Nutritional tips to prevent the elderly from diseases
The elderly need to follow some important health guidelines, to enhance their health and prevent as much as possible from disease, or reduce its complications. In this report, we offer you a set of important nutritional advice that contribute to the prevention of disease and the improvement of elderly health.
1- Dependence on low-calorie nutrients: The rate of fat burning or the so-called metabolism decreases in the elderly human body, and this makes it more likely to gain excess weight quickly, which negatively affects the elderly physical health and exposes him to serious aging diseases, so you have to give the elderly Light and low-calorie meals on a daily basis, such as skim milk, lean meat, fresh boiled vegetables, and seasonal fruits.
2- Abandon processed meat: The elderly should be kept away from eating any type of processed meat that contains harmful substances that negatively affect the work of vital organs in the body, and rely only on meals of fresh healthy foods such as fish, meat, chicken, and eggs…
3- Focus on proteins: Proteins help maintain the health of the skeleton in the elderly body, and protect it from osteoporosis and serious fractures, so you should give the elderly daily meals of proteins, such as chicken, eggs, salt-free nuts, beans, lentils, and white cheeses.
4- Focus on fiber: Dietary fiber plays an effective role in protecting the elderly from indigestion problems, and various other intestinal problems, so you should give the elderly daily meals of foods rich in fiber, such as vegetables, fruits, especially apples, bananas, berries, in addition to beans, Oats, and grains.
5- Focus on water: Water helps facilitating bowel movement, and maintains the health of the elderly from many serious diseases resulting from the accumulation of harmful toxins in the body. Therefore, you should focus on giving the elderly large amounts of water per day, at least 8 large cups.
6- Focusing on fatty acids: It is necessary to give the elderly daily meals of foods rich in omega-3, which strengthens the brain and mind, and protects the elderly from exposure to the problem of Alzheimer’s and memory impairment, so you have to give the elderly daily meals of foods that contain fatty acids such as nuts and fish .
7- Reducing salt: Salt negatively affects the health of the elderly, and exposes him to the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, so you should not allow the elderly to eat any kind of salty foods such as salty nuts, canned foods, pickles, and reduce the amount of salt added to his food daily.
8- Reducing stimuli: You should reduce as much as possible the amount of stimulant drinks that the elderly consume during the day, and give him only one cup of coffee or tea, and replace these stimuli with natural herbal drinks such as mint tea, anise tea, and sage.
9 – Make sure you cook food well: You must make sure to cook the food intended for the elderly very well, and prevent him/her from eating raw foods, so as not to be exposed to any type of harmful bacteria that cause diseases. These are the basic tips that you must adhere to, to maintain the health of the elderly people, and protect them from serious ageing diseases.
According to what was published on the “agingcare” website. They stated some extra useful tips for diseases prevention as far as the elderly are concerned. They include the following tips:
Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, as they have been proven to reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and arthritis, and you can also take supplements that contain them.
Calcium: It is one of the necessary elements during this period of age, and food rich in calcium must be eaten to compensate for the body’s loss of this vital component, and it also contributes to promoting bone health and reducing the risk of osteoporosis, in addition to lowering blood pressure, and this can be found in dairy, cheese and green vegetables.
Reducing having food rich in salt, since it raises blood pressure indicators, which is a very common disease among the elderly, and it is necessary to eat more healthy food such as vegetables and fruits.
Getting enough water, given its role in promoting kidney health, reducing blood viscosity, and reducing the chances of heart attacks.
Change dietary habits according to the diseases afflicted by the elderly. If he/she is diabetic, he must reduce carbohydrates, juices and some fruits such as grapes, figs and dates, and if he/ she has got a heart disease, he must limit the intake of foods rich in saturated fats.
In brief here are 10 Nutritional Tips for Seniors to abide by :
Clean the main meals and take them regularly, as there should be 3 main meals and 2 snacks.
Drink enough water during the day.
Significantly reduce salt and sugar.
Try to cut back on caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee.
Avoid canned junk and processed foods.
Avoid completely hydrogenated, saturated and unhealthy oils and fats.
Focus on eating vegetables and fruits daily.
Increase calcium-containing foods to maintain healthy bones and teeth, such as dairy and cheese.
Focus on foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids because they protect against heart and arterial diseases, such as fish.
Eat foods rich in antioxidants to prevent diseases, such as avocados, celery, and green leaves.
Obviously, when a person gets old, he / she becomes less active and energetic; and eats less food than in his/her young or middle aged years. Therefore a healthy diet following the afro mentioned tips will be of great impact on the elderly health either by choosing appropriate food to satisfy their natural nutritional needs or by taking some complements to compensate for the loss of such food if necessary.