How to build a healthy diet for the elderly

Nutrition for the elderly is one of the factors that cannot be ignored when you take care of the elderly’s health. If you know how to balance the diet, the elderly will not only have strong physical health but also maintain an optimistic mental life.

The aging process leads to a decline in digestive, cardiovascular, urinary system functions, etc., causing many changes in the health and life of the elderly. Having a good diet will help the elderly to prevent aging, prevent old age diseases to live healthier.

So what should the elderly eat? Please join Hello Bacsi to learn about nutritional needs and good foods to help improve health for the elderly in the following article.

Factors affecting the diet of the elderly

Nutrition for the elderly is very different from that of children, adolescents and adults. Age-related nutritional changes can affect how the body absorbs food, nutritional needs, and taste. Here are the factors that change the diet for the elderly you should know:

1. Metabolism slows down

As you age, your body’s metabolic rate slows down. Especially, if the elderly do less exercise and exercise, the decline in metabolism is more evident. When the metabolism slows down, the body does not burn as many calories, which also means that the elderly should reduce their portions to keep their weight under control. At the same time, the elderly should also eat nutrient-rich foods with fewer calories.

For people who are physically active, the average energy requirement for women is 1,800 calories per day and for men it is 2,300 calories per day. If you are a little thinner, your energy needs will be slightly lower, if you are more physically active, you will need a little more energy.

2. Digestive system weakens

Older people often lose chewing muscles, weak teeth or fall out, making chewing and crushing food less effective. The old people’s stomach is weak, the tone and force of contraction, the ability to secrete gastric juice are reduced as well as the intestinal motility is poor, so the elderly are prone to digestive disorders.

Older people’s bodies also produce less fluid. Fluids are essential for the digestive system to absorb food. As a result, these changes can make it more difficult to absorb important nutrients like folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

3. Decreased taste causes anorexia

The taste of people in old age often declines. In addition, the elderly often have certain medical conditions that require medical treatment, such as chronic diseases, so they may have to take medications to control their health problems. However, treatment drugs often have side effects that cause stomach upset or loss of appetite, which can easily lead to nutrient deficiencies.

4. Mood swings erratically

Many elderly people often feel depressed or lonely and often have no interest in eating. On the contrary, sometimes some mood problems can cause some people to eat more and gain unwanted weight.

Building a diet for the elderly

A healthy, balanced diet full of essential nutrients can help older people prevent common health problems such as constipation, heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, and excess cholesterol. … Nutritious foods also help the elderly maintain a healthy weight and stay full of energy.

The National Institute on Aging offers two nutritional options for the elderly: the USDA diet and the DASH diet.

USDA Diet

This is a healthy and balanced diet that you need to keep in mind the following:

• Eat whole grains.
• Moderate portion control.
• Half a serving is fruit and vegetables.
• Elderly people should eat lightly, control the salt content in dishes such as soups, breads, etc.

DASH diet

This is a diet that focuses on all the key food groups designed to help lower blood pressure and be good for the heart. Additional foods each day include: milk, vegetables, cooking oil, cereals, fruits, meat, beans…

Besides choosing a diet for the elderly, you need to know how to choose which foods to add to achieve high efficiency.

Nutritional supplements for the elderly

The menu for the elderly needs enough four main food groups (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fruits and vegetables) and essential nutrients for the body. The diet for the elderly should include the following foods:

• Healthy fats: The elderly need to add foods rich in healthy fats such as nuts, avocados, fatty fish and vegetable oils… especially olive oil into the diet for the elderly. Older people need to limit saturated fat and trans fat as much as possible.

• Water: The elderly should actively add enough water for the body. In addition, fruits, foods that are healthy and contain a lot of water such as soups, cucumbers, grapes and watermelon are very good for health.

• Whole grains: Whole grains are rich in fiber, nutrients that aid digestion and are good for the heart. You should choose brown rice, whole grains, whole grain bread to supplement the diet for the elderly.

• Foods rich in fiber: The elderly need to eat foods rich in fiber such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day. This helps prevent constipation, provides vitamins, minerals, fiber, essential nutrients for the body, maintains weight and reduces the risk of heart disease.

• Protein: Elderly people need to increase their protein intake from legumes, eggs, chicken, fish and lean meat as well as nuts to provide energy for the body.

• Calcium, vitamin D: Calcium is a trace element that plays a very important role, helping the elderly to have strong and healthy bones. Therefore, the diet for the elderly needs to be supplemented with foods rich in calcium and vitamin D.

• Vitamin B12: The old people’s ability to absorb vitamin B12 decreases, so the diet for the elderly needs to be fortified with foods rich in vitamin B12 such as cereals. In addition, vitamin B12 can be added as prescribed by the doctor when needed.

Elderly people need to have a reasonable diet, eat and sleep regularly and on time to ensure good health. You can flexibly prepare a variety of dishes that are suitable for the whole family to enjoy!