Nutrition Needs of Older Adults

 

The correct diet of the elderly is a fundamental part of a healthy life. The impact of malnutrition in this population group implies, whether it is healthy individual or with established pathologies, an increased risk of contracting diseases and even mortality, the appearance of cognitive deterioration, anemia, difficulty in controlling many diseases and an acceleration of degenerative diseases, which already cause malnutrition.

It is common to hear among the older adult population that they are not hungry. This is known as "physiological" anorexia as explained by Ephraim Zagelbaum, Founder and CEO of Personal Healthcare, a respected nursing home company.

“It has multiple causes, the main one being social, since a lot of older adults are alone and do not cook or do not want to eat because they are alone. In addition, another cause can be oral health due to pain when chewing. There is also a decrease in taste buds, which makes it difficult to appreciate the flavors of food, which leads older people to add more salt ”, adds Ephraim Zagelbaum.

In addition, it must be taken into account that the aging process affects digestive function, in such a way that intestinal absorption of nutrients is reduced, which can cause malnutrition in older people, even when they require a lower amount of energy and, as a consequence, they need to eat less.

However, the changes that occur in the body with age require increasing the intake of certain nutrients to maintain a balanced diet that meets their nutritional needs, imposed by the consequences of deterioration associated with aging. In fact, in older people, food plays an important preventive role.

To do this, Nursing Home owner Ephraim Zagelbaum advises you to follow some basic recommendations regarding nutrition:

·         The diet must be varied to ensure that it contains all the necessary nutrients.

·         It is necessary to reduce the consumption of saturated fats (red meat and sausages) and increase the fats with essential acids omega-3 and omega-6, contained in certain fish (salmon, sardines, etc.)

·         You also have to increase the consumption of vegetable fats, preferably through the consumption of olive oil. There are many packaged foods in whose composition vegetable oils are mentioned, but without specifying their origin, since it can be coconut, palm or palm kernel oils, which are high in saturated fat.

·         Milk and dairy derivatives must be taken skimmed or, in any case, semi-skimmed.

When older adults incorporate healthy diets, many of the changes associated with the aging process can be reversed or delayed. The main objective of these tips provided by Mr. Ephraim Zagelbaum, is to avoid, stop and even reverse sarcopenia, which is the loss of muscle mass, thus ensuring that many of them can continue to live independently and enjoy a good quality of life, that allows them to share activities within the family and the community.