Over 70s Nutrition
by Annie O Brien | 12th May 2020
Over 70s nutrition has never been so relevant. Now that the over 70s are able to leave their homes for the first time in weeks, it is critical that they focus on maintaining their health through good nutrition to promote wellbeing and to keep their health striving post-Lockdown. It’s no secret that as we age our metabolism slows and our appetite often becomes suppressed. As a result, we are more susceptible to illness and accidents. Continuing with an overall high level of health is easily done by ensuring smart healthy eating choices are being made. With appetite often suppressed, our taste buds deplete, leading to salt and fat additions to our meals. After all, we want to continue to enjoy the joys of mealtimes, even after our 70s.
Choose Heart-Healthy Fats
There is no need to be afraid of fat, we all need fat in our diet! Start by reducing saturated and trans fats found in fatty animal foods (sausages, burgers) and biscuits/confectionary. Therefore, we should swap for more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, oily fish, and seeds. Getting at least 1 portion of oily fish a week is crucial for the over 70s and will aid in the protection of heart health. However, all fat has the same calories so ensuring you are not overdoing it is vital to avoid unwanted weight gain.
Protein For Over 70s Nutrition
Foods that are are high in protein help to make new cells and keep your muscles healthy. When we hi reach our over 70s, we are at risk of sarcopenia, which is the loss of muscle mass, strength, and function. Therefore, eating a variety of protein-rich foods each day can help maintain muscle mass and can aid a person’s ability to stay fit and mobile! Great sources include lean meat, poultry and fish such as salmon, sardines and fresh tuna which are packed with heart-healthy omega 3 fats. Pack your diet with beans, lentils, eggs, and nuts. These are a great way to boost protein in your diet.
Keep Everything Moving with Fibre
Fibre is vital in regulating your bowel movements. It also lowers the risk of constipation, obesity, some cancers and heart disease. Soluble fibre gives stool bulk, while insoluble fibre helps speed up the transit of food in the digestive tract which tends to slow down with age. Including a variety of fibre sources in your diet will make sure you are getting adequate levels to keep everything moving. For example, things like wholegrain bread, brown rice & pasta, potatoes (skin included), fruits, vegetables, pulses and grains.
Bone Health
As you age, it is so important to ensure you are nourishing your structure. As you get older you need more calcium and vitamin D to help maintain your bone health. Ensuring you maintain a healthy weight can help keep bones strong. The Irish population are often deficient in vitamin D (due to serious lack of sunshine), it is important to focus on getting vitamin D-fortified foods in your diet or indeed supplementation. Vitamin D can also be found in some foods such as eggs, cheese and fish such as salmon and tuna.
Less of the Salt
Too much salt in the diet can contribute to high blood pressure, which in turn can lead to stroke or heart disease. You can reduce the amount of salt in your diet by avoiding processed foods such as meats & canned foods, packet soups/sauces and salted snacks such as crisps and salted nuts. It’s not unknown that our taste buds deplete when we reach our over 70s and after years of salting meals this can become detrimental if you are trying to achieve a certain level of flavour. Why not try introducing new spices or herbs to your meals to add a more complex flavour profile. Here at GourmetFuel, we design our meals to be complex flavour powerhouses, to remove the need for additional seasoning. We focus on low sodium meals that are still achieving that level of taste we all want!
Variety is the Key for Over 70s Nutrition
It’s said repeatedly and does not change when we talk about nutrition for the over 70s. Consuming a variety of foods will ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need. Having a varied diet offers a more interesting way of enjoying your daily meals while also addressing your nutrient needs. It can be difficult coming up with inventive ideas, grocery shopping for the ingredient lists and then at the end of it, cooking it all. GourmetFuel can help! Having your meals delivered, with your personal nutrition in mind, can help broaden the variety of nutrients you are consuming!
Watch Your Portion Size
At we hit our over 70s, our metabolism slows and our activity level may reduce therefore we must alter our nutrition accordingly. Ensuring our portion size is adequate will ensure there is no under or overeating. Malnutrition along with obesity are factors that contribute to further health issues, therefore fuelling your body with what it needs is the most beneficial. Do you struggle with how much you should be eating? GourmetFuel offers meals with set portions, giving you exactly the right amount your body needs. Taking your personal needs into consideration, our registered Nutrition Team can advise. Book your free consultation here.