Mediscene - temp

‘When you’re 64...’

By Smriti Daniel

With age comes awareness. As one's body ages, an individual is forced to become more careful - not only about what we do and how we do it, but also about what we eat. Changes in diet become essential as our bodies begin to feel the strain of years.

Why giving your body what it needs might be difficult:
Be it because of lifestyle changes, brought on by recent widowhood or social isolation, declining activity levels, or simple ignorance about what one's body needs, elderly individuals are often undernourished without even being aware of it. In addition, as your senses of taste and smell diminish, you find yourself seasoning your food more heavily than before - even though seniors need less salt than younger people.

It is important to realise that due to changes in one's digestive system, people generate less saliva and stomach acid as they get older, making it more difficult for the body to process certain vitamins and minerals, such as B12, B6 and folic acid, which are necessary to maintain mental alertness, a keen memory and good circulation.

Physical ailments and prescription medications can also often negatively influence appetite, while adverse reactions from medications can cause older people to avoid certain foods. This is seen especially in those who must adhere to special diets because of chronic medical problems. For example, a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet for heart disease, a low-sodium diet for high blood pressure, or a low-calorie diet for weight reduction.

Some older people may overly restrict foods important to good health because of chewing difficulties and gastrointestinal disturbances, such as constipation, diarrhoea and heartburn. Because missing teeth and poorly fitting dentures make it hard to chew, older people may forego fresh fruits and vegetables, which are important sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Or they may avoid dairy products, believing they cause gas or constipation. By doing so, they miss out on important sources of calcium, protein and some vitamins.

Your metabolism gradually slowing down means that even if you continue to eat the same amount and kinds of food as when you were younger, you're likely to gain weight because you're burning fewer calories. In addition, you may be less physically active now.

The benefits of eating healthy:
It may seem like a lot of hard work, but in the end it is bound to be worth it. Maintaining a healthy diet can yield numerous benefits, including increased energy, good mental health and mental abilities, resistance to disease, faster recovery from illness, accident, or surgery, better medication effectiveness, and improved management of chronic health problems. The overall result of an emphasis on good nutrition will be an improvement in your quality of life, mobility, and independence, enabling you to maintain your independence by continuing to perform basic daily activities, such as bathing, dressing and eating.

In consultation with Mrs. Noor Iqbal, Consultant Dietician, Nawaloka Hospitals

Great foods and what they give you

Fruits and Vegetables: provide vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre; some provide starch or protein. Peels and edible seeds are especially rich in fibre. Deep-yellow vegetables are good sources of vitamin A. Dark-green vegetables are a source of vitamin A and C, riboflavin, folic acid, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Vitamin C is provided by melons, tomatoes, and citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit and lemons). Nearly all vegetables and fruits are low in fat, and none contain cholesterol.

Bread and cereal group: Foods in this group provide starch, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, magnesium, folacin, fibre, and protein.

Milk and cheese group: Milk and most milk products are calcium-rich foods. They contribute riboflavin, protein, and vitamins A, B-6, and B-12. Evidence suggests that seniors require at least 1500 milligrams of calcium a day, however, consult your dietician as it may be advisable to get these in the form of supplements.

Meat, Poultry, Fish and Bean group: It's a good idea to vary your choices in this group. Each food has a distinct nutritional advantage. Red meats are good sources of zinc. Liver and egg yolk are valuable sources of vitamins, but are high in cholesterol. Dry beans, peas, soybeans, and nuts are worthwhile sources of magnesium. All foods of animal origin contain vitamin B-12. Foods of vegetable origin do not.

Older adults should pay special attention to certain dietary needs. For example:

*Since constipation may affect up to 20 percent of people over age 65, older adults should consume foods rich in dietary fibre and drink plenty of water. How much do you need? The recommended dietary fibre intake is 14 grams per 1,000 calories consumed. So, the more calories you eat, the more fibre your body needs. Good sources of dietary fibre include: cooked dry beans, oats and breakfast cereals, dried prunes, ambul bananas, papaw and dates; and cooked green peas, sweet potatoes, and spinach.

*Many people over 50 years old have reduced absorption of vitamin B12. Therefore, they should consume vitamin B12 from fortified foods or a dietary supplement.

*Eating too much saturated and trans fats, (the type of fats that are solid at room temperature), may increase the risk of heart disease. It's important to get less than 10 percent of your calories from saturated fats. An immediate change you can make is to include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in fish, nuts, and vegetable oils to reduce saturated fat calories in your diet. In fact, to help reduce the risk of heart disease, some evidence suggests eating approximately 2 servings of fish per week for people who have already had a heart attack.

*Older adults tend to need more vitamin D to help maintain bone health. Drinking vitamin D-fortified fat-free or low-fat milk, or fortified orange juice, is a good way to get your vitamin D.

*Cut down on the salt. Nearly all of us eat too much salt (sodium). Eating less salt is an important way to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, which may in turn reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney damage. A diet rich in potassium helps to counterbalance some of sodium's harmful effects on blood pressure. In general, older adults should aim to consume no more than 1,500 mg/day of sodium, and meet the potassium recommendation of 4,700 mg/day by eating potassium-rich food.

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