March 18, 2022
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It’s National Nutrition Month and we’re thrilled to see something so vital to our wellbeing in the spotlight. Because while we all know we need to eat well, most of us don’t put the importance on it that we should particularly as we age. In fact, you may not realize how much our nutritional needs change over time. As such, so should your diet as your body requires more of certain nutrients, your metabolism slows, your ability to absorb certain nutrients decreases, your palate and digestion may change, and chronic conditions or medications may require dietary restrictions. Don’t worry, senior nutrition doesn’t have to be as complicated as it may seem, especially not with these tips for healthy eating.
How Nutrition Affects Seniors
If you’re still questioning whether or senior nutrition is worth the effort, here are all the ways it truly impacts your health. For example, proper nutrition helps seniors with:
- Proper kidney, liver, and digestive function
- Memory and cognitive ability
- Managing chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer
- Strengthening your immune system
- Muscle and bone health
In addition to physical health, an active adult apartments near me and proper nutrition impacts mental health as well, helping to reduce:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Stress
Overall, you just feel better when you’re eating well!
Senior Nutrition Tips
Now that you know why senior nutrition is so important, these tips can help make it easier to achieve.
1. Be savvy about servings - These daily servings are recommended for seniors by the National Institute on Aging:
- Fruits—1½ to 2½ cups
- Vegetables—2 to 3½ cups
- Grains—5 to 10 ounces
- Protein foods—5 to 7 ounces
- Dairy foods—3 cups of fat-free orlow-fat milk
- Oils—5 to 8 teaspoons
- Limit the solid fats, added sugar sand sodium (salt) you consume
Also remember to drink plenty of water, typically, adults need about 64 ounces of fluid every day.
2. Know your nutrients – It’s also helpful to better understand which nutrients affect specific aspects of your health:
- Vitamin D and calcium help prevent osteoporosis and can be found in fortified cereal, bread, and juice.
- B12 helps with energy levels and can be found in beef liver, mackerel, sardines, red meat, yogurt, and fortified cereals.
- Fiber helps with digestion, lowering cholesterol, maintaining healthy weight, and stabilizing blood glucose levels. It can be found in beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains.
- Omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseeds, chia seeds, salmon, walnuts, tofu, shellfish, canola oil, navy beans, brussel sprouts, and avocados) and flavonoid-rich foods (dark berries, cocoa, tea, soy, citrus fruits, and red wine) help immune function.
- Probiotics help with gut health and can be found in yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.
3. Shop wisely – Proper planning is a key to proper nutrition so make sure to make your weekly menu ahead of time and focus only on getting those items at the store.
Avoid impulse buying - this way, you save money, too! If you can’t get out to shop most local supermarkets now offer grocery delivery.
Nutrition is Even Easier in Senior Living
Certainly, you can follow the tips above and maintain proper nutrition at home, but if it’s more than you want to take on, consider how senior living can help. One of the main benefits of life in senior living is the dining experience. It’s certainly much more convenient to have meals prepared for you instead of having to cook each day, plus you get to enjoy them in a restaurant-style setting with friends!
Senior nutrition is much easier to achieve as well with our talented chefs preparing wholesome and healthy meals from scratch with nutritious ingredients tailored to suit your unique needs, including gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and diabetic options.
We take pride in serving cuisine free of hollow calories, preservatives, and carbohydrates that is still delicious and satisfying. What’s more, GenCare Lifestyle is the only senior living company in the nation to be Certified Gluten-Free by the Gluten Intolerance Group of America.
Our menus are created by the chefs in each community and are based on GenCare recipes. They are also reviewed by a nutritionist who assigns the calories and carbohydrates of an average portion to help guide the chefs in creating nutritionally balanced, healthy, and delicious meals. While menus have ample variety featuring seasonal dishes and local favorites, they also contain nutrition info and color-coded descriptors to help in following specific diets.
For more information, contact a GenCare Lifestyle community near you, or schedule a tour today!
