The Role of Nutrition in Senior Health: Strategies for Maintaining a Balanced Diet
Ranfurly Hospital General Interest
Nutrition is one of the main cornerstones of wellness, and is important at every stage of life. Different levels of physical activity, changing health needs, and shifting appetites are all a part of aging - and what once worked well for you in regards to nutrition may no longer be the best thing for your body.
When it comes to healthy eating for seniors, it pays to have a strategy in place to ensure that nutrition stays at the forefront of eating. This could mean thinking about meals well in advance, it may involve getting assistance with preparation, and for some seniors, this may involve getting practical help at meal times.
If you are in senior retirement living, it’s a very good idea to discuss your diet with your medical professional and the staff that prepare your food.
Understanding the Role of Nutrition in Senior Health
Nutritious food can make a real difference to our energy levels, brain function, and even mental health, meaning that maintaining a healthy diet for seniors is a significant part of aging with vitality.
Vitamins, omega-3, calcium and iron all play an important role in balancing out our nutritional intake, keeping us mentally able, alongside maintaining good bone health and optimum energy levels.
When you focus on a diet rich in lean meats, nuts, seeds and whole grains - plus plenty of fruits and vegetables - you will feel better, and you can even look better!
Supplementation can also be part of maintaining a healthy diet for seniors. As we age, vitamin D is also not as easily absorbed through the skin as it is in our younger years. Healthy eating for seniors may involve adding a supplement, so you can keep accessing the benefits of this mood-enhancing vitamin.
This also holds true for vitamin B12. As we age it becomes harder to absorb this vitamin which is essential for taking care of blood and nerve health.
Letting your nutrition slide, or not shifting your diet to meet your changing needs, can lead to low energy levels, digestion issues and a weakened immune system. You may gain or lose unhealthy amounts of weight, and in the long run, poor nutrition habits can make you unwell and likely to develop more serious illnesses.
Practical Strategies for Maintaining a Balanced Diet
If you are dealing with a lack of appetite, dental challenges, or health problems that affect digestion, it can be difficult to get all of the nutrients your body needs in a way that doesn’t cause you discomfort.
Metabolic changes can result in weight loss or gain that doesn’t feel healthy, and impaired digestive absorption due to illness or surgeries can lead to malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies and a decreased ability to heal.
As part of a proactive approach to healthy eating for seniors, you might need to limit your portions, or introduce more smoothies, soups, or meal replacement drinks into your daily diet. It could even be as simple as drinking more water.
It’s important to have a few strategies in place to offset any challenges you might be facing regarding getting all the nutrients you need into your body.
Planning & Preparation
Planning in advance is an excellent way to ensure you are hitting your nutrient targets. This may mean you need to ask for help, and that’s ok. Finding someone who can help you with meal preparation, and cooking and storing meals for the freezer is a great way to make it a little easier to get a balanced diet.
How about going shopping with a friend and spending an afternoon cooking a hearty vegetable stew and portioning it out for the week? A hearty stew is a good way of introducing more fibre into your diet and by having it ready to go in portions means less fuss when it comes to meal time. It’s a simple way to ensure you’re eating a healthy amount of the right food.
Get in Touch
At our Auckland lifestyle village location, the team at Ranfurly Hospital are experts when it comes to healthy eating for seniors.
We can also chat with you about ways to help someone else balance their diet, give you some practical tips - or simply point you in the direction of helpful information.
At Ranfurly Hospital, we understand the importance of a healthy diet for seniors, and we make nutritious meals for all our residents according to their varying needs and capabilities.
Get in touch today, and let's talk about a balanced approach to nutrition.
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