6 Ways Seniors Can Improve their Diet

Eating a healthy and balanced diet is important for anyone. However, as you get older, it is particularly vital to seniors.

Good nutrition gives you energy, improves the healing of wounds and preserves your muscle and bone mass. In addition, it also helps to prevent a range of conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

In short, the better the quality of food you eat, the more it will improve your overall health and well-being.

However, if you aren’t the most proficient of people in the kitchen or you have conditions that prevent you from cooking as freely as you would like to, it can be difficult to consume the healthy diet experts recommend.

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are six ways seniors can improve their diet.

Embrace a ready meal service

If you are not the most accomplished cook or if preparing meals can be a difficult task for you to complete, it is worth ordering from a ready meal service.

These companies provide you with a range of meals or meal-kits that you either simply heat up in the oven or microwave or cook to instruction. They tend to incorporate a wide range of food genres from good old Aussie staples to more adventurous Indian, Thai and Mexico dishes, which you can choose according to your taste.

There are many ready meal services on the market, each with an attractive USP. For example, FoodSt offer authentic, home cooked dishes specifically targeting NDIS and Home Care Package (HCP) recipients. So, find the one that most appeals to you and enjoy the convenience it brings.

Eat a balanced diet

If you would rather not engage the services of a meal delivery company and prefer to prepare your own meals, it is important you eat a healthy diet.

According to Health Direct, you should eat foods from the five food groups. Namely, vegetables, fruits, protein foods, grains and dairy.

This is important because each of them provides your body with vital nutrients it needs. For instance, legumes and vegetables are rich in minerals, vitamins and dietary fibre, while dairy products give you calcium, protein and vitamins.

Try to incorporate some elements of each food group in your diet throughout the diet. The more balanced you can make it, the healthier you will be.

Cut out junk food

As tasty, convenient and cheap as they might be, ‘junk’ foods are so called for a reason – because they have little in the way of nutritional value.

Also known as ‘empty calorie’ foods, they are usually high in refined carbohydrates, added sugars, saturated fat, calories and sodium. Some common examples are fast foods, chocolate bars, pastries, lollies and sugary soft drinks.

When you consume these types of foods, they tend to have a negative impact on blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Over a prolonged period, it could result in issues such as obesity, inflammation, poor heart health and digestion.

Therefore, it is best to reduce your intake of them or better still, give them a completely wide berth.

Reduce coffee and alcohol consumption

We are not trying to be the fun police here, but it is a medical fact that older Australians can improve their diets just by reducing their consumption of coffee and alcohol.

Unfortunately, both of these beverages might have a different effect on us than they did in our younger days. For example, excessive consumption of alcohol can raise blood pressure, negatively affect sleep patterns, trigger hypoglycemia in those prone to diabetes and cause issues with certain medications.

Similarly, too much coffee can increase your heart rate, which might be potentially fatal for seniors afflicted with a heart condition.

Try to limit yourself to one alcoholic drink or coffee a day if you can’t face the thought of giving it up.

Eat three meals a day

While many seniors might not feel like it, eating three square meals a day is very important.

Recently, a scientific study by IOWA state university confirmed that eating three meals a day can help older people maintain their core muscle strength.

As you age, the body breaks protein down at a much faster rate than it did when you were younger. So, it is important to manage this by eating a breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If you don’t, you could be susceptible to nutrition risks such as medical conditions, health problems or dietary deficiencies that can have negative impacts on your health.

Aim for 2,000 calories a day

Calories are a specific measurement that highlights the amount of energy we get from any give food and drink we consume.

It is important to note that not all calories are the same. Good calories are basically anything from the five main food groups while bad calories are the ones with no nutritional value from fast or highly processed foods.

However, we all need to consume a certain number of calories a day to enable our bodies to perform properly.

Ideally, males over the age of 70 should consume at least 2,000 calories daily if they lead an inactive life (2,600 if they are active). For women of that age, it’s more like 1,600 and 2,000, respectively).

To get you started, here are some delicious and nutritious soft food ideas.