Eating healthy is something we are all encouraged to do in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and ward of potentially life-threatening conditions. However, the senior population tends to be more susceptible to the ill-effects of maintaining a poor nutritional habits and caregivers need to aware of that. By simply paying more attention to what they eat, seniors can stave off the onset of some common conditions associated with aging. These include anemia, bone fractures due to bone density, and high blood pressure.
The daily recommended guidelines of foods included in the food pyramid are different for seniors than they are for the rest of the population. Because seniors tend to be less active, their bodies have reduced energy requirements. This results in having to receive the bulk of their nutritional requirements through a smaller variety and amount of food. Seniors should eat ‘nutrient dense’ foods – which means foods that have a higher number of nutrients per calorie. Nutrient dense foods are generally dark in color, such as kale and eggplant.
Eating a large variety of foods that are high in fiber content is another important technique that seniors should incorporate into their diet plan. Some examples of high content foods are whole grain breads and cereals, beans, and some vegetables. Fiber is essential in maintaining proper bowel function.
Dairy products are also extremely important in a senior’s diet because of their high calcium and Vitamin D content. Both of these nutrients strengthen and maintain bone density to safeguard against breaks and fractures, which are common in the senior population due to bones becoming brittle with age. Fat-free or low-fat dairy products are recommended in lieu of the regular variety due to the unhealthy fats that the regular products contain.
Caregivers and family members should pay close attention to their elderly loved ones’ diets to ensure they are eating enough of the right kinds of food to ensure proper nutrition. If it is noted that a senior is not consuming enough nutrient rich foods, nutritional supplements may be required in order to ensure their prolonged health. Some of the common nutritional supplements consumed by seniors are calcium and Vitamins D and B-12.
Lastly, caregivers and family members also need to assure that their loved one is drinking enough water each day so that they are not in danger of dehydration or any of the complications that may arise from dehydrations. The recommended minimum daily intake of water for seniors is eight 8oz servings per day.
