5 Diet Tips to Help Seniors Stay Healthy

Written by: Theresa Pagani

We’ve put together a few tips to get the diet on the right track:

Fruits and Veggies

This one may seem obvious, but we find that many seniors still avoid the fruits and vegetables, just like they did when they were kids! They’ll need to incorporate this back into their eating regimen, ones that are high in fiber and vitamins. Juices can temporarily replace the fruit but the level of nutrients just isn’t the same. For veggies, the darker the green the better; so introduce them to kale, have them eat some spinach and broccoli, along with some other colorful ones.

Calcium

We all know that one of the most common health problems we run into as we age is the fragility of our bones. And we’ve all heard about the importance of calcium for our bones, but as we get older we seem to neglect that notion. Conditions like Osteoporosis and brittle bones are common in seniors, so making sure that your loved one gets the calcium they need is extremely important. Other than the usual dairy products, foods like almonds and kale provide a great source of calcium.

Grains and Proteins

The best thing a senior can do is minimize their carbs and replace them with whole grains instead. This provides them with the fiber they need. Most of the everyday foods such as pasta, bread, chips, etc. all come with a whole grains option.

Proteins can be the most important facet of a senior’s diet. Make sure that your loved one is getting enough of it, whether it’s through eating some tuna, other fish, nuts, miles, eggs, or some kind of meat with little fat such as chicken.

Limit sodium

Sodium is bad for us no matter our age, and unfortunately it can be found in some of the most common foods. The negative effects of it include dehydration and high blood pressure, both of which put seniors at high risk. Before you purchase something be sure to check the ingredients, see how much sodium it has and be sure to look at the percentage of daily intake it has. If it seems like too much, then put it down!

Keep an eye out for the secret sugars

Many of us make the mistake of assuming that if the amount of sugar listed in the ingredients is small, then there must not be that much in the product, but sometimes that’s not the case. There are many other ingredients that play a huge part in adding sugar that aren’t included in the nutritional chart. Look for words such as corn syrup, fructose, and dextrose, just to name a few. You can help avoid these if you stick to buying fresh fruit and vegetables.

Source: https://www.cariloop.com/