Anorexia old people should do? 7 ways to stimulate appetite to help balance health

Anorexia is a type of eating disorder in the elderly. The inability of the elderly to eat can lead to an intolerance of enough food to meet the body’s essential energy and nutrient needs. Anorexia is often caused by decreased appetite in the elderly.

How to stimulate appetite, change appetite to help the elderly supplement full nutritional content?

Reasons for the elderly to lose appetite

Age-related changes in lifestyle, medical status, as well as social and environmental factors have the potential to directly influence eating behavior and nutritional status in the elderly. The elderly can’t eat or drink, or eat and drink is no longer delicious can be caused by the following reasons:

• Poverty, loneliness and feelings of isolation. These are all social factors that contribute to anorexia in the elderly
• Depression.: This is a common psychological problem in the elderly, and is the cause of anorexia.
• Due to the use of poor quality or ill-fitting dentures. This can lead to a change in the taste and aroma of the dish. Thereby affecting food choices and reducing appetite in the elderly.
• Suffer from a number of diseases. Common diseases in the elderly such as: Gastrointestinal diseases; Malabsorption syndromes , Acute and chronic infections; Increase metabolism. These diseases can also predispose the elderly to micronutrient deficiencies. Therefore, it needs to be supplemented with energy and protein for a healthy body.
• Use drugs. The majority of elderly people depend on prescription drugs to help control aging diseases . However, some medications can cause nutrient malabsorption, gastrointestinal symptoms, and loss of appetite.

Negative effects if the elderly and weak cannot eat. Poor nutritional status is also associated with the development and progression of chronic diseases in the elderly. In which, protein and energy malnutrition are related to functional decline:

• Muscle decline
• Reduced bone mass
• Immune dysfunction
• Anemia
• Declining cognitive function
• Slow wound healing
• Slow recovery after surgery
• Increased morbidity and mortality

Therefore, raising awareness about the factors that contribute to poor nutritional status in the elderly will help develop appropriate prevention and treatment measures. This helps to improve the health of the elderly.

Signs of anorexia in the elderly

In addition to significant weight loss, the elderly also experience symptoms associated with anorexia such as:

• Hair thinning and thinning
• Pale, lifeless facial skin
• Fingers start to turn pale blue
• Dry skin lack of water
• Tired old people anorexia constantly
• Or get dizzy and have fainting spells
• Do not want to interact with society, often irritable

Anorexia old people should do?

If there are elderly people in the family who have difficulty eating, please refer to the following 7 tips to help stimulate appetite for the elderly.

1. Add more flavor to food

First, take your grandparents to check with a doctor to determine the cause of anorexia in the elderly. Determining the root cause of anorexia affects whether older people need medication. If so, your doctor may consider changing the medication or dosage from time to time

If the cause of old people anorexia is because the taste is not suitable. You can enhance the taste of food naturally by using: olive oil, butter, vinegar, garlic, onions, ginger and other spices to promote appetite for the elderly.

>> Read more: Great way to regain appetite when tired of anorexia

2. Add foods that are easy to digest

What should I do if the patient cannot eat or drink? Smoothies made from fresh fruit, yogurt and protein powder should be added to the diet of the elderly. Besides, steamed vegetables and soft foods such as: stewed soup, nutritious porridge, nutritional powder can also be other alternatives.

>> Learn more: Why the elderly should not eat a lot of fat: 5 reasons to sound scary!

3. Relieves Dry Mouth

Elderly people should drink 8-10 glasses of water per day and always drink water after each meal.

• In addition, a secret to help improve anorexia of the elderly is to add sauces to dishes. This will help moisten and soften the food, making it easier to absorb.

4. Diversify the diet

Why can’t elderly people eat despite having a nutritious and healthy diet? The food menu does not change, eating the same dish every day will bring anorexia in the elderly.

Therefore, as a meal preparer, you should read more cooking magazines to consult or consult friends and change the portion of your meal every day. This helps you to determine which is the favorite food of the parents. Thereby boosting their appetite.

5. Store ready-to-eat foods in the fridge

Elderly people lose their appetite sometimes because they have not found a dish that suits their taste. Therefore, cakes, vegetables, fruits, soups, prepared canned foods, etc. should be stored in the refrigerator to stimulate appetite in the elderly.

This also helps the elderly in the house to eat whenever they feel like eating.

6. Healthy Diet

What should I do if the patient cannot eat or drink? Fruits, green vegetables or calcium-rich foods should be fortified to help the elderly limit calcium deficiency, prevent the risk of fractures when falling .

• In addition, to maintain energy and stable insulin levels, older adults should choose foods with “good” or complex carbohydrates. Suggest some healthy foods including: lean protein, fatty fish, whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables.

>>> You may be interested in: How to build a healthy diet for the elderly

7. Drink enough water

The body of the elderly is very susceptible to dehydration due to a reduced ability to regulate fluid levels and reduce thirst. Therefore, providing enough water for the body for the elderly will help prevent urinary infections, constipation and promote health.

Hope the information about the status of the elderly can not eat will help you. Be aware that prolonged anorexia in the elderly will affect general health. So you should not be subjective and ignore this issue!