Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, improving your outlook, and stabilizing your mood.
For seniors, a healthy diet is incredibly important. Maintaining a proper diet helps seniors to age with grace and helps them to maintain the optimal health levels. Proper diet is very important to the proper functioning of the mind and body, and this is especially true for the changing dietary needs as one age. Seniors are more prone to the development of a wide range of different health conditions that require special nutritional considerations. While it is not always easy to provide a senior with the optimum nutrition, a healthy eating plan can not only improve the senior’s quality of living, it can reduce their risks of developing certain diseases.
Focus on Fresh
Fresh fruits and vegetables are one of the most essential components of a healthy diet for seniors. Fruits like berries and citrus are great sources of vitamins, and vegetables in a rainbow of colors will provide most of the necessary nutrients. But not everyone likes to eat fruits and vegetables or knows how to prepare them. That’s why experienced nutrition staff in an assisted living environment can be such valuable partners in helping your loved ones have a healthy diet.
Know what the senior needs
As one ages, their dietary needs change as well. It is important to understand that the recommended daily allowances (calories, fat, sodium, sugar, and more) are different and should be adhered to in order to provide the senior with the best quality diet possible. For example, after the age of 50, a woman only needs 1,600 calories a day; and a man, after the age of 50 only needs 2,000 calories a day.
Natural Fiber
Fiber is an integral part of a healthy diet for seniors; enough daily fiber intakes may prevent constipation, which is a big concern among seniors. Seniors often sweets enough fiber since the high-fiber foods they once enjoyed are crunchy or hard to chew with dentures. A healthy diet tip for seniors would be to look for high fiber foods which are easy to eat like beans, legumes and cooked vegetables, or have a daily fiber supplement.
Power Up with Protein
Getting enough protein is another important part of a healthy balanced diet. Protein builds and maintains muscle, which is crucial at every part of stage of the life span. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found that consuming enough protein may even prevent or delay some of the declines in muscle tone sometimes associated with aging.
Increase intake of vitamin B12
B12 is a vital nutrient that the body requires and can only get from food sources or supplements. In addition to a host of other things, the adequate intake of vitamin B12 is important to proper brain functioning. As one gets older, their ability to absorb certain nutrients, including vitamin B12, is reduced, necessitating a need to increase the amount of foods high in B12 in the diet. Good choices are low-fat dairy, juices, and even cereals that are fortified with the vitamin.
Don’t forget about Omega-3 fatty acids
The intake of Omega-3 fatty acids is shown to help improve brain health as well as to reduce the risks of many diseases that are associated with aging. Increasing one’s intake of quality sources of Omega-3 fatty acids from things like oils from flax seeds or canola, oily fish like salmon, or nuts like walnuts will increase the amount of Omega-3 in the body. This can reduce one’s risk of stroke, heart disease,Alzheimer’s, as well as help to lower one’s cholesterol and even reduce the pain associated with arthritis.