Diet For Seniors

When you get older, your nutritional needs change.. Your dietary choices will make a significant difference in how you will be when you’re older. So how should be a proper diet for seniors?

 

You are what you eat and nutrition is particularly important at old age, to be protected from or not to be prone to many diseases– osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and more..

You still need as much minerals and vitamins when you get older but you need to consume less calories as you will put on weight and fat easier and lose muscle mass quicker than when you were younger. Your metabolism slows after the age of 40 and it will get harder for you to burn calories.

If you exercise regularly or live an active life, you’ll be able to burn normal amount of calories but certainly not if you have a sedentary lifestyle where you don’t move around a lot, like many people these days, you need more like 2000 calories per day if you are a male and 1600 calories if you are a female and plus 200-300 if you have a more active life.

Eating well will help you maintain your physical and mental health, boost your immunity, keep your bones and muscles stronger, make you less prone to chronic diseases or give you the opportunity to manage them better, make you less moody and depressed and help you have a more positive outlook on life and be more vibrant and radiant, boost your self-esteem, give you the energy you need to get on with your daily tasks and exercise and more importantly allow you to be more independent from your children and grandchildren..

• Eating lots of vegetables and low sugar whole fruits (not fruit juices) will be very beneficial for you like at any age: Antioxidants, minerals and vitamins along with Omega 3 fatty acids to decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Osteoporosis is a big danger for seniors, so the consumption of sufficient dairy products for calcium (roughly 1200mg per day for a senior adult) and sun exposure for fifteen minutes a day to get enough vitamin D is important when you’re older.

• As lactose intolerance becomes a problem for many older adults, they may need to look for other sources of calcium such as dark green leafy vegetables, tofu, almonds and fish like sardines. But they will still be OK with yogurt and soy milk.

• Dietary fiber is needed at all ages for various reasons: keeping full longer, being regular to the loo, losing weight easier and preventing heart disease and certain cancers. So choose whole grains over processed flour- whole meal pasta, cereals and bread.

• You have to eat protein when you get older to produce energy, control blood glucose and maintain your muscles mass but you also should consume it in moderation by replacing some of the red meat with fresh vegetables and legumes- other protein sources: beans, garbanzo beans- chickpeas, peas, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds.

• Water and foods with high water content to avoid dehydration, B6, B12 and folic acid from supplements or foods to increase mental alertness, less sodium to avoid high blood pressure (choose herbs and spices to salt), good fats to protect yourself from heart diseases and definitely less sugar to avoid becoming overweight and suffering from diseases like type-2 diabetes.

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