Nutrition as Aging Occurs

•Good nutrition across the lifespan helps prevent chronic disease — and we know that it’s never too late to make improvements to support healthy aging. Older adults are at greater risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer — as well as health conditions related to changes in muscle and bone mass, such as osteoporosis.

•Older adults generally have lower calorie needs, but similar or even increased nutrient needs compared to younger adults. This is often due to less physical activity, changes in metabolism, or age-related loss of bone and muscle mass.

•Nutrient needs in this population are also affected by chronic health conditions, use of multiple medicines, and changes in body composition.

•Following a healthy dietary pattern and making every bite count is particularly important to this age group.

•Eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy improves diet quality — as does cutting down on added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.

Special Considerations for Older Adults

•Eating enough protein helps prevent the loss of lean muscle mass. But older adults often eat too little protein — especially adults ages 71 and older

•Since most older adults are meeting recommendations for meats, poultry, and eggs, it’s important to remind them that seafood, dairy and fortified soy alternatives, beans, peas, and lentils are great sources of protein. These protein sources also provide additional nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and fiber. Fish is your friend. Regularly consuming fish may reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and macular degeneration (a type of vision loss). Eating fish twice a week is wise.

•The ability to absorb vitamin B12 can decrease with age and with the use of certain medicines.

•Older adults should talk with their health care provider about the use of dietary supplements to increase vitamin B12 intake.

•Add sliced or chopped fruits and vegetables to meals and snacks. Look for pre-cut varieties if slicing and chopping are a challenge for you.

•Reduce sodium intake by seasoning foods with herbs and citrus such as lemon juice.

•Limit foods and drinks containing added salt, and don’t add salt to foods in cooking or at the table.

•Limit foods high in saturated fat, such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, pies, processed meats, commercial burgers, pizza, fried foods, potato chips, crisps and other savoury snacks.

•Replace high fat foods containing mostly saturated fat with foods containing mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Swap butter, cream, cooking margarine, coconut and palm oil with unsaturated fats from oils, spreads, nut butters and pastes, and avocado.

•Keep ‘extras’ or ‘sometimes foods’ to a minimum – they’re not a regular part of a healthy diet. Extras are the high sugar, high fat, high salt foods listed above, such as commercial burgers, pizza, alcohol, lollies, cakes and biscuits, fried foods, and fruit juices and cordials.

Healthy Beverage Choices for Older Adults

•Sometimes it’s hard for older adults to drink enough fluids to stay hydrated because the sensation of thirst declines with age.

•Drinking enough water is a great way to prevent dehydration and help with digestion — and water doesn’t add any calories! Drink plenty of water – six to eight cups of fluid per day.

•Unsweetened fruit juices and low-fat or fat-free milk or fortified soy beverages can also help meet fluid and nutrient needs.

•If older adults choose to drink alcohol, they should only drink in moderation — 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day for women. *Remember that this population may feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than they did when they were younger, which could increase the risk of falls and other accidents.*

•Limit foods and drinks containing added sugars, such as confectionery, sugar-sweetened soft drinks and cordials, fruit drinks, vitamin waters, energy and sports drinks.

Supporting Older Adults in Healthy Eating

•Enjoyment of food — Sharing meals with friends and family can increase food enjoyment and provide a great opportunity to share a lifetime of stories, all while improving dietary patterns.

•Ability to chew or swallow foods — Experimenting with different ways of cooking foods from all food groups can help identify textures that are acceptable, appealing, and enjoyable for older adults — especially those who have difficulties chewing or swallowing. Good dental health is also critical to the ability to chew foods.

•Food safety — Practicing safe food handling is especially important for this age group. The risk of foodborne illness increases with age due to a decline in immune system function.

Find Resources to Help Older Adults Eat Healthy

•Congregate Nutrition Services provides meals for people ages 60 and older and their spouses in senior centers, schools, and churches.

•Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides temporary benefits to help with food purchases for people with limited incomes.

•Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) distributes monthly packages of nutritious foods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

•Home-Delivered Nutrition Services provides older adults who have trouble leaving home or have certain health conditions with home-delivered meals.

•Child and Adult Care Food Program provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to older adults enrolled in daycare facilities.

•Nutrition Programs for Seniors from Nutrition.gov

Extra specific advice for older people includes:

•Maintain healthy weight and muscle strength through physical activity. The benefits of walking for older people]. It’s been shown people over 65 years often have better health if they carry a little extra weight and have a slightly higher body mass index. Talk to your healthcare professional if you need to lose or gain weight.

•If you’re on a budget, simply do your best with your food choices. Plan well, use what’s available, and buy only what you need. Look out for quick and easy healthy recipes for one or two people, and try to eat regularly with family and friends if possible.

•Be careful with your teeth. If nuts, grains and hard fruits and vegetables are difficult to chew, try milled wholegrains, soft cooked and canned fruits and vegetables, and nut pastes and butters.

•Prepare and store food safely. Follow food safety guidelines to avoid food-borne illnesses which can be particularly bad for older people.

•Limit your intake of foods containing saturated fats and trans fats. Remember those ‘extras’ or ‘sometimes foods’ referred to in the guidelines? Keep those to a minimum. Foods like pies, pastries, fried and battered foods, chips, and chocolate are generally high in saturated fat, and may contain dangerous trans fats. Eat these foods very occasionally. Fresh fruit with reduced fat yoghurt is a good dessert option, or cakes and crumbles made with wholegrain options, like oats.

•Talk to your doctor about your personal health needs, particularly about how best to apply the dietary guideline that says to limit saturated fats, added salt, and added sugars (above). Some older people may be at risk of malnutrition from restricting their food intake, and eat too few nutrients and kilojoules for their age.

•Eat plenty of fiber and drink plenty of fluids. Water is essential for hydration, digestion and blood volume, but now you’re older, you may not feel as thirsty as you once did, even when your body needs fluids. Try to drink water about 6–8 cups of fluid a day, and more in warmer weather or when exercising. Water is your best bet for hydration, but tea, coffee, mineral and soda water, and reduced fat milk count too. High fiber foods and plenty of fluids will help to move slow bowels.

•Use less salt. Everyone needs some salt, but too much can increase your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Watch your intake of high salt foods, such as cured meats (ham, corned beef, bacon, lunch meats etc.), snack foods (potato chips and savoury pastries etc.), and sauces (soy sauce, for example). Choose reduced salt food when shopping, and flavor your cooking with herbs and spices instead of salt.

•Get your vitamins and minerals. If you eat less or have digestive issues, you may be deficient in some important vitamins and minerals. Speak to your doctor about your levels, and always choose a variety of foods from the five food groups.

Risks for senior dehydration include:

•Diarrhea and vomiting – Especially Diarrhea and vomiting that comes on suddenly and is persistent. In addition to losing fluids, your body’s electrolytes and minerals are quickly depleted, making dehydration symptoms worse.

•Fever – Generally speaking, high fevers quickly lead to dehydration. The higher the fever, the faster you become dehydrated.

•Excessive sweating – If you don’t replace the fluids lost while sweating, you can become dehydrated. Don’t wait to replace fluids at the end of a workout or strenuous activity. Instead, drink a little water all along to avoid severe dehydration.

•Increased urination – Diabetes that isn’t yet diagnosed or controlled through diet or medication can lead to passing more urine and depleting your water supply.

Signs of dehydration include:

•Feeling unquenchable thirst

•Few or no tears

•Dry, sticky mouth

•Not urinating frequently

•Dark-colored urine

•Unexplained tiredness

•Feeling dizzy or lightheaded

•Confusion

Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms:

•Diarrhea or vomiting that lasts longer than 24 hours

•Feeling irritable and disoriented

•Sleepier than usual without reason

•Inability to keep fluids down

•Bloody or black stool

Why Dehydration

•Feeling thirsty. Your body has a natural defense against dehydration – the feeling of thirst. While there are guidelines in place that tell you how much water to drink each day, typically you can drink to your thirst.

Your body lets you know how much water you need by giving you the sensation of needing to drink something. As you age, your body’s thirst signal diminishes. When your body needs water, you may not even realize it because you don’t feel thirsty like you once did.

•Body function. Your kidneys may not work as effectively with age, leading to a fluid imbalance in your body. Since your body has less water composition as you age, you become dehydrated much quicker than when you were younger.

•Medications. Diuretics are especially prone to causing dehydration. If you take a combination of several medications, be aware of interactions that may lead to dehydration.

•Cognitive impairment. If you suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s, you’re at a greater risk for dehydration because you may not remember to drink when you need to. Even if your body sends thirst signals, decreased cognitive ability may mean your brain doesn’t understand the signals or it may miss them completely.

Preventing Dehydration

•Drink water. The best way to prevent dehydration is to drink plenty of water. Keep in mind that drinking soda and coffee may increase the effects of dehydration in seniors, worsening your condition. Try to stick to water, milk, or juice.

•Set reminders. If you don’t feel thirsty very often, set reminders on your phone or use a timer. Make sure you drink a certain amount of water each time your reminder goes off. By drinking water consistently throughout your day you can easily prevent dehydration.‌

•Once you establish a habit of drinking more water, it will be easier to maintain. Keep in mind that you need to drink more than usual if you’re physically active or if it’s particularly hot outside.

•Consider your diet. Many fruits and vegetables have high water content and contribute to staying hydrated. If you find that drinking more water is difficult, try incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Other foods that promote hydration include:

•Yogurt

•Jellies

•Soup

•Broth

•Enhance your water. If you get bored drinking plain water all day, try infusing it with fruit. Add lemon, lime, or orange to your water so it tastes better. You can also add herbs like mint or basil if you prefer a stronger taste than fruit provides.

•Talk to your doctor. If you’ve tried these tips and you’re still experiencing dehydration, talk to your doctor. A healthcare professional can ask questions about your diet, habits, and medications to determine the cause of your dehydration.