Remember how your mother ran behind you so that you drank your daily glass of milk, no matter where you tried to hide, she would come and present you the tall glass of milk and wait till you finished it. You never thought you would have to do the same for her, but seeing her age and some of her habits, you have to take matters in your hands!
Old age brings with it low immunity, loss of muscle mass, reduction in flexibility, menopause and deterioration of bones along with diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and other range of diseases. Along with the falling health, elderly have to make many changes in their diet according to their ailment as well to get the required nutrition to remain healthy. But these changes are often difficult for them to accept at their age and you find them doing exactly what they are not told to do. This is where you have to step in and use your persuasion power to make positive changes in their diet so that they do not miss on essential nutrients or consume foods that will worsen their condition:
Here are some of the common ailments and the diet recommended:
Diabetes
A very common disease, every other person in urban India has diabetes. Diabetes is called as a silent killer because it slowly weakens the body from within causing diseases of heart, kidney, eye and nerves. For a long and healthy life, diabetes needs to be controlled and to do that you need to manage the diet.
What to avoid: Simple carbohydrates that cause spike in glucose level and cause insulin resistance. Foods to avoid are – those made with white flour like bread, biscuits, pasta, cakes and pies. Foods that contain starch like potato, beet, peas, rice etc. Fruits that are extra sweet like banana, grapes, custard apples, dates, mango etc, packaged food containing refined flour and fruit juices should be avoided.
Foods to include: Complex carbohydrates like those in vegetables especially in onion, garlic, ginger, spinach, cucumber, cabbage, proteins in moong, kidney beans, soya bean lentils and nuts. Fenugreek seeds soaked in water are especially good along with jamun and garlic.
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is the disorder when the blood vessels are exposed to high pressure of the blood most of the time. Hypertension by itself doesn’t cause any problem but leads to many complications like heart attack, stroke, heart disease, renal failure etc.
What foods to avoid: Salt is one ingredient that has to be cut down on as it is known to increase blood pressure. Foods to avoid include -packaged food, salted chips, butter, cheese biscuits, papads, pickles and items that are baked.
What foods to include: DASH diet is recommended for those with hypertension which includes more raw and natural foods with minimum packaged foods and sodium. Foods that are good for high blood pressure are celery, garlic, onion, tomato, broccoli, carrot. To add taste to the food without adding salt, use peppers, lime juice, vinegar, basil and coriander.
Heart disease
Again, one of the recent common urban diseases, heart disease is a leading cause of death in India. Heart disease is linked to due to unhealthy diet, habits along with smoking and stress along with heredity. More of cholesterol in the blood causes plaque to form in the blood vessels, leading to limited blood supply to the heart and finally a blockage.
What are the foods to avoid: Foods that are high in saturated fats like butter, cheese, foods that are fried, Whole milk, ice cream, lard, fast foods that contain trans- fat, red meat and eggyolk.
What are the foods to include: Whole grain products, fruit, vegetables that provide fiber, vitamins, mineral and complex carbohydrates. Good fatty acids in nuts like walnuts, almonds and in oils like olive oil and canola oil.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is characterized by loss of bone mass and loss of bone tissue that leads to weak bones that are vulnerable to breakage and fracture. Almost all women and quarter of all men over the age of 50 are known to suffer from osteoporosis.
Foods to avoid: Foods that are high in salt should be avoided thus processed and packaged food should be avoided. Carbonated drinks should be given up as these contain phosphoric acid that promotes loss of calcium. Caffeine is another food that is bad for the bones so coffee as well products containing caffeine should be avoided.
Foods to include: Foods high in calcium like milk and milk products, green leafy vegetable like spinach and other vegetables like broccoli, carrots, peas, okra. Foods rich in potassium like bananas, tomato and orange juice. Also foods fortified with calcium are good for you.
Foods to Add
Some of essential foods that must be included in the diet of elderly are
- Whole grain foods- They contain antioxidants that boost immune system and slow the development of Alzheimer’s and arthritis as well as provide fiber and roughage to the diet.
- Fruits and Vegetables- According to Dr. Shweta Iyengar, Nutritionist, most of the elderly suffer from constipation thus a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables is essential. Other than the fiber that they contain, they also contain vitamins, carbohydrates that are essential for elderly.
