Find the information you need to choose the best diet for seniors.

Determining the best diet for seniors can be challenging. With the many factors that impact an older adult’s ability to maintain a healthy diet, it’s important to know how to obtain the most nutritional punch for the foods your older loved ones are willing or able to consume.

Nutritional supplements, such as Boost and Ensure, are often recommended for the elderly, in order to ensure necessary vitamins and minerals are consumed each day, but many people wonder how these drinks stack up to real, natural foods. We decided to find out!

We first looked at two healthy food options that are easy, convenient, and low in cost for seniors to enjoy for breakfast or a snack: low-fat yogurt, and an orange. Together, these foods offer … Read More »

Keep your loved one’s safe from senior malnutrition.

Remember getting together for Sunday meals at Grandma’s house, when everyone gathered around the table for a home-cooked meal, conversations, and laughter? Unfortunately, with so many families now living at a distance from their elderly loved ones, and with so many varying needs pulling us in multiple directions, it’s hard to maintain this tradition – and it may be just one of the factors contributing to a recent dramatic increase in senior malnutrition.

In fact, as many as 25% of all adults over age 65 in the U.S. are malnourished, triggering critical health concerns. For some seniors who live alone, they simply aren’t inclined to want to prepare nutritious meals for themselves. Others are undergoing feelings of grief, depression, anxiety, cognitive difficulties, poverty, medication side effects, and many other influencers … Read More »

Poor senior nutrition may be linked to dementia.

Although there are a variety of age-related issues that can impact senior nutrition, research is now pointing to an even greater reason for ensuring our older loved ones stick to a healthy diet: potential cognitive impairment. And malnutrition in older adults is more common than you may think. According to the National Resource on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Aging, upwards of 35 to 50% of the elderly residents of long-term care facilities are struggling with malnutrition, and as many as 65% of older hospitalized adults are estimated to be malnourished as well.

Malnourished older adults are twice as likely to see the doctor, and three times as likely to be hospitalized. They also encounter lessened muscle strength and poor healing. Not only that, but a recent study points to the … Read More »

We all benefit from a healthy diet, but it’s especially important for those diagnosed with cancer. Good nutrition helps cancer patients regain strength, enabling them to endure chemotherapy treatments, defend against infections, eliminate breakdown of body tissue, and rebuild lost tissue. Good nutrition also helps patients cope with any cancer treatment side effects and may even be able to help them handle higher doses of certain drugs.

Nutrition recommendations for those with cancer may emphasize eating more higher calorie, higher protein foods. The doctor may recommend drinking more milk or eating foods like cheese and cooked eggs. Other suggestions might include increasing the use of sauces and gravies, or changing cooking methods to include more butter, margarine, or oil. Sometimes, nutrition recommendations for cancer patients suggest eating less of certain high-fiber foods which can aggravate problems such as diarrhea or a … Read More »

While many of us struggle with how to eat less and lose weight, many older adults have the opposite problem. Age-related issues can make it difficult for seniors to eat enough to maintain proper health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides some solutions to help seniors overcome common eating problems, such as:

Chewing problems: For seniors who cannot chew food well, meats and fresh fruits and vegetables can be a problem. The FDA suggests the following substitutions:

Instead of fresh fruit, try fruit juice, apple sauce, or canned peaches and pears.
Instead of raw vegetables, try vegetable juices or mashed and cooked vegetables.
Instead of large pieces of meat, try ground meat, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products.
Instead of sliced bread, try cooked cereals, rice, bread pudding and soft cookies.

Upset stomach: Too much gas and other stomach problems may cause people … Read More »

In our previous blog post, we talked about how the new MyPlate for Older Adults nutritional model reflects the dietary needs of today’s seniors. MyPlate for Older Adults provides guidance on the types of foods that could provide nutritional benefits to adults 65 and over, but it’s also important for seniors to find a balance of meeting the same nutrient needs as when they were younger, yet consume fewer calories. The following are some tips to help seniors meet their nutrient needs, while staying within their caloric limits:

Drink low-fat milk: Low-fat milk is more nutrient-dense than higher fat milk. Its nutrient content is the same, but it has fewer calories because it has less fat.
Get steamy: Steaming is the best way to cook vegetables because it preserves nutrients. Boiling leaches nutrients from vegetables, but the leftover cooking water can be … Read More »

It’s not easy to know how to help a loved one who is grieving, but these tips are a great place to start.

In his documentary about grief, George Shelley uses an analogy of glitter. Toss a handful of glitter into the air, and it’s going to settle into all the cracks and crevices of the room, impossible to fully sweep up and remove. Those who have lost a loved one can relate. Yet in certain instances, grief could be so overwhelming that it could result in a serious and aptly named condition: broken heart syndrome.

Broken heart syndrome is a very real physical condition from the intense stress experienced in certain types of grief (such as one spouse losing the other after decades of marriage). The medical term is takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a temporary enlargement of the heart … Read More »

With all of the options on store shelves, which are the most important vitamins for older adults?

Minerals, vitamins, and supplements – oh my! Nearly three in four older adults are taking them; but are they really needed as we get older? After all, a balanced and healthy diet offers older adults essential nutrients. But there are specific areas of deficiency that may make a case for the addition of a supplement. Make sure to talk with the doctor before making any changes, but with their recommendation or approval, consider the following important vitamins for older adults:

Calcium

Aging bones are susceptible to breaks and fractures when calcium intake is inadequate. This is especially true for post-menopausal women, with a full 50% of those over age 50 breaking a bone because of osteoporosis. However, men are also in … Read More »

Improving health and wellbeing for seniors is easier with these tips.

Though New Year’s Day is still months away, who says resolutions should only be made at the start of the year? There is no time like the present to start a new habit or goal, especially when it comes to improving health and wellbeing for seniors.

We have six strategies you can implement today. Pick one to begin, or jump right into all of them to attain the greatest benefit:

Make an appointment for a physical. Rather than waiting for an injury or illness to call the doctor, a yearly check-up is a great way for seniors to stay on top of their health and potentially prevent issues before they occur.
Get physical. With the physician’s approval and recommendations, kick off a new exercise routine – together! Working out … Read More »