1/9/2007 - The Need for Nutritionally Balanced Food for Elderly

The nutrition and balanced food is the most important factor for the health and wellbeing of the elderly people medical care. As the age advances the senility sets in. The body systems become weak and functional ability reduces. The old person can’t eat more as the digestive system will find it difficult to digest. The person will have less hunger, as he cannot be active as he was during his prime age. If this goes on the defense mechanism will weaken. This will lead to innumerous disease problem. Hence the food for the elderly people must be nutritionally balanced in order to keep them healthy.

The nutrition, food, eating habit and the body weight all play important role in the elderly peoples overall health. Many disease conditions have close relation with the elderly peoples eating habits.

Hence we need to very careful when it comes to the food and nutrition of the elderly people. High intake fat foodstuffs leading to obesity, which will pave way for high blood pressure and diabetes is one such food related ailment.

The importance of nutritionally balanced food
Food that is not nutritionally balanced is not only a problem for elders but also for people at all age group. Many chronic diseases do affect the person. The main or the only reason for this could be the food that they consume at present or they were consuming hitherto. Diabetes mellitus, heart problems, and osteoporosis are the few examples of the diseases of poor nutrition.

If the elders have the above-mentioned diseases already [older adults] the poor nutrition will worsen it further. The elderly people will find it very difficult to recover from mild diseases if they are eating nutritionally balanced food in sufficient quantity. This is because the defense mechanism of the body depends solely on the intake of protein through the food.

The possible reasons of poor nutrition
Medical condition such as nausea is one reason that will make the elderly people to eat less. Nausea is nothing but vomiting sensation. The elderly people who are forced to follow food restriction due to diabetes and kidney or heart diseases are at greater risk of poor nutrition.

Lack of appetite is more common problem for most of the elderly people. Lack of appetite can also be due to the side effect of the medicines they consume. Such people cannot eat more.

There are few medicines that affect the taste bud thus leading to poor in takes of food. Eating alone is the other reason for the poor nutrition among elders.  

Some elderly people need to cook themselves after the death of their spouse. They may not have attempted cooking when their wives were alive. Such people cannot prepare tasty food. This can very well lead to poor nutrition.  

Missed teeth or bad teeth arrangement is the other reason that will lead to poor nutrition. Some other elderly people will have chronic arthritis. They will be reluctant to move about. There will be less activity and less energy expendoture. These people will eat less [poor nutrition]. 

Few suggestions to overcome poor nutrition of elderly people
We need to make the elderly people to understand the importance of nutritious food and peril of poor nutrition. We can deliver them prepared food either from good restaurant or from our home. The food that is delivered must be tasty. The food must be rich in vegetables and fruits and less of fat and oil. The food should have more variety.

If the person is found to have less appetite due the side effect of the medicine, we must consult the doctor and change the medicine.

If depression is found to the cause of poor nutrition, subjecting them to counseling is the best option. Make them involve in social activity, which will make them happy and active.

If they [elderly people] are alone in the house and preparing their own food, you can think of hiring a cook to prepare food for them. We can ask the elderly people to start their hobbies like gardening, sewing, cooking etc neglected during their prime time as they were busy in their business or job.  

As a son or daughter of an elderly people it our duty to understand the need of nutritionally balanced food and should try our level best to provide the same to the elderly people.