Healthy Eating is something that many seniors are lacking, especially when they must prepare their own meals. A balanced diet is vital at this stage of their lives and many are not getting what they require from diet alone. Healthy eating is important at any age but it becomes singularly important in the elder years to keep up energy levels, emotional balance and peak immunity levels. Eating a balanced diet in one’s senior phase can:
• Raise the level of mental awareness and acuity.
• Build a strong immune system and reduce the chance of serious life threatening infections.
• Increase the level of energy experienced by seniors.
• Improve the time required for recuperation from illness.
• Make the regulation of chronic conditions easier to manage.
Reasons Why Nutrition Is Lacking In Seniors
• Metabolism slows down – The human metabolism begins to slow about the age of forty years old. It then becomes reckless to continue eating the kinds of food that was so easily ingested as a youth. Should they ignore this advice they will gain weight.
• Appetite diminishes as does taste – When an individual ages their sense of taste begins to wane. When this occurs, the person will either heavily garnish their meals or simply just not put much effort into dining any more. The appetite slows along with the metabolism.
• Inadequate digestion – during the aging process the digestive tract undergoes many modifications. Because of this the individual will generate fewer digestive acids and reduced quantities of saliva. It becomes harder for the system to digest and breakdown particular vitamins and minerals and this will only exacerbate digestion troubles.
• Health problems – When a senior must take numerous drugs to manage their health these can have an unconstructive influence over the appetite. If this is the case a consultation with their primary health care provider can alleviate the issue.
• Reduced physical activity – along with advanced aging comes a lessening of physical activity. Seniors slow their once bustling lives down for both physical and medical reasons. When there is no action occurring the stomach knows it and reduces appetite.
• Emotional causes – When a person is depressed or experiencing isolation from social environments this affects their appetite and diet significantly. Seniors might not feel compelled to eat if they must do so by themselves. If depression is the root of the problem it can lead to a reduction in appetite or the opposite – overeating.
If people staring at their senior years are unable to correct these issues they will endure an unhealthy decline in their golden years when life should be pleasant. It is crucial that family or primary caregivers, along with a capable geriatric specialist assist the elderly as they steer through these difficulties. There are numerous elder care enterprises available with government assistance or private enterprise that support seniors with meals and food prep.
A Nutritional Diet For The Aging Individual Includes:
• Lower salt intake to avoid the retention of water and hypertension.
• Decreasing the consumption of fat in their meals to keep cholesterol levels regulated
• Increase intake of Vitamin D and calcium for healthy skeletal structure.
• Consume more fiber laden foods like salads, vegetables and fruits to aid proper digestion.
• Cut back on sugar consumption and also dry foods.
• Whatever they eat it is vital that it contain adequate quantities of minerals and vitamins.
• Start drinking more filtered water.
• Increase their physical activity – even if it means simply walking around the block after dinner.
Minerals That Impact Our Health As We Age
It is critical that seniors get enough of some specific minerals to maintain their health and add years to their life. Minerals are necessary to sustain peak functionality of organs, cells and physiological systems. It is significant that the food we eat each day holds all the nutrients our body needs to work at its finest. Any lack of mineral content in our systems and we begin to break down physically. It is imperative to understand which minerals are important to our health, what they do and where we can get them.
• Calcium
This mineral is of considerable importance for every age group but it is crucial for aging adults to maintain strength in their bones and balancing the transmissions of nerve impulses. In addition, it is very useful for muscularity – the heart in particular, to assist in the relaxing and contracting action while it encourages blood coagulation. Moreover, calcium aids in the maintenance of your hair, skin and dental health. When we lack enough calcium we risk osteoporosis and other hazardous conditions. We get our calcium naturally in the food we eat such as dairy, green leafy veggies are an excellent source of high grade calcium, soybeans, yogurt, raisins and fish in cans like salmon, tuna and sardines.
• Iron
Iron makes up a central element of hemoglobin; this is how we move oxygen throughout our bodies. When we have insufficient iron it is easier to come down with anemia. This condition occurs when we do not get enough blood oxygenation. We can get sufficient iron from our diets by eating liver, kidneys, red meats, broccoli, nuts, cheddar cheese, chickpeas, prune juice and wheat germ. [note: I could write an entire article about the benefits of prune juice alone!]
• Magnesium
This special mineral is necessary to aid the body in repairing and maintaining its cells. It is also important for the function of nerve impulses that race through our bodies. It also helps the metabolism and has a lot to do with the health of our skeletal structure. Natural sources of magnesium can be found in fish, fruits and leafy green veggies, dairy items, nuts, brown rice, soy beans and wheat germ.
• Phosphorous
This mineral aids with the up keep of bones and teeth while it assists the metabolism while it breaks down various B vitamins and it can help thwart bone fractures and speed healing. Additionally, it works with the body to augment tissue growth and provide energy. We can get a good amount of phosphorous from red meats, poultry, dairy, seafood, dried beans and peanuts, whole grain and soybeans.
• Potassium
Potassium is significant to our body by keeping things running smoothly and healthy. Our red blood cells depend upon it as does our heart, nerves and muscle functionality. Moreover, it helps the kidneys with waste removal from our body and assists with supplying our brain with much needed oxygen. Foods complete with potassium would be avocados, bananas, citrus type fruits, milk, nuts, molasses, whole grains potatoes and tomatoes – oh, and green leafy veggies [could we seriously do without these!?]
• Selenium
The most important job of selenium is to provide defense for cells that are at risk from free radicals. Top natural sources for selenium are cabbage, broccoli, liver, celery, garlic and whole grains. Men in particular should be taking selenium for their health.
• Zinc
This important mineral is required to regulate the energy supply within the body and aids with the blood cells as they transfer waste CO2 from our body tissue into the respiratory tract where it is ousted from the lungs. Crucial to our cells, it aids in their growth, separation and restoration. It also helps with our sense of taste and smell as well while it assists the body to heal injury. We find zinc in beef, pork, poultry, and soybeans, dairy and whole grains.
• Chromium
We utilize chromium to trigger the manufacture of insulin. Chromium is found in liver; meats in general, cheese and whole grain cereals.
The importance of these mineral just mentioned cannot be overstated for anyone staring at or in the midst of their declining years. They help us maintain healthy bodies so they can function at their peak performance. We are daring our health if we do not get adequate levels of these minerals in our diet. If diet is an issue we can also take these minerals in supplemental form.
For the older people reading this they should be encouraged to begin taking a high performance liquid vitamin that contains minimum requirements of these minerals above. Liquid forms of these supplements are idea for troubled digestive tracts [that occur in many seniors] and makes absorption of these nutrients far easier and you will notice the difference.
Thu, Jul 8, 2010
Anti Aging, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Longevity