Nutritional needs are known to vary with age and gender. As you get older, the foods and drinks that made up your healthy diet earlier may need to be slightly different now. You will need less of some foods, and more of others. Your diet also varies depending on your gender. In other words, older men have different nutritional needs from older women. If your diet is healthy already, you only need to adapt it to your own specific nutrition requirements and adjust your food choices so that your body gets the nutrition precisely required for good health in older age. While choosing or preparing a healthy diet, consult a family member, healthcare professional, carer or an accredited practising dietitian. Any major change in eating or exercise patterns should be discussed with your doctor, pharmacist and dietitian so that any medications you take may be adjusted.
A healthy diet benefits you not only physically, but mentally and socially as well. Without it, you are at a greater risk of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers, cardiovascular disease, and mental health issues, like anxiety and depression. So, what should your healthy diet be like?
What To Eat
Eat a wide variety of foods from the five food groups such as plenty of:
Colourful vegetables, fruits, legumes or beans.
Grains or cereal foods, mostly wholegrain and high fibre varieties.
Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, and tofu.
Nuts and seeds.
Milk, yoghurt, cheese or their alternatives, mostly reduced fats.
Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water – six to eight cups of fluid per day.
Limit foods high in saturated fat, such as biscuits, pastries, cakes, pies, commercial burgers, processed meats, fried foods, pizza, crisps, potato chips, and other savoury snacks.
Replace high fat foods containing saturated fat with foods containing polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Swap cooking margarine, cream, butter, coconut and palm oil with unsaturated fats from oils, nut butters and pastes, spreads, and avocado.
Limit foods and drinks containing added salt, and avoid adding salt to foods in cooking or at the table.
Limit foods and drinks containing added sugars, such as confectionery, fruit drinks, vitamin waters, sugar-sweetened soft drinks and cordials, energy and sports drinks.
Keep ‘extras’ or ‘sometimes foods’ such as high sugar, high fat, high salt foods like alcohol, commercial burgers, lollies, pizza, fried foods, cakes, biscuits, fruit juices and cordials to a minimum.
Be physically active aiming at, at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, such as walking, every day.
Physical activity enables you to maintain a healthy weight and muscle strength. A little extra weight and a slightly higher body mass index is good for the health of people over 65 years. Ask your healthcare professional whether you need to lose or gain weight.
If on a budget, make optimum food choices by planning well, using what is available, and buying only what you need. Choose quick and easy healthy recipes, and eat regularly with family and friends if possible.
Be careful with your teeth swapping hard to chew nuts, grains, fruits and vegetables with milled wholegrains, soft cooked and canned fruits and vegetables, nut pastes and butters.
Prepare and store food safely following food safety guidelines to avoid food-borne illnesses which can be particularly bad for older people.
Limit your intake of foods containing saturated fats and trans fats like pastries, pies, fried and battered foods, chips, and chocolates that are generally high in saturated fat, and may contain dangerous trans fats. Eat these foods very occasionally. Replace sinful desserts with fresh fruit and reduced fat yoghurt, or crumbles and cakes made with wholegrains like oats.
Talk to your doctor about your personal health needs, and apply dietary guidelines to limit saturated fats, added salt, and sugars.
Be warned, restricting your food intake, and eating too few nutrients and kilojoules for your age may put you at the risk of malnutrition. So try to make your food interesting as well as healthy.
Eating high fibre foods and drinking plenty of fluids will help to improve bowel movement. Though water is essential for hydration, digestion and blood volume, older people may not feel as thirsty as they did when young, even when their body needs fluids. Try to drink about 6–8 cups of water or fluid a day, and drink more in warmer weather or when exercising. Though water is best for hydration, coffee, tea, mineral and soda water, and reduced fat milk are beneficial too.
Though some salt is essential for the body, too much of it can increase your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Watch your intake of high salt foods, such as cured meats like corned beef, ham, bacon, lunch meats etc., snack foods like potato chips and savoury pastries etc., and sauces like soy sauce, fish sauce etc. When buying, choose reduced salt food, and flavour your cooking with herbs, lime juice and spices instead of salt.
Restrict your alcohol intake to no more than two standard drinks on any given day for healthy men and women.
Eating less or having digestive issues, may lead to deficiencies in some important vitamins and minerals. Consult your doctor about your levels, and always choose a variety of foods from the five food groups.
Eating fish regularly may reduce your risk of stroke, dementia, heart disease, and macular degeneration, a type of vision loss. Eat fish at least twice a week.
How Much To Eat
The amount of energy you need daily depends on your age, height, and level of activity. But as you get older you tend to lose muscle mass, and activity levels tend to drop, hence kilojoules also need to be reduced. This doesn’t mean you need fewer nutrients. In fact, your need for nutrients such as carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre, water, etc. remains roughly the same, if not go up. For instance, the need of calcium for strong bones and teeth increases with old age, so extra servings of yoghurt, low fat milk, and cheese are necessary. Other good sources of calcium are tinned sardines, salmon, leafy greens like kale, spinach, bok choy, sesame seeds, tahini, and almonds. Ask your dietitian to know how much quantity and serving size you need for your age. Aim for the following serves each day from the five food groups:
Serving sizes for each food group are:
Vegetables: A standard serve is about 75 grams (100–350 kilojoules) i.e ½ cup cooked green or orange vegetables, or ½ cup cooked dried or canned beans, peas or lentils
Fruits: A standard serve is 150 grams (350 kilojoules) i.e a medium apple or banana, or two kiwi fruits or plums. Eating whole fruit is better than drinking fruit juice.
Grain Foods: A standard serve is 500 kilojoules i.e, one slice of bread or ½ cup cooked porridge, two-thirds of which should be wholegrain varieties.
Lean Meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans: A standard serve is 500–600 kilojoules i.e. Two large eggs or 65 grams cooked lean red meats.
Milk, yoghurt, cheese or alternatives: A standard serving is 500–600 kilojoules, i.e. ¾ cup yoghurt or a cup of milk.
Benefits of Healthy Eating Habits
When you are older, it may be difficult to get out to buy groceries, or you may feel like your appetite has reduced or disappeared or you may be facing health issues that make it difficult to eat or enjoy foods. Try to see every meal and snack as an opportunity to give your body maximum nutrition such as vitamins, minerals and fibre, and as a social activity that you can enjoy with others if living in a retirement home. To regularize your daily intake of nutrition, ask for help with shopping or meal preparation, if needed, from family, friends, community groups, carers, or your doctor. If shopping is a problem, stock your pantry with long lasting staple foods to make a quick, easy and healthy meal. Keep quick and simple to make meal recipes handy and keep the following health matters in mind when shopping or preparing meals.
1. For Healthy Bones and Teeth
- Protein: Being on long bed rest or not exercising much, may lead to muscle loss, which can greatly increase your risk of falls and broken bones. Protein is highly essential for repairing, building, and maintaining healthy muscles and bones. Excellent sources of protein include meats, fish, eggs, seafood, low fat dairy, soy products like tofu and soy beverages, beans and pulses, such as baked beans, nuts and seeds, and wholegrains. Spread your protein intake across the day so your body has the chance to use it while you are busy, rather than taking it in your evening meal when the body doesn’t need it as much. Always try to prioritize the protein portion of your meal first.
- Vitamin D: Essential for healthy bones, the best source for Vitamin D is the sun, and a short time in the sunshine each day is sufficient to get the amount of vitamin D you need. Aim for 10 to 30 minutes, though it varies from region to region. You can also get vitamin D from egg yolk, butter, table margarine, whole milk, yoghurt, cheese, malted milk, sardines, tuna, lamb's fry, liver, and pilchards or a supplement, if staying out in the sun is not an option.
- Exercise: Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking or light weights, is also good for bone health.
2. For Arthritis
Fish oil helps If you are suffering from arthritis. Eat fish at least twice a week, or consider a supplement after talking to your doctor.3. For Healthy Bowels
Include plenty of fibre in your diet, to keep your bowels active. Some rich sources of fibre are wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereals, dried fruit, fruit, beans, dried peas, and lentils. Drink enough water to prevent constipation, at least 6–8 cups of fluid each day.
4. For Healthy Teeth
Dental health is necessary so that you can continue to enjoy a wide variety of foods. Visit your dentist as soon as you have problems with your teeth, gums or dentures.
So, as you get older, treat each meal as an opportunity to nourish and refuel your body, because you have only one to last a lifetime. The healthier it is, the better.