A healthy diet is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. This goes for younger folk, but it goes for older adults, too. To get the most out of your senior years, eating right is an essential part of aging in a healthy and safe way. The right diet can help reduce the chances of illness, improve cardiovascular and brain health, and even help prevent some injuries. But for many seniors, selecting and preparing the right foods can be a challenge.
This following blog post isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, but hopefully it can help make food selection for seniors a bit easier.
Dark Leafy Greens. Foods like arugula, spinach, collard greens, and swiss chard have a lot of antioxidants. They have an association with removing free radicals, which can help with fighting cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. They have a lot of benefits for everyone as a result of this.
Blueberries. Blueberries have some of the same benefits as dark leafy greens because of their antioxidant properties. They also are sweet, which can help someone with a sweet tooth (like me) avoid candy and desserts. Blueberries also have an association with minimizing cognitive decline. Other berries, like cranberries, blackberries, and raspberries, also contain some of these benefits.
Salmon. Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Salmon is a meat with protein, which can help preserve muscle mass. There are a number of ways to prepare salmon, which can make it a crowd pleaser.
Greek Yogurt. Greek yogurt is very high in protein. It helps with muscle preservation because of this, which can help prevent injury, keep people active, and ensure that a fall is less likely to occur. High amounts of protein can also help fight obesity because it takes the body longer to digest, helping to keep someone feeling “full” longer after they’ve eaten. Many diets use Greek yogurt for precisely this reason. It can also be combined with berries to make a super healthy dessert!
In general, foods that help fight things like osteoporosis, muscle loss, constipation, cancer, heart disease, and promote brain health are helpful for seniors. They are typically helpful for younger folks, too, but seniors that are at a greater risk of these issues benefit from them, too. Of course, eating right all throughout life is the most helpful way to take advantage of a healthy diet. But it’s never too late to start. Even if someone already suffers from heart disease or another issue, eating right can help to improve overall health even at an advanced age.
When it comes to food, each person will be a little bit different in what they need. Some people have allergies or sensitivities. Some have health conditions that would make an otherwise healthy food an unhealthy decision. Each person is different.
We see this in senior care, too. What works really well for some people won’t always work for everyone. A personalized approach to care is needed to get the most out of it.
If you’d like to learn more about how we do this in our work, please feel free to reach out. One of our trained care professionals would be happy to talk more with you about who we are and what we do.
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