The right foods for your health can change as you age. As a child, you need more food to fuel your growth and give you the right amount of energy for the day. Seniors require less food as their activity levels decrease and their digestion begins to slow. There are plenty of healthy eating tips for seniors to improve their physical and mental health that you can begin today. Nutrition counseling can help seniors who have questions about the right types of food to benefit their health and wellness the most.Â
At Baptist Retirement Community, we provide our residents with healthy and nutritious meals prepared daily by our culinary experts. We provide meal plans based on any dietary or medical restrictions. In addiction, we offer cooking demonstrations for residents who enjoy cooking for themselves. If you are interested in learning more healthy eating tips for seniors, call 325.313.7931 today to speak with our staff and schedule a tour to visit our senior living community.
Healthy Foods for Seniors
While you may enjoy the taste of sweets and other comfort foods, your digestive system does not. As we age, our muscles lose some of their elasticity and take longer to recover. This goes for your digestion as well. The muscles in your esophagus, stomach lining, and colon will slow down and take longer to digest completely.Â
Seniors who eat a poor diet may experience:
- Fatigue
- Brittle and dry hair
- Rigid or spoon-shaped nails
- Angular cheilitis
- Swollen tongue
- Diarrhea
- Irritability
- Lack of appetite
At Baptist Retirement Community, our experienced chefs provide a wide-ranging menu that includes healthy meals for seniors and healthy snacks and seasonal favorites. If you need a special diet, we will work with you to create a delicious meal plan based on your specific needs.Â
5 Healthy Eating Tips for Seniors
Healthy foods for seniors can do more than just fill your belly and give you energy. In fact, certain foods can help improve your mood, digestion and increase your mental clarity. Here are five healthy eating tips for seniors that you can follow:
- Drink plenty of water. Seniors should try to drink a minimum of seven cups of water per day to avoid dehydration. By getting plenty of water, you avoid serious complications such as urinary tract infection, kidney stones, and kidney failure.
- Eat lean protein, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables. Lean meat, eggs, fish, and beans are all excellent protein sources. For carbohydrates, try brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Try spinach, kale, arugula, or dandelion greens for the healthiest leafy greens.Â
- Avoid extra sugar and salt. Salt can improve the taste of certain foods, but it can have negative consequences if you eat too much. Diets high in sodium can lead to high blood pressure and stroke. Sugar has zero nutritional value, and recent research from the Mayo Clinic suggests that sugar intake can slow your cognitive ability.Â
- Use seasonings and spices. There are plenty of health benefits to be enjoyed by adding various spices to your diet. For example, capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, has anti-inflammatory properties. Other beneficial spices that you can add to any dish include cinnamon, basil, garlic, and turmeric.
- Eat healthy fats. Adding healthy fats to your diet is very beneficial for seniors. They can lower blood pressure and slow the buildup of plaque. Some examples of healthy fats include avocados, dark chocolate, and nuts.Â
Baptist Retirement Community has Plenty of Healthy Eating Tips for Seniors
At Baptist Retirement Community, we provide residents with healthy eating tips for seniors from our nutrition experts. We can prepare healthy meals for seniors or show you how to prepare them yourself if you still like to cook. In addition to nutritious meals, our senior living community also provides:
- Short-term rehabilitation therapy
- Respite care
- Memory care
- Skilled nursing care
- Health and wellness programs
Call our friendly and knowledgeable staff today at 325.313.7931 for more information about healthy eating tips for seniors.