It’s probably not a surprise to you that there are many benefits of having a healthy diet as you get older, after all it is drilled into you from when you start eating solid foods as a toddler. But food can truly help you maintain good health, and can help you live longer.
Eating a varied and nutritious diet can reduce the risk of disease, stay at a healthy weight and can make a difference to your overall wellbeing. In this article, we want to share with you the risks of not eating a healthy balanced diet as we age, and how our nursing home in Worthing ensures our residents get the nutrients they need.
What are the risks of not getting a balanced diet as we age?
There are a variety of health problems that can occur due to an insufficient amount of nutrients and calories.
Poor nutrition or malnutrition could lead to health problems such as heart problems, type 2 diabetes, weakened bones as well as some types of cancer. Keeping a healthy balanced diet can help reduce the chances of you suffering from any of these ailments.
If your body doesn’t get enough of certain vitamins and minerals you can be at risk of getting an infection. This is because a lack of some vitamins and minerals can mean a weakening of the immune system making it more susceptible to disease and infections. If the immune system is weakened, it can take longer to react to threats, such as disease, meaning that more damage can be done to the body before it’s able to react and fight the illness.
Malnutrition can also mean longer recovery times and more hospital admissions too.
But you don’t want to just worry about malnutrition. Excess body weight can also cause issues such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
If you have a diet that is high in salt, fat or alcohol, you could be at risk of having high blood pressure which could put you at risk of cognitive decline and strokes.
It is common for people to suffer from osteoporosis as they age, which is a health condition that weakens the bones making them fragile and more likely to break. A good intake of calcium and vitamin D can help you protect your bones.
Finally, a diet that is high in sugar can result in dental problems such as tooth decay, infection and tooth loss.
What should you eat as you get older?
Just as when you are younger, a varied and nutritious diet is key to staying healthy as different nutrients and minerals will benefit different parts of your body.
Fruit and vegetables
Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of heart diseases, strokes and certain cancers.
Fruit and vegetables are great sources of vitamins and minerals including folate, vitamin C and potassium. They also contain dietary fibre which will help with your gut health, preventing constipation, digestion problems and can reduce the risk of bowel cancer.
Because the different fruits and vegetables contain different nutrients, your 5 a day should include a variety of fruit and vegetables.
At Country Lodge, we will serve a mixture of fruit and vegetables that are grown locally, providing seasonal meals throughout the week, to ensure our residents get the nutrients they need, but also so that they can enjoy their favourite fruit and vegetables rather than being stuck with the same options day in and day out.
Protein
Protein helps the body maintain and preserve muscle mass and strength and helps the body repair itself after injury or surgery.
Research has shown that elderly people need a higher intake of protein because as we get older, our bodies process it less efficiently.
Foods that contain protein include meats, eggs, fish, beans, pulses, tofu, chicken and peas.
Our Worthing care home uses locally sourced ingredients to create a seasonal menu. This means that we cook varied meals for our residents meaning they get protein from a range of sources.
Fat
While an excess of fat is bad for your health, it is important to get the right amount of the right fats because they can help keep your heart healthy.
To lower cholesterol level you should replace saturated fats that are found in butter, cream and fat on meat cuts, with monounsaturated fats. These are found in things such as olive oil, rapeseed oil, unsalted peanuts, cashew nuts and almonds.
You should also try to get some polyunsaturated fats such as omega-3 into your diet. These fats are often found in oily fish and have been found to protect the heart against heart disease and can help relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. You can also find these fats in things like sunflower oil, sesame oil, flaxseed oil, walnuts and hazelnuts.
Starchy food
Foods such as potatoes, bread, rice and pasta are an important source of carbohydrates and play a part in a healthy diet. They are good to provide your body with energy, while also providing you with fibre, calcium, iron and vitamin B.
If your body needs extra fibre to help with any digestion problems you might have, you can eat whole grain versions of these foods as they contain a little extra fibre.
Some of these foods can be problematic as they contain allergens such as gluten and wheat. This is something we are mindful of at Country Lodge and are happy to accommodate while still providing you with the nutrients you need from these food sources.
Whether your preference is to eat whole grain food, or gluten free food, we can incorporate these needs into our meal preparation.
Diary
Dairy products are a great source of calcium which is needed to help keep bone strength. They also can be an extra source of protein and vitamins.
If you are on a plant-based diet, there are plenty of alternatives to dairy products that can still provide the same nutrients such as soya milk, and other vegan versions of the products.
Similar to needing to avoid gluten, we are happy to accommodate any dietary requirements in our meals and can provide dairy free alternatives with our meals.
Nutrition at our Worthing care home
We take pride in producing healthy home cooked meals using locally produced and sourced ingredients. Putting meals that are full of nutrients and that are hydrating is a priority to us to maintain the physical and mental well-being of our residents.
We love to ask our residents what meals they would like during the week so that we know they are getting their favourite foods.
We also like to treat our residents for birthday celebrations, holidays, special lunches and garden parties for relatives and friends.
If you would like to know more about the food we serve at our Worthing care home, get in touch with us at 01903 830600, or fill out the form on our website.