When many families take care of the elderly, they often fall into the misunderstanding that a light and vegetarian diet for the elderly is considered healthy.
Especially in families, when the elders have a good appetite and eat plenty, the children often have two emotions. On the one hand, they are relieved, and on the other hand, they are worried that excessive intake of greasy food by their elders will have adverse effects on their health.
This feeling is understandable, but the actual situation may be different from what we think.
After entering old age, being able to eat is actually a blessing. However, how to eat will be more scientific and how to eat with higher quality so that the body can actually obtain the nutrients it needs. This is the key to ensuring a healthy life in later years.
In fact, whether we are providing care for ourselves or taking care of our parents, knowing the latest dietary guidance can help us avoid many detours.
Just being vegetarian is not necessarily healthy, protein intake is crucial
We often hear the saying "A thousand dollars can't buy you the weight of old age", which makes many elderly people deliberately control their diet and even maintain a vegetarian diet for a long time.
But this approach may be quietly affecting your health.
Regarding the special recommendations given by the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" for the general elderly aged 65 to 79, as well as the special recommendations for the elderly aged 80 and above, the core points focus on emphasizing "rich food varieties" and also emphasizing "adequate animal foods".
This is due to increasing age. Although the body's total energy requirements are reduced. However, the demand for vital nutrients such as protein, calcium, and vitamins is increasing.
If you eat vegan food for a long time, it can easily lead to insufficient protein intake, which can lead to hypoalbuminemia, anemia, osteoporosis, and even reduced immunity.
Therefore, those who are worried that eating meat will affect blood lipids do not need to be overly anxious.
Scientifically selecting lean meats, fish, shrimps, poultry, and eggs, coupled with sufficient amounts of vegetables, can actually maintain body functions better.
Food variety, more than 12 kinds every day
In older people, their digestive function has weakened and their sense of taste has become dull, making it easy for them to stick to certain foods.
However, the "Guide" clearly recommends that older people should eat twelve different types of food every day, but they should strive to reach twenty-five kinds every week.
This goal sounds a bit difficult, but in practice it is tricky.
Of course, the staple food at home should not just be white rice, you can add millet, oats, corn and other whole grains; when drinking milk in the morning, add a handful of nuts; in the lunch dishes, the meat and vegetables can be matched with two to three colors.
In addition, you need to pay special attention to the intake of dark vegetables, such as spinach, rape, and purple cabbage, whose nutritional value is generally higher.
Fruits have to be eaten in different styles, reducing the amount of each type while increasing the number of varieties. However, it is not possible to completely replace fruits with vegetables.
In this way, nutrition can be comprehensive and balanced.
Elderly people should adopt "intensive nutrition", and soft and rotten foods are easier to absorb
For people over eighty years old, all aspects of the body's functions have deteriorated to a higher degree, their chewing ability has significantly decreased, their swallowing ability has also decreased, and their digestion and absorption functions have also weakened.
At this time, simply eating more is not enough. The key is that the food must be "right".
The "Guide" recommends that foods with a soft texture and high energy and nutrient density should be preferred.
For example, fish and poultry can be made into minced meat and meatballs. Eggs can be made into custard. Milk and yogurt are good choices for supplementing protein and calcium.
What needs to be reminded in particular is that for older people, changes in weight are a more important signal related to health.
If you find that an elderly person has become thinner and has lost weight within a short period of time without any apparent reason, this is most likely a symptom of malnutrition or other physical problems. This situation requires special attention.
If you need to use formula foods for special medical purposes, that is, special medical foods, or nutritional supplements to ensure the supply of nutrients, you can use them rationally under the guidance of a professional clinical nutritionist or doctor if necessary.
Eating is not just about filling your stomach, it is also a form of social interaction
Many people think that eating is just for food and clothing. Eating alone is no different from eating with a group of people.
But in fact, eating is also a social behavior, which is especially important for the elderly.
The new version of the "Guidelines" particularly highlights the importance of "encouraging shared meals and maintaining a good appetite."
Emotions have a huge impact on appetite.
If the elderly live alone or have an empty nest, they will easily feel lonely when eating alone, and their appetite will naturally decrease.
Eating together with your family, or participating in group dining activities in communities or nursing homes, not only makes people feel happy, but also increases appetite through communication and interaction.
Occasionally, allowing the elderly to participate in the food preparation process based on their own abilities, such as choosing vegetables and making dumplings together, can also significantly stimulate their interest in food and make the act of eating more tender.
Maintain an appropriate weight and exercise within your ability
The concept of "getting thinner with old age" needs to be adjusted.
Scientific research has found that being too thin is also harmful to the health of the elderly.
Maintaining an appropriate weight is the foundation of health.
The "Guide" gives relevant recommendations. For the elderly, their body mass index, also known as BMI, should be maintained within the range of 20.0 to 26.9.
If your weight fluctuates significantly, you must not rush to use extreme measures to lose weight or gain weight quickly. Instead, you should slowly make adjustments in terms of diet and physical activity.
When your physical condition permits, participate in more outdoor activities, which can not only help maintain muscle mass, but also expose you to sunlight to promote the synthesis of vitamin D.
picture Take a walk, do Tai Chi, do radio exercises These soothing exercises are suitable.
The important thing is to do what you can to avoid injuries caused by improper exercise.
Only by combining a reasonable diet with moderate exercise can senior life become more quality and full of vitality.
In short, the key point of a reasonable diet for the elderly is to flexibly adjust according to the changes in the body and the actual situation.
Being able to eat is a blessing, but eating right and eating well is wisdom.
Pay attention to each meal of the elders, pay attention to the variety and digestibility of food, encourage them to eat more meals with others, and pay attention to weight changes regularly.
These seemingly small daily routines are actually the longest-lasting protection of health.
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