is a fact that the body becomes less efficient as we age and more fiber is needed to keep your internal processes running smoothly. Whole grains, wheat cereals, barley, oatmeal, beans, nuts, vegetables and fruit are all excellent sources of fiber. You can also eat a high-fiber cereal for breakfast, eat fruit instead of drinking juice, or add nuts and beans to salads. Fiber is important, be sure you are getting enough of it.
Getting older doesn’t mean you should let your diet fall off. It’s important that as you get older you mind what you are eating to help your body continue working despite the aging process. By following these tips you can eat well and feel great for longer. Below is a link to the NIH page on senior healthy eating for even more information.
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/eatingwellasyougetolder/benefitsofeatingwell/01.html
For more information on senior care in the Glendale, Pasadena, and Los Angeles CA areas, visit http://comforcare.com/california/glendale.
