According to the World Health Organization(WHO), the majority of diseases that senior citizens suffer from are a result of poor diet. For example, the consumption of high-fat foods has been correlated with cancer of the prostate, colon, and pancreas.
Diet has also been implicated in a number of deficiency diseases including diabetes and osteoporosis. A deficiency of micronutrients is a common problem among the elderly often because they lack diversity in their diets.
As a caregiver, if you start your meal planning with diversity in mind and a goal to serve primarily fresh fruits and vegetables, this is a good start. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain more bio-available nutrients than canned foods which means that elderly patients will be able to absorb more vitamins and minerals from these foods than what they would get if they eat canned or frozen foods.
In addition to fruits and vegetables, meat and eggs are an important part of an older adult’s diet because this is one of the primary sources of vitamin B12 that seniors get and these days, it can be difficult to get vitamin B12 injections on a regular basis at the doctor’s office.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to a variety of symptoms that mimic other diseases in the elderly including dementia and chronic digestive disorders such as constipation or diarrhea and as a general rule, many elderly patients have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 from food.
Juices made of raw fruits and vegetables are an excellent choice for just about any older adult because they contain a selection of fruits and vegetables without the pulp which makes the nutrients easier to absorb. Seniors who no longer have teeth can consume freshly-made fruit and vegetable juices easily and these foods pack a lot of nutrients into small space for older adults who don’t have a strong appetite.
What is a good lunch for seniors?
Caregivers who want to keep nutrition at the forefront of their minds should start with a freshly made fruit and vegetable drink as an appetizer for their elderly patients. Lunches should also include a source of protein, ideally a small portion of meat or eggs so that patients will also get a healthy dose of Vitamin B12 and omega 3 fatty acids.
While milk may seem like an excellent source of calcium, the largest, most comprehensive study of nutrition ever done in the world proved that greens are a better source of calcium than milk. The acidity of milk and dairy products can actually contribute to the development osteoporosis while collard greens and broccoli provide a balanced source of calcium along with an assortment of other vitamins and minerals.
What are good snacks for the elderly patients?
Snacks are an important part of an older person’s diet. Highly processed foods contain very few vitamins and minerals and when you offer these kinds of foods to older adults, they’re consuming empty calories.
Countries like Japan that have a much higher life expectancy than people in the United States consume large quantities of iodine in their diets in the form of seaweed and other marine-based foods. Snack foods that contain nori seaweed provide high levels of iodine and omega 3’s as well as other nutrients.
Foods like bananas and raspberries make great snacks because they’re easy to eat and they provide high levels of magnesium, another important nutrient for good heart health.
