“Our food should be our medicine, and our medicine should be our food” – Hippocrates.
“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition” -Thomas Edison.
If there is anytime that we should hold the above statements dear, it is now. Geriatric nutrition is the process of providing the food substances that are necessary for the health and wellbeing of the older persons.
Most diseases that older persons suffer from are either caused by lack of essential nutrients or have the tendencies to be modified by them.A large number of nutritional deficiencies often start from childhood.
The diminished basal metabolic rate and lean body mass in the elderly further aggravate these nutritional deficiencies at old age, thereby, leading to several forms of illnesses.
RISK FACTORS FOR MALNUTRITION IN THE ELDERLY
LONELINESS : It is reasonable to say that people eat well when they are excited. Happy life, happy appetite. Therefore, low mood can strongly affect the way senior citizens eat. It is important to attend to their psychological need, this will promote a good appetite in them.
LACK OF INVOLVEMENT : Cultivate the habit of discussing their meals with them. Check with them before preparing their meals. If you involve them in their meal time table, they are likely to cooperate better than when they are not involved.
LACK OF VARIETIES : You need to be creative with their meals, for example, instead of offering them just an apple, why not try a fruit salad. Always ask yourself this golden question; how can I prepare and present this meal in an enticing way?
ACUTE AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES : Either of these two can lead to diminish appetite. It might just be a sore at the mouth, a toothache, or diabetes(chronic). Thus, it is good to be very observant, and you should think about this point anytime they show lack of interest in food.
MEDICATIONS : The side effect of some medications include poor appetite, be sure to ask the physician managing them for the side effects of any medication they are placed on.
LACK OF ACTIVITIES : This is also a known cause of reduced appetite, which can lead to malnutrition in the elderly. Even if they cannot move out of bed, they can still practice some passive exercises.
RECOMMENDED DIETS IN ELDERLY
PROTEIN : Just as the youths and young adults need protein to grow, also, the elderly needs protein to maintain muscle mass and strength.
There are plant and animal sources of protein.The elderly will benefit more from plant proteins. Examples are; beans, lentils and chickpeas.However, they can take white meat (chicken) and fish. But, red meat should be avoided because it has been identified as a risk factor for some cancers, obesity and atherosclerosis in older persons.
CARBOHYDRATE (CARBS) : People make a lot of mistakes by thinking that senior citizens do not need carbohydrate, especially, elderly persons with diabetes.
This is wrong, that people are aged or suffer from diabetes does not rule out the fact that they need carbs. It is the source of energy for humans because that is where we get our glucose from, which is needed before we can carry out any functions.
Nonetheless, there are some carbs that should not be encouraged in older persons. They are called bad carbs, so how do you differentiate a good carb from a bad carb?
The list is more than this, kindly read up on refined (bad carbs) and unrefined (good carbs)Do not forget, feeding older persons with refined carbs has a lot of harmful effects on their health.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: Previously, it was advised that we should eat five portion fruits daily, but now it has been increased to seven portions a day. Senior citizens should eat at least five portions of fruits a day.
MICRONUTRIENTS : This is very essential in the elderly, as a result of ageing, absorption of these nutrients from the gut is in reduced quantity. Therefore, foods that contain such micronutrients should be part of their diets;
° Vitamin D : This can be derived from fish, egg, and exposure to sunlight equally helps. It helps in preventing bone weakness.
° Calcium : This can be derived from soybeans. It helps in strengthening the bones and plays a role in heart contractility.
° Iron: This can be gotten from meat and bananas. It helps in blood formation.
° Vitamin B12 : Can be derived from fish, meat and eggs. It helps in blood production and nerve function. It is important to let you know that senior citizens are often placed on medications that contain these micronutrients to augment the few that are being absorbed from the gut. Please do not prescribe for your aged parents on your own, always consult a health professional.
FAT : The type of fat that is encouraged in the elderly is unsaturated fats( mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated), which can be gotten from peanuts, avocado, almond nuts, sesame seeds, walnuts and fish.
Essentially, fish gives omega-3-fatty acid, which helps in preventing a prediabetes state. Unsaturated fats pose no risk to the health of the older persons.
Meanwhile, saturated fats, which are commonly found in beef, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil have been linked to heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension and many more, although, new researches are emerging daily and some of them has queried this school of thought.
Overall, it has been established that unsaturated fat is far better than saturated fat. Undoubtedly, I cannot exhaust this topic in one post, but I have put it together in a way that will not confuse you and still deliver the message.
I hope the reading was worth it. I appreciate your time. I look forward to your comments and questions.Thank you. #Seniorcitizens #Olderpersons #Elderlycare #Elderlyhealth #Health #Geriatrics #Geriatricnutrition #Elderlynutrition #WHO
Author
My name is Adesuyi Adesina, the founder and ceo of Ganat Healthcare Initiative. I am passionate about the care and health of older persons in our society. Senior citizens deserve good elderly care homes and better healthcare services.
dradesina@ganathealthcare.com