If you want to help your elderly loved one to live the best life they can, one of the things that needs to happen is for them to have a healthy diet. Eating healthy all the time might be impossible. However, here are some tips for improving your elderly loved one’s diet that can be greatly beneficial.
Managing Calories
It is important that your elderly loved one isn’t taking in too many calories. As they age, their metabolism isn’t as fast. They aren’t as active as they used to be. This means your elderly loved one isn’t burning off as many calories, so they shouldn’t take in as many calories. Generally, women who are 50 and older should only be getting about 1,600 calories each day if they don’t move around much. Older men should be getting about 2,000 calories each day if they aren’t very active.
Getting Enough Protein
Your elderly loved one needs to get enough protein in their diet, too. Protein is one of the things that is going to make their body stronger. It is going to lower the chances that your elderly loved one will get seriously injured if they fall. In addition, eating enough protein helps your elderly loved one to manage their weight.
Avoiding the Fast Digesting Sugars and Carbohydrates
As a child, your elderly loved one might have enjoyed a lot of sugary foods. However, the older they get, the more difficult it is for their body to handle the extra sugars and carbohydrates. These foods can easily lead to obesity in the elderly, especially since their metabolism isn’t as good as it was when they were younger. In addition, research suggests that avoiding these foods can help to reduce the risk of dementia.
Drinking Enough Water
It is also important that your elderly loved one is drinking enough water. Research shows that senior citizens should be drinking about 64 ounces of water every day. This might seem like a lot, especially if your elderly loved one isn’t currently drinking a lot of water. However, you should encourage them to start out with 2 to 3 glasses a day. After about a week, you or their home care provider can encourage them to drink a bit more, until they reach 64 ounces a day.
This is some of the diet information that is helpful for your elderly loved one. Taking care of an elderly family member isn’t always easy. There are challenges that you might face. However, if you and their home car providers can encourage your loved one to follow these diet and nutritional tips, it can make a huge difference to their overall health.
Sources: https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/healthy-aging/special-nutrient-needs-of-older-adults