Choosing the right foods will help the elderly enjoy eating more and be healthier. Here are some ways to choose food for the elderly:

1. Focus on nutritious but low-calorie foods.

Since metabolism is reduced, you should also eat foods that provide less energy, while still getting complete nutrients including vitamins, protein, carbohydrates and necessary fats, and not too many calories, such as vegetables, fruits, various types of beans, grains, dairy products or low-fat proteins, fish and chicken. 

Elderly people should avoid high-energy foods that are low in nutrients, สมัครสมาชิก UFABET วันนี้ รับเครดิตฟรีทุกวัน such as fried foods , sweets, sweet drinks, and fast food. 

2. Increase dietary fiber in the body.

The diet of the elderly should contain high fiber in every meal, especially soluble fiber, which helps maintain a balanced cholesterol level in the body. 

Examples of high-fiber foods include vegetables, fruits, oatmeal , various types of beans, grains, and brown rice. Choose to eat unpeeled fruits instead of fruit juices, and choose to eat whole-grain bread or whole-grain cereal instead of regular ones.

In some cases, you may take a dietary supplement such as Psyllium Husk, which is a natural fiber. You should always consult your doctor or pharmacist for safety. 

However, consuming dietary fiber directly from nature will provide more benefits to the body, so you should not focus on taking only dietary supplements.

3. Drink enough water.

Many elderly people often neglect drinking water in their daily lives and do not notice that their bodies are thirsty, which makes them at risk of dehydration easily and is harmful to the body. Therefore, they should drink enough water, at least 225 ml per day, by sipping water frequently instead of drinking a large amount of water at one time. 

In addition, other foods for the elderly such as soups, clear soups, fresh vegetables and fruits such as watermelon , cantaloupe, cucumber also contain a lot of water. You can also drink fresh fruit juices, caffeine-free drinks, skim or low-fat milk, but be careful not to overdo it with salt and sugar.

4. Control calories consumed.

Generally, older adults need less energy than other age groups. Getting more energy from the food they eat than the body needs, coupled with a slower metabolism, can easily affect weight if there is no control over eating.

People over 50 years old should get the following amount of energy each day from food for the elderly:

woman

• A sedentary person needs about 1,600 calories.
• A person who is lightly physically active needs about 1,800 calories.
• People who are very physically active need about 2,000-2,200 calories.

man

• A sedentary person needs about 2,000 calories.
• People who are lightly physically active need about 2,200-2,400 calories.
• People who are very physically active need about 2,400-2,800 calories.

Also, avoid counting calories from the food you eat alone, but also consider the nutritional value you get. For example, 1 medium banana , 1 glass of milk, 1 cup of cereal or 1 teaspoon of peanut butter will provide the same amount of calories, but drinking milk will provide more calcium than drinking bananas, and peanut butter will provide more protein than cereal.

5. Choose foods that are easy to chew.

Some foods that are too tough or hard may not be suitable for the elderly because the health of teeth and gums changes with age, just like the rest of the body. Food for the elderly should be soft , easy to chew, and not too spicy. You can choose foods that have been cooked to soften the ingredients and not overcooked to the point of making them tough. 

6. Season with spices and herbs.

Elderly people often have a reduced appetite and their sense of taste and smell may be distorted. Therefore, food for the elderly should be flavored with spices or herbs such as pepper, turmeric, and basil to enhance the taste and smell of the food to make it look more appetizing and healthy. This can be done by reducing the use of salt or sugar.

7. Avoid eating raw or poorly preserved food. 

Some types of food are easily susceptible to contamination by various germs when they are not stored properly or not cooked properly before eating. This can cause dangerous illnesses, especially unpasteurized milk and milk products, raw eggs, raw red meat or poultry. In addition, cooked food that is being stored for the next meal or that is not finished eating should be refrigerated within 1-2 hours to prevent the formation of bacteria.

8. Supplement your body with vitamins.

Some people may be able to rely on supplements from various dietary supplements , especially calcium , vitamin D, and vitamin B12, which the elderly need to use more of because food consumption may not provide enough nutrients. However, dietary supplements may interact with other types of medicine, so you should consult a doctor or pharmacist before taking them, and you should focus on eating foods for good nutrition.

9. Always read product labels.

Reading the nutritional information label on products is very important and helps make decisions easier when choosing to eat. It allows you to know important information and ingredients in food such as calories, fat, sodium, sugar because some elderly people have physical conditions that require avoiding or limiting certain ingredients that may affect the body.

10. Reduce excess fat

Elderly food should be unsaturated fat rather than saturated fat or trans fat, such as fat from nuts, avocado, fish oil , vegetable oil, to be a source of energy and help dissolve some vitamins. Also, the amount of oil used while cooking should be reduced by using a pan with a marble, ceramic or Teflon coating.

In addition, choose lean meats or low-fat dairy products. Change cooking methods from frying to grilling, baking, air frying, steaming, or boiling instead.

11. Reduce sodium intake.

Food for the elderly should be low in sodium. Food with high sodium content, such as canned food , processed food, ready-to-eat food, pickled food, spicy dipping sauce, may cause the body’s blood pressure to be higher than normal. Therefore, these types of food should be avoided.

People over 50 should only get about 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day, or about two-thirds of a teaspoon of salt, so be mindful of the sodium content of your food before adding more, or use herbs and spices to enhance the flavor.

12. Less sweet, good for your health.

Elderly food should contain less sugar because unknowingly consuming a large amount of sugar can lead to weight gain that is higher than normal and can lead to other diseases such as diabetes, obesity, or cerebrovascular disease.

Therefore, you should be careful when consuming sweets, chocolate, cakes , soft drinks , fruit juices and you should read the labels on food products carefully because the names of sugars on the labels may be different, such as maltose, corn syrup, fructose, molasses, glucose or honey.

In addition to choosing healthy food for the elderly, the elderly can increase their physical movement by walking, exercising, doing hobbies such as planting trees, playing music, cooking, traveling, volunteering for society, and meeting friends. In addition to increasing physical movement, it also has a positive effect on mental health, making you happier.