Guide For older adults Diets

 Healthy eating for older adults

As you get older, it’s important you continue to eat well. Changes in your body result in lower energy (calorie) requirements. It is therefore important to reduce portion sizes if activity is low, and to cut down on sugary snacks such as cakes and buns.

What to eat

The Eatwell guide is used to show the different types of foods commonly eaten and the proportions that are recommended to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.

No single food provides all the nutrients you need, so it's important to include a wide variety of foods in the diet.

Five main food groups:

fruit and vegetables

potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy foods

dairy and alternatives

beans, pulses, fish, eggs and other proteins

oils and spreads

Minerals and vitamins

You should try to make sure you are getting the right amount of certain vitamins. The following minerals and vitamins are important in the later years of life.

Calcium

Osteoporosis is a major health issue for older people, particularly women.This is where bone density reduces and so the risk of fractures increases. Good sources of calcium are dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. Choose lower-fat varieties when you can. Calcium is also found in canned fish with bones, such as sardines. Other sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables (such as broccoli, cabbage and spinach), soya beans and tofu.

 Iron

You should eat plenty of iron-rich foods to help keep up your body's store of iron,The best source of iron is red meat. It can also be found in:

 pulses (such as peas, beans and lentils)

oily fish such as sardines

eggs

bread

green vegetables

breakfast cereals with added vitamins

Vitamin C

Foods and drinks rich in vitamin C will help the body absorb iron, so you could have some fruit or vegetables or a glass of fruit juice with an iron-rich meal.

Fruit, especially citrus fruit, green vegetables, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes are all good sources of vitamin C.

 Vitamin A

Having too much vitamin A (more than 1.5mg of vitamin A every day, from food or supplements) might increase the risk of bone fracture.

Liver is a rich source of vitamin A, so you should avoid eating liver or liver products such as pâté more than once a week, or you could eat smaller portions.

 

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for everyone, to help develop and maintain healthy bones, teeth and muscles.

 You get vitamin D from three main sources:

 sunlight

food

Vitamin D supplements

During the summer months most people will usually get enough vitamin D from sunlight, so you may choose not to take a supplement over the summer months (late March/ April to the end of September). 

If a person is confined indoors for long periods then they will need a daily supplement of ten micrograms of vitamin D because their skin is not exposed to sunlight to make vitamin D.

 For older adults, vitamin D with added calcium may be recommended by healthcare staff to protect bone health and guard against osteoporosis.

 Potassium

As you get older, your kidneys become less able to remove potassium from your blood. You should avoid taking potassium supplements unless on medical advice.

 

Folic acid

Foods containing folic acid help maintain good health in older age. Good sources are green vegetables and brown rice, as well as bread and breakfast cereals that have vitamins added.

Folic acid

Foods containing folic acid help maintain good health in older age.

Good sources are:

 green vegetables

brown rice

bread

breakfast cereals that have vitamins added

What to drink

It's very important to make sure you’re drinking enough. Your body needs plenty of fluid to work properly and to help stop you getting constipation.

 Aim to drink about six to eight glasses of water, or other fluids, every day to stop you getting dehydrated.

When the weather is warm or when you get active, your body is likely to need more than this.