| Age-Related Challenges For Diet Change |
| What Food Is Good For Old Age? |
| 70-Year-Old Diet Plan |
| 7 Superfoods For Elderly |
| Conclusion |
Nutritional requirements indeed change from age to age. An older person, above 70 years, might need different nutrients, vitamins, and minerals than a young person. Therefore, as you grow older, your diet might change, keeping in mind your dietary requirements. However, we need to understand that nutritious food and a healthy life go hand in hand. Consumption of nutritious food for elderly and youngsters alike is essential. However, the kind of food consumed may differ. Snacks and meals that might be great for you might not fit in the diet chart for old grandparents. This is because their dietary needs have changed, and they should consume food for senior citizens, which would provide them with proper nutrition to help their bodies.
However, eating right should not be complicated. It is just that there are a few food items that would qualify as being nutritious food for elderly; while some might be beneficial for you, they might not be for the senior citizens. This is because, with age, there are many challenges that people might face due to which they would have to change their eating habits.
Age-Related Challenges for Diet Change
Many challenges might come in the way of senior citizens due to which their nutritious food might not align with yours. Some of the challenges, why there should be a different category of nutritious food for old age could be:
- Poor Dental Health
As we grow older, we tend to lose out a tooth or two; in these cases, eating a raw apple won’t be the best option. Other than that, receding gums could also be a problem that could accompany jaw pain and mouth sores. These factors make chewing food for elderly not that pleasant and uncomfortable, due to which there might be different nutritious snacks for elderly.
- Physical difficulties
Arthritis, knee pains, and other difficulties might make long standing hours of carrying groceries and cooking difficult for the elderly. This is a known fact that humans become weaker with age; therefore, this could be one of the reasons why there could be different food for senior citizens.
- Lack of Finances
Nutritious meals for elderly could be costly. Older people have super limited sources of income. Therefore, indulging in groceries might not be the best idea for them. This lifestyle can also cut down their nutritional requirements, and they could suffer from deficiencies.
- Illnesses
We know that some nutrients can be the cure or prevention of a certain disease or illness, which is why nutritious food for elderly is important. With age, there are some challenges, for which there could be different nutritious food for old age, which would help them keep these age-related illnesses and diseases at bay.
- Medicational Side Effects
Some medicines might cause nausea, while some could change the taste. Some can even reduce the appetite, therefore, side effects make you skip meals for which there must be different nutritious food for elderly, which will help them with a substantial amount of nutrients, even in fewer portions.
What Type of Food is Good for Old Age?
The reasons why you might be on the lookout for nutritious food for elderly can be plenty, and there are plenty of options available too. There is a different diet chart for old grandparents that would help them cope with their challenges and help them live a healthier life, keeping their diseases and illnesses at bay.
Older people should indulge in a balanced meal consisting of the right portions of carbohydrates, proteins, fruits and vegetables, and some fibre. Here are the different nutritious food for elderly –
- Food rich in Calcium
Calcium is an important component when it comes to nutritious food for elderly. It helps with maintaining healthy bones and teeth, both of which are super essential in old age. Calcium also lowers blood pressure and helps with problems like arthritis and osteoporosis.
What to include – Milk, cottage cheese, milk products, soy, almond milk
- Fibrous Food
As people get older, their digestive system slows down, hence, eating food that is rich in fibre benefits them deeply. Food rich in fibre should be included extensively in the diet chart for old grandparents. Food that is rich in fibre promotes digestion and also reduces the risk of heart diseases. Therefore, fibrous food for elderly is essential.
What to include – Whole Grain cereal, nuts, whole grain bread, brown rice, fruits and vegetables
- Food high in Omega-3
When curating a 70-year-old diet plan, it is imperative to add an ample amount of foods rich in fatty acids as these prevent inflammation, which can cause various diseases like cancer, rheumatoid, and heart diseases.
What to include – Tuna, sardines, flaxseeds, soybeans, canola oil and walnuts.
- Food rich in Iron
When talking about nutritious food for old age, you must know that iron is absolutely essential, when it comes to eating healthy with growing age. This is because it produces haemoglobin that carries oxygen in the blood from the lungs to other organs.
What to include – Spinach, sweet potatoes, peas, broccoli, kale and chard.
- Vitamin D
Vitamin D is one of the most essential vitamins that should be included in nutritious snacks for elderly. This is because it helps in absorbing calcium and slows down the rate of bones losing the calcium, and becoming brittle with age. It also helps with cancer, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and much more.
What to include – Eggs, Fish, cod liver oil, mushrooms.
Diet Plan for the 70-Year Olds
Following a proper diet chart with nutritious food for elderly is imperative. This is essential so that the elderly can provide their body with all vital nutrients. This diet chart for old grandparents would help them fill in their daily vitamin and mineral requirements.
- Breakfast – Whole wheat bread with some peanut butter, 1 banana and a cup of milk or whole milk coffee.
- Lunch – Fish, with 2 whole wheat chapatis, salad and lemon water. You can also have chicken or cottage cheese in place of fish.
- Dinner – Brown rice with some Dal, and curd. Some salad would also be great.
- Snacks – Fruits along with green tea. Banana chips would be a good option for munching.
7 Superfoods for Elderly
There are some foods which are great for the body, especially for the elderly. These can act as nutritious snacks for elderly, which can help them with a lot of diseases and ailments. Some of them are:
- Chia Seeds – Rich in fibre; helps with diabetes
- Cherries – Has antioxidant properties; reduces inflammation
- Salmon – Great resource of Omega-3; lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s
- Almonds – Great vision supplement’ helps to fight cataract progression
- Spinach- Rich in Iron; protects eyes
- Milk – Amazing source of calcium; must-have for the bones and teeth
- Whole grains – Source of protein; manages heart diseases and blood pressure
Conclusion
Nutritious food for elderly is a must; in fact it is a must for everyone! However, the nutritional requirements alter with growing age. Therefore, following a diet chart for old grandparents becomes a must so that they can consume the best possible nutritious meals for elderly. This is purely because your nutritional requirements might be very different from theirs. Also, some foods can keep a lot of illnesses at bay, which becomes super imperative with growing age.
