Why Health and Nutrition are Important as you Age

Health and Nutrition are known to interact with the process of aging in many ways. Nutrition problems of the aged people are increased due to susceptibility to chronic disease, decreased organ function which may affect digestion and absorption, metabolism, and excretion of nutrients foods. 80% of people over 65 of age suffer from at least one chronic disease where nutrition is an important factor on there prevention and recuperation from the old age disease.

Fat & Caloric need change with aging of body due to a greater percentage of body fat and lower percentage of lean muscle. Reduced activity can cause further decreases in calories. The challenge is to meet the same nutrient needs as when younger but consuming fewer calories. The answer to this is to choose nutrient dense foods. Protein needs are not thought to change for the aged people, although protein requirements may vary due to restrictions or disease.

To reduce the overall fat content in the diet of an elderly person is reasonable , it is eating no more than 30% of daily calories from fat is desirable. Carbohydrate intake should comprise 60% of the calories. Emphasis should be placed on complex carbohydrate. Glucose tolerance decreases with age and lower refined carb intake puts less stress on your body. Dietary fiber intake is also recommended , and with adequate fluid intake you can achieve normal bowel function. Fiber is also thought to reduce inflammation of the intestines. Veggies, fruits , grain products, cereals, seeds, legumes, and nuts are all good sources of dietary fiber.

The most important and essential functions is water. Sufficient water intake reduced stress on the function of kidneys, which kidney function tends to decline with aging. Consumption of 6-9 glasses of water every day can be beneficial. Aged people do not realize that they are thirsty and can easily become dehydrate and water intake should automatically occur and should not wait till you feel thirsty next time. It is important that diets planned for the elderly have proper fluid intake.

In old days, as the body ages food may not seem as appetizing or smell as appealing due to loss of smell and taste. If an elderly person is told to cut down on salt or sugar food may not be as good because they need extras for taste. Loss of vision may impair cooking with aging. An old aged person may not know how to read food prices or stickers, nutrition labels or may forget how to cook or have fear to cook. These losses are not usually complete but may affect one's ability to eat healthy.

There is a need for electrolytes, sodium, and potassium can be altered in the elderly when drugs are used to control certain diseases such as hypertension or heart disease and diet should be modified to fit those needs. The fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the body and usually it is thought that the elderly are at lower risk of fat soluble vitamin deficiencies. There is a risk of vitamin A toxicity and vitamin D deficiency due to low intake of dairy products. Of all the minerals iron and calcium intakes have been reported to be low in many elderly. Eating a wide selection of foods, including calcium rich foods and low fat diary products is the best advice as it is Nutrition Facts.

Assessments of nutrition are often done by health care providers because it can help to determine is symptoms a patient has is a nutritional deficiency. Overall for any age group, selecting foods from a wide variety which can be eaten and enjoyed is what is important.