Nutrition is Key to Maintaining Health in Seniors

A healthy lifestyle for older adults starts with a nutritious diet, complemented by regular exercise, social interaction and quality sleep. Nutritious diet is one of the key factors for maintaining health and well-being for seniors. Our body goes through transformations with age that necessitates a lifestyle adjustment in order to keep up good health and ensure well-being. Nutrition plays a very important role in both physical health and cognitive function and ability. Nutrition doesn’t seem to get the kind of attention that it deserves despite the significance nutrition has for overall health.

Although everyone equally should be taking a more active interest in their diets, but nutrition is more critical for seniors as a lack of attention to daily nutrition can have negative health effects ranging from reduced cognitive function and memory, decreased strength and mobility to loss of vision/hearing and reduced immune function. These are serious effects that can have a crucial impact on one’s independence and daily living. An older adult should not only make a concerted effort to eat better, but also should focus on physical changes that makes focusing on certain nutrients more important.

According to nutritional experts and health professionals, suggested nutrients for seniors include water, fiber, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, calcium and potassium.

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Essential Nutrients for Seniors:

Fiber– Ensure a healthy digestive system, regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, maintain healthy weight, ensure good skin and cardiovascular health with a fiber-rich diet. Fiber is mainly found in plant-based foods like fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. A deficiency in fiber can result in a variety of health problems as the toxins that are supposed to be removed from the body through the bowels, get reabsorbed back into the bloodstream.

Water- Water is considered an essential nutrient, older adults should be making an extra effort to stay hydrated because of lower water content in their body. Two litres of water a day is the bare minimum. Health problems and medications should also be taken into consideration as these can also contribute to dehydration.

Vitamin D– Vitamin D is critical to senior health which is needed to build and maintain strong bones and teeth. Sunlight, cod liver oil, dairy, eggs, beef liver, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, or tuna are some good sources of Vitamin D.

Vitamin B12– This vitamin plays a significant role in many vital bodily functions, such as DNA synthesis, red blood cell formation, nerve function, etc. It can be difficult to detect B12 deficiency. Few symptoms associated with Vitamin B12 deficiency include fatigue, pale or jaundiced skin, nerve damage or tingling sensation, muscle weakness, reduced mobility, mood disorders, anxiety and depression. Vegetarians are at higher risk to be deficient in the vitamin since Vitamin B12 is chiefly found in animal-based foods including fish, seafood, beef, poultry, fortified cereal and nutritional yeast, eggs and dairy.

Calcium and Potassium– Seniors who are calcium deficient may experience muscle aches and cramps, fatigue, skin problems, osteoporosis, dental issues, etc. You can find calcium in leafy greens, tofu, beans and lentils, nuts and dairy. For every living cell to function properly, potassium is crucial. In addition to that, potassium balances out other minerals in the body like sodium. You can find potassium in foods, such as beans and legumes, spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, cucumber, bananas, avocados, oranges, etc.