13th January 2023
As we get older, it is essential to monitor our food and nutritional intake to ensure we look after our health and wellbeing. Maintaining a healthy diet can help boost your body’s natural defences and therefore help it to cope with some illnesses and aid recovery. Below we share the importance of a balanced nutritional diet and how you or an elderly loved one can keep following such advice in the long term.
Why a nutritional diet is important
Good nutrition plays a big part in our health, regardless of our age. Food is how we get fuel into our bodies through nutrients, which need to be replaced daily.
A combination of good nutrition and physical activity can help maintain a healthy weight. However, there are other benefits to good nutrition as you age. As well as preventing malnutrition, a balanced diet can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, and can help to prevent colds and infections. In addition, good nutrition can help to reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as increasing your energy levels, which can be of great benefit as you get older.
Indeed, a recent study of 961 people with an average age of 81 by researchers in Chicago, published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that those with a diet high in levels of flavanols (antioxidants), especially the kind found in kale and tea, experienced slower cognitive decline.
The challenges of keeping up a healthy diet as you age and our tips to help
Age UK has recently reported that one in 10 (1.4 million) people in England aged 60+ have been eating less since the start of the pandemic, leading to concerns they may be at a greater risk of becoming malnourished, while 3.7 million say that either they or elderly loved ones have been unable to eat healthy and nutritious food.
Some changes to lifestyle as you age can make it harder for you to eat as healthily as you would wish. Examples of this are:
Circumstances at home
As we age, we can find ourselves living alone unexpectedly. This can make shopping, cooking and eating more difficult. If you are finding it difficult to go shopping and to cook your meals, ask a family member for help or look to hire a live-in carer. In addition, ask a friend, relative, neighbour or your carer to eat with you to help make mealtimes more enjoyable.
Health and dental problems
Digestive issues or difficulty chewing can make it difficult to get your needed meals eaten. Try eating softer foods that are easier on your mouth, like cooked vegetables, eggs and canned fruit.
Loss of taste or smell
If food is no longer tasting as good or you have lost your sense of taste or smell, try adding new recipes to your meal plan. In addition, adding different herbs and spices to your food can re-invigorate your taste. Some medicines can affect your sense of smell and taste, as well as your appetite. If you are worried, you should talk to your doctor or carer for advice.
How to maintain a nutritional diet
To stay healthy as you age, it’s important to have a diet full of nutrition. Here are our list of dos and don’ts.
Being aware of your diet and what you are putting into your body is always going to have an impact on your health. However, as you get older, it is even more important that you are eating the right foods to help your body cope. If you are a carer or loved one of an elderly person, make sure to check for signs of malnutrition or dehydration.
Please give us a call on 01892 529 429, if you think your loved one might benefit from the support of a home carer, to help with day-to-day tasks or assistance with a medical condition. We’d be delighted to have an informal discussion and offer options that we think might be suitable.