EATING WELL TO AGE WELL

It is rightly said, “You are what you eat?” When we choose a variety of foods in our diet we feel simply healthy in the mind and the body.

For elders, the benefits of healthy eating include increased mental alertness, resistance to illness and disease, higher energy levels, a stronger immune system, faster recuperation times, and better management of chronic health problems if any. Just like in the younger days, as we age, eating well becomes a key to a positive, emotionally balanced outlook to life.

Older adults can feel better immediately and stay healthy for the future by choosing healthy foods. A balanced diet along with physical activity contributes a lot to improving the quality of life for an older adult.

In order to understand the needs of an older adult it is important to understand the physical changes that are taking place in the body. Slower metabolism, lack of physical activity, weakened senses of taste and smell, side effects of medicines and illnesses affecting appetite and slowing digestive system (generate less saliva and stomach acid) are some of the physical changes that take place as you get older, making it more difficult for your body to process nutrients.

Tips to improve nutrition for the elderly

ü  Consume fewer calories and more nutrient dense foods, keeping weight in check.

ü  Eat a selection of brightly colored fruit, leafy veggies, certain fish and nuts packed with omega-3 fatty acids.

ü  Focus on whole fruits rather than juices for more fiber and vitamins and aim for around 1 ½ to 2 servings each day. Apart from apple and banana also let them indulge in color-rich fruits like berries, peaches or melons.

ü  Choose anti-oxidant rich dark leafy greens, such as fenugreek, spinach, and broccoli as well as oranges and yellows, such as carrots, squash, and yams. Try for 2 to 2 ½ cups of vegetables every day.

ü  Aging bone health depends on adequate calcium intake to prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures. Adding calcium rich foods like of milk, yogurt, or cottage cheese or also tofu, broccoli, almonds, and kale are a good idea.

ü  Always choose whole grains over processed white flour for more nutrients and a higher fiber count. Try to indulge in pasta, breads, and cereals that are made of whole grains.

ü  Vary your protein sources with more fish, chicken, beans, peas, nuts, eggs, milk, cheese, dals, pulses and seeds.

ü  Seniors are prone to dehydration because their bodies lose some of its ability to regulate fluid levels and their sense of thirst is dulled. Place reminders for yourself telling you to sip water every hour and with meals to avoid urinary tract infections and constipation.

ü  After 50, your stomach produces less gastric acid making it difficult to absorb vitamin B-12—needed to help keep blood and nerves vital. Get the recommended daily intake of B12 from milk and fortified foods.

ü  We get most of vitamin D—essential to absorbing calcium—through sun exposure and a few foods (fatty fish, egg yolk, and fortified milk). With age, our skin is less efficient at synthesizing vitamin D, so consult your doctor about supplementing with fortified foods or a multivitamin.

ü  Reduce salt in your diet to help prevent water retention and high blood pressure.

ü  Include good fats such as olive oil, avocados, salmon, walnuts, flaxseed, and other monounsaturated fats.

ü  Avoid constipation, lower the risk of chronic diseases, and feel fuller longer by increasing fiber intake. Raw fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, and beans are good sources.

ü  Avoid “bad” carbohydrates also known as simple or unhealthy carbohydrates such as white flour, refined sugar, and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and nutrients.

ü  Overindulging in sugary foods and snacks is very common. Instead of adding sugar, try increasing sweetness to meals by using naturally sweet food such as fruit, peppers, dates, honey or yams.

ü  Opt for healthy methods of cooking, like steaming, sautéing, grilling or baking as preserves nutrients. Avoid boiling and straining method as it drains nutrients.

ü  Avoid skipping meals as this causes the metabolism to slow down, which leads to feeling sluggish and poorer choices later in the day.

ü  Snack between meals by choosing high-fiber snacks to healthfully tide you over to your next meal. Choose almonds and raisins instead of chips, and fruit instead of sweets. Other smart snacks include yogurt, cottage cheese, apples and peanut butter, and veggies and hummus/ sprouts.

ü  For breakfast select high fiber breads and cereals, colorful fruit, and protein to fill you with energy for the day.

ü  For lunch keep your body fueled for the afternoon with a variety of whole-grain breads, lean protein, and fiber.

ü  Make dinner also a wholesome meal in order to avoid episodes of low energy/ blood sugar levels later in the night.

ü  Make chewing easier by drinking smoothies/ milkshakes made with fresh fruit, yogurt, and protein powder. Eat steamed veggies and soft food such as khichdi, couscous, rice, and yogurt/dal/ kadhi.

ü  Drink 8 -10 glasses of water each day. Take a drink of water after each bite of food; add sauces and gravies to foods to moisten it.

Remember; good and healthy foods are nutrition for the body, mind and soul. The right nutrition for seniors will help them live a longer and stronger life, sharpen the mind, feel better and lead a rich, marvelous and supercharged life.

HEALTHY DIET DURING RAMADAN

During Ramadan, the diet is radically altered. Meals get condensed in mornings (pre-dawn meal) and evenings, with no intake in-between for an extended period of time. The changes in diet aren't well tolerated by all if fasting is not followed properly.

Eating a variety of foods using principles of moderation and balance is not only important on other days but also during the Ramadan when you fast from dawn to sunset. During any fast the metabolic rate of a fasting person slows down and other regulatory mechanisms start functioning. Body and dietary fat is efficiently utilized. Consuming total food intake that is less than the total food intake during normal days is sufficient to maintain a person's health. A balanced diet improves blood cholesterol profile, reduces gastric acidity, prevents constipation and other digestive problems, and contributes to an active and healthy life style too. Remember, there is no need to consume excess food at any given meal.

The diet should not differ very much from our normal diet and should be as simple as possible.

Considering the long hours of fasting, one must consume slow
digesting foods i.e. fiber rich foods rather than fast-digesting foods. Slow digesting foods provide energy which lasts up to 8 hours, while fast-digesting foods provide only short term energy lasting for about only 3 to 4 hours.
-Slow-digesting foods are whole-grains and seeds such as barley, wheat, oats, semolina, beans, lentils, whole meal flour, and unpolished rice. These are called complex carbohydrates. Also vegetables (like green beans, peas, and spinach), fruit with skin, dried fruit (such as dates, raisins, dried apricots, figs, prunes, and almonds) are all examples of fiber rich foods.
-Fast-burning foods are foods such as sugar and white flour. They are called refined carbohydrates.
To be healthy during this month, one must consume food from the major food groups: bread and cereal, milk and dairy product, meat, pulses and bean, vegetable and fruit.

Daily food group intake guideline:
1. Bread/Cereal/Rice, Pasta, Biscuits- Cereal Group: 6-11 servings/day;
2. Meat/Beans/ Pulses/Nut- Protein Group: 2-3 servings/day.
3. Milk and Milk Product- Dairy Group: 2-3 servings/day.
4. Vegetable Group: 3-5 servings/day;
5. Fruit Group: 2-4 servings/day.
6. Added sugar (table sugar): sparingly.
7. Added fat/oil- 6-8 teaspoons.

The pre-dawn meal:
The body's immediate need at the time of the pre-dawn meal is to get an easily available energy source in the form of glucose for every living cell, particularly the brain and nerve cells. Dates and juices are good sources of sugars. Dates and juice bring low blood glucose levels to normal levels. Juice and soup help maintain water and mineral balance in the body. An unbalanced diet and too many servings of sherbets and sweets with added sugar have been found to be unhealthy.

Dinner:
Consume foods from all the following food groups.

Meat/Bean/Pulse Group:
Include foods such as chicken, beef, lamb, goat, fish, green pea, chickpea (chana, humus), green gram, black gram, lentil, lima bean and other beans. Meat and beans are a good source of protein, minerals, and certain vitamins. Beans are a good source of dietary fiber, as well.
Bread/Cereal Group:
Include whole wheat bread, cooked rice or roti. This group is a good source of complex carbohydrates, which are a good source of energy and provide some protein, minerals, and dietary fiber.
Milk Group:
Milk or butter-milk, yogurt or cottage cheese. Milk and dairy products are good sources of protein and calcium.
Vegetable Group:
Include mixed vegetable salad (lettuce, carrot, parsley, cucumber, broccoli, coriander leaves, cauliflower or cabbage or beetroot as desired). Cooked vegetables such as guar beans, french beans, okra (bhindi), eggplant (baigan), bottle gourd (lauki), cabbage, spinach, methi. Vegetables are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, carotene, lycopenes, and other photochemicals, which are antioxidants.
Fruits Group:
Include citrus and/or other fruits. Eat fruits as the last item of the dinner or as dessert, to facilitate digestion and prevent many gastrointestinal problems. Citrus fruits provide vitamin C. Fruits are a good source of dietary fiber and many other minerals and vitamins.
Fruits and mixed nuts may be eaten as a snack after dinner or before sleep.
Some Tips:

o    Drink as much water, fruit juices, coconut water, lime water as possible between breaking fast and bedtime so that your body may adjust fluid levels in time and also avoid dehydration.

o    Consume sufficient vegetables at meals. Eat fruits at the end of the meal.

o    Avoid intake of high sugar (table sugar) foods through sweets or other forms.

o    Avoid spicy foods.

o    Avoid over-eating in any meal.

o    Avoid excessive caffeine drinks such as coke, coffee or tea. Caffeine is a diuretic.

o    Smoking is a health risk factor. Avoid smoking cigarettes. Smoking negatively affects utilization of various vitamins, metabolites and enzyme systems in the body.  

o    Complex carbohydrates should be included at pre-dawn meals so that the food lasts longer making you less hungry.

o    Dates/raisins are excellent source of sugar, fiber, carbohydrates, potassium and magnesium.

o    Almonds are rich in protein and fiber with less fat.

o    Bananas are a good source of potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates.

o    It is recommended that everyone engage in some kind of light exercise, such as stretching or walking.
In summary, intake of a balanced diet is important to maintain good health, sustain an active lifestyle and attain the full benefits of Ramadan.