As we age our needs change especially when it comes to food – how much we can eat and what kinds of food we can cope with. The latest figures produced by AgeUK explain that not only do more than a million over-65s suffer from malnutrition but that a Malnutrition Task Force, comprising of NHS Trusts, GPs, hospitals and care homes, has been set up to combat the issue.
Luckily those who receive live-in care are protected because they are cared for by staff who can help with the preparation and cooking of meals. This means that they can ensure the elderly people in their care are eating properly.
For those with health problems such as diabetes, heart disease or mental health issues it means that they can get the specialised nutritional requirements they need to stay well and healthy.
Eat At Least One Hot Meal Every Day
Colder temperatures raise the risk of flu, high blood pressure, heart attack and respiratory problems. This is why it’s so important to eat and drink well with a good variety of foods in your diet. This must include your 5-a-day of fruit and vegetables. Tinned fruit and vegetables are useful staples and count towards your 5-a-day.
Good ‘winter warmers’ to keep in your cupboards and freezer include tinned soups and ready-made casseroles which you can cook from frozen. Get plenty of warm drinks during the day. As well as the usual teas and coffees why not try ginger tea or turmeric tea? These are said to contain properties that can help to keep you warm. If you have any medical issues always ask a nurse or GP for advice on this before you try them.
Breakfast is Important
As you get older you may feel that you can’t eat as much as before. Medications and lower activity levels can all affect your appetite. However according to the Live-in Care Hub an older person will need more protein and fibre in order to combat muscle loss and aid digestion.
Breakfast could consist of things like porridge made with whole milk, which is high in fibre, or eggs whether poached or boiled to help with your protein intake.
How to Eat Healthily If You’ve Lost Your Appetite
The NHS emphasises the importance to older people of maintaining a healthy weight but this can be harder if you’ve no appetite. The advice is to eat smaller portions rather than one large meal and eat plenty of snacks. Milky puddings and cheesy snacks are a good way to increase your calorie intake without the feeling of eating too much. High energy foods like sardines or peanut butter on toast, dried fruit, unsalted nuts or beans with cheese can also help to boost calorie intake without too much weight gain.
Quick and Easy Recipes
Healthy, nutritious food doesn’t necessarily have to take long to prepare and cook. Easy recipes like vegetable and noodle soup, cottage pie or beef casserole can be prepared and cooked by your live-in carer. These can be wonderfully warming in colder weather – there’s a reason they call it comfort food!
