Food is a core part of our everyday lives. It keeps us alive, but it can also impact how we feel both physically and mentally. Food can evoke memories, bring joy, and provide comfort.
Smell and taste are important, but the nutrition food provides is even more important. That doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice taste for nutrition! In fact, nutrition is so important that March is National Nutrition Month. While it’s important at every age, nutrition can be especially important for seniors. Here are tips to help older adults manage their nutrition.
Food for Health
There’s never a shortage of fad diets. Everything from keto and carnivore to counting calories and carbohydrates. Most focus on losing weight or getting in shape. For older adults, it can be helpful to consider the impact of nutrition on different parts of the body.
Heart Health
Walking through the grocery store you probably see some foods advertised as “heart healthy.” It’s common to see packaging and labels with a heart. Most commonly, these foods are lower sodium options. They may also contain lower levels of saturated fats, which can also affect cholesterol.
Looking for heart healthy labels and choosing options that have lower sodium and saturated fat can be a great place to start. Other heart healthy diet choices include things like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Eating foods that are good for the heart can help with blood pressure, cholesterol, and overall heart health.
Eating heart healthy foods as an older adult is about more than looking or feeling good, it’s important for managing your health and wellness.
Brain Boost
A newer trend has been talking about foods that are good for the brain. You might not see it advertised on the packaging or label the way heart health is, but there are countless books, articles, research reports, news stories, and more about the benefits certain foods have for the brain.
Antioxidants are commonly referred to in connection with brain foods. These powerful brain antioxidants can be found in things like berries and green leafy vegetables. Omega-3 fatty acids, frequently found in fish oil, is also commonly referred to when talking about nutrients that are good for the brain and the heart.
For older adults, a brain boosting diet won’t prevent or cure conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. But, there is research that shows it could help with mental clarity and support cognitive function and memory.
Bone Strength
Another way nutrition can impact our physical health is through our bone health. For decades, advertisements have focused on the importance of kids drinking milk to grow strong bones. As we age, our bones may become more brittle. Many older adults may even develop bone conditions such as osteoporosis.
Just like with kids, getting enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet can help support your bone strength and health. Especially in the United States, many of our foods are fortified with the vitamins and nutrients that we need. This just means that important vitamins and nutrients, like calcium and vitamin D, are added to our foods. It makes it easier to ensure we’re getting the proper nutrients in our diets. However, things like dairy, leafy green vegetables, eggs, and mushrooms can be great sources of natural nutrients to support bone strength.
Immune System
Our immune systems change a lot as we age. Just like kids are more susceptible to illness and infection, older adults can have weaker immune systems. Nutrition can play a role in helping keep your immune system strong to prevent illness, reduce the severity of an illness, and help you recover after an illness.
One of the most popular nutrients you might think of when it comes to the immune system is vitamin C. When you think of getting vitamin C in your diet you might think of orange juice or oranges. However, like other nutrients, many foods in the United States are fortified with vitamin C.
A lesser known way to support your immune system with nutrition is protein. The body can use protein as a powerful part of the healing process. While some illnesses can impact your appetite, your doctor may emphasize the importance of getting enough protein while you’re sick so that your body has the nutrients it needs to recover.
Energy
Food is fuel. Our bodies turn what we eat into the energy we need to survive. Not all food is created equal when it comes to supporting our energy levels. For example, foods higher in sugar can give you a boost of energy, but also may come with a crash where your energy drops even lower than it was before. Eating a diet that is well-balanced and full of nutrition can help maintain consistent energy levels. This is especially true – and important – for older adults.
Hydration
It might not come to mind when you think about nutrition, but hydration is critical. Drinking enough water helps your body digest the foods you eat. It’s also what helps it absorb the nutrients from the foods you eat. While some foods can help with hydration, like fruits such as watermelon, nothing beats drinking water. As we age, staying hydrated can get harder. However, it also becomes more important because dehydration in older adults can cause cognitive problems or memory issues.
Know what to avoid
Did you know that there can be interactions between medications and food? With any medication or supplement, it’s always important to talk to a doctor and pharmacist and make sure you know any interactions that could happen. For example, grapefruit can affect some antidepressants and blood pressure medications and some vegetables could affect blood thinners. Many medications also may specify if they should be taken with or without food.
Moderation is key
The problem with most diets is that they’re restrictive. It’s human nature to want things we can’t have. The point of nutrition shouldn’t be to only eat certain foods or never eat others. Knowing what foods can support your nutrition, such as things that are heart healthy or brain boosting, can help you make choices that are better for your health. Like many things in life, balance is key. Your body needs nutritious foods. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy sweets or our favorite treats from time to time.
Make it fun
Nutrition doesn’t have to be a chore. Instead of obsessing over things like calories or vitamin content all the time, try to find ways to make nutrition fun. This will make it easier to stick with it and pick options that are good for your nutrition more often than not. Making nutrition fun can be as simple as cooking or sharing a meal with family or friends.
Benefit of Senior Living for Nutrition with Older Adults
You might be surprised to learn that nutrition can be a big benefit of senior living. But, food is an important aspect of most communities. While it varies from one senior living community to the next, many have a dietitian and/or chef on staff who create menus and meals that focus on flavor as well as nutrition. Many residents enjoy not having to plan, prepare, or cook meals. Plus, there are many added health benefits from the social aspect of sharing meals with friends. The best part? There are no dishes to wash after dinner.
Nutrition is important at The Ohio Masonic Communities. If you want to learn more about how senior living can support nutrition and wellness, we’d love to hear from you. Give us a call at 1 (877) 881-1623 or contact us here. The Ohio Masonic Communities offers assisted living at three senior living communities across the state of Ohio – Browning Masonic Community in Waterville, Ohio, Springfield Masonic Community in Springfield, Ohio, and Western Reserve Masonic Community in Medina, Ohio.