The best place to grow old is in a healthy body. With a balanced diet full of nutrition-dense food, you can give your body the help it needs to keep you functional for longer. There is no denying the fact that old age comes with its own challenges, especially healthwise. The body’s metabolism slows down, fatigue sets in more easily, a number of food items might now be prohibited for you, and so on—but you can tackle many of these concerns with an old person diet chart for senior citizen.
To support healthy ageing, you need to pay attention to what you consume. It does not have to be a complete overhaul of your dietary pattern (unless your doctor says so), a few simple adjustments will do. Read on to understand the shifts in nutritional needs with age and the right food for senior citizens.
Diet Chart for Senior Citizens
A healthy, balanced diet, as you probably know, should include a variety of food from different food groups: whole grains, protein, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy. Foods that give you a lot of nutrients without extra calories will help you stay healthy as you age. An old person diet chart for senior citizen should look something like this:
Breakfast
Start your morning with a light meal like cereal, toast with eggs, vegetable poha, upma, porridge, or oatmeal. If you find chewing difficult, you can replace breakfast items with a healthy smoothie of your choice: banana, spinach, berries, nut butters, etc.
Lunch
For lunch, you can have chapatti or multigrain chapatti with dal, curd, and vegetables. If you prefer rice, brown rice has higher fibre content than white rice and helps keep cholesterol and blood pressure in control. Seasonal vegetables like spinach, bathua, methi, etc are a great source of micronutrients such as iron, calcium, potassium, vitamins, etc.
Evening
Sprouts, soup, roasted makhane, roasted chickpeas, riceflakes snacks, etc are a good option to take care of the pre-dinner hunger pangs.
Dinner
Dinner should contain a serving of protein-rich vegetables like soya and beans or dal, with chapatti (preferably) or brown rice.
When it comes to food for senior citizens, moderation is key to a healthy diet. If you feel like snacking during the day, go for dry fruits like almonds, walnuts, nuts and seeds, fruits with yoghurt or curd (except high-sugar fruits like mango and banana), or salad foods like baby carrots. Healthy snacking will make it easier for you to stick to your diet and meet nutrition requirements without stocking up on calories.
Meal Planning
It is easy to get overwhelmed when you are flooded with choices, or end up frustrated when you know what to cook but don’t have the ingredients. The way to avoid both these situations is the same: meal planning. Here’s how to make planning healthy and delicious meals easy.
- Plan in advance. Whether you like to take it one day at a time or prefer to chalk out what you’ll eat for the entire week, just make sure you don’t end up trying to figure out what to cook right before you have to eat.
- Consider preparation time. You will not want to cook a three-course meal every day. It’s exhausting. Plan out some quick yet filling meals for the days you don’t want to go all the way, like vegetable khichdi, whole-grain sandwiches, lemon rice, chillas, etc.
- Find new recipes online. If you’re a little bit tech-savvy, or simply like scrolling through Facebook, finding new, easy-to-make recipes is a piece of cake. It will keep you engaged while keeping your diet healthy and interesting.
- Stick to your budget. Create a shopping list in advance to make sure you have all you need when the food is being prepared.
Food for Senior Citizens: What to Include in Diet
The five main food groups, whole grains, protein, fruits, vegetables, and dairy, should be a part of your regular diet. You need your diet to focus more on protein than carbs. The recommended serving amount for each is as follows:
Grains: A standard serve is 500kJ, or ½ cup (75-120g) cooked rice or porridge, or 1 slice (40g) of bread. Try to consume wholegrain varieties instead of refined or processed ones.
Protein: Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, legumes, beans etc., should amount to 500-600kJ, or 65g cooked meat or two large eggs.
Fruits: A standard serve is 150 grams (350 kJ), for example, a medium apple or a banana.
Vegetables: About 75g (100-350 kJ) of veggies is recommended at one meal time.
Dairy: Low-fat dairy is good for your bones and teeth. An intake of 500-600 kJ, or a cup of milk, or ¾ cup yoghurt is the recommended quantity.
Foods to Avoid for Old People
With old age, digestion often gets difficult and slow. These are the food for senior citizens you should steer clear of to keep yourself fit as you age:
Processed foods: These have high sodium that can elevate blood pressure and directly impact your heart.
Caffeine: Coffee, soda, or other aerated drinks overstimulate the nervous system and can disrupt your sleep cycle. These beverages often contain sugar, which can lead to number of health complications.
Meat and alcohol: Meat is high in saturated fats and can shoot up cholesterol levels. Alcohol can weaken the nervous system and cause damage to your heart.
Oily food: Fried food, bakery food, etc., are high in transfats and bad for your heart health.
Remember that every meal is an opportunity to provide your body with maximum nutrition, even if you don’t feel like eating. Ask for help with shopping for groceries and meal preparation if you need it.
Quick Tips: Common Health Conditions and Foods That Help
There are health matters that can make having a normal diet a bit complicated, so here are some food for senior citizens that can help.
Limited mobility: If you’re on bed rest or cannot exercise much, increase the intake of protein and vitamin D. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to muscle loss and weaker bones, increasing your chances of falls and injury.
Arthritis: Fish oil helps with arthritis. Eat fish once or twice a week, or ask your doctor about taking supplements.
Constipation: Include plenty of fibre in your diet, like wholegrain cereals, fruits, dried fruit, etc., to keep your bowels active. Drink lots of water.
Heart problems: Avoid foods with saturated and trans fats, empty calories, red meat, etc. Instead include seasonal fruits and vegetables in your diet.
Challenges to Eating Healthy for Seniors
Despite wanting to, you may find it difficult to maintain a healthy diet plan. This can happen for several reasons:
- Having to live alone
- The difficulty of moving around
- Health does not permit you to cook
- Medicines can affect your taste buds, take away your appetite, make your mouth dry
- Problems chewing or swallowing
If you’re looking for ways to overcome these challenges, we can help. At Samarth, we are dedicated to making your ageing graceful and your life easier. Get in touch today!
