Nutrition as we age

As we get older, it’s important to look at our nutrition and how it will affect our health. Eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even some cancers.

Equally important is to recognise the joy that comes from a good food experience. We’ve all heard the saying ‘food is fuel’ but we also need good food to feed our souls.

Go with your gut

When we think about ageing, one of the biggest things to remember is that it begins on the inside. Our gut microbiome, the ecosystem of trillions of microbes that live in our body, is what we need to be thinking about. When we keep our gut happy, we keep the rest of our body happy and healthy.

It’s believed that gut health becomes more important as we get older because our gut helps us to digest everything we consume so we get the maximum nutrients from our food.

It also keeps our immune system strong. Good gut health will help to regulate your immune system and keep nasties at bay.

Gut health is an emerging area of research however it’s believed there are connections between the gut and mental health, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and even some types of cancer.

Anti-inflammatory foods

Anti-inflammatory foods are important as we age. If our immune systems are struggling, we may become more prone to injury and disease. Some inflammation is a normal response that occurs when we’re healing. However, persistent inflammation can attack our immune system and become destructive.

If you or your loved one is struggling with continual stress, a poor diet or an over-exposure to environmental toxins, these can cause an unhealthy level of inflammation in the body.

To help avoid persistent inflammation, you can make simple changes to your diet by including more anti-inflammatory foods every day. Some examples include:

Whole grains, including brown rice, barley and quinoa
Fatty fish, including salmon, which is rich in omega 3 fatty acids
Healthy fats, including avocados, beans, nuts, seeds and olive oil
Spices, including ginger, turmeric and cinnamon
Vegetarian-friendly options, such as tofu, tempeh, edamame and various plant and nut milks

Finding new inspiration in the kitchen

Has your loved one mentioned they don’t enjoy cooking anymore? Many older people lose this enthusiasm for cooking, particularly when they’re cooking for one.

It’s also important that you and your loved one not only get enough nutrition but also enjoy the flavour of food, so it brings pleasure to your day. One way to do this is to make mealtimes a social and enjoyable occasion.

Here are some to help your loved one find the fun in cooking and eating again.

Make it a social occasion. Even if you’re living alone, invite friends or family round for regular meals. This doesn’t mean you always have to cook for everyone, which can get stressful and expensive. Instead, suggest that everyone brings along a dish to share. That way, you get to try a variety of things in one meal.
Spend time planning new recipes to try. Whether you pull old cookbooks off your bookshelf or go searching for recipes online, find something new to try out so you’re not always old favourites. Your taste buds will thank you.
Try a new place to shop. Instead of heading to the same supermarket for your weekly grocery shopping, try venturing into a specialist grocer to get some new food inspiration. From an Asian grocer to the local farmers’ markets, you may find that ingredients are much cheaper and you get something new to try out.

Are you worried about a loved one?

If you’re looking after a loved one, what are the most common signs that they might not be getting adequate nutrition from their food?

Clear signs of unintentional weight loss like clothes slipping off or belts being more tight than usual. This could increase the risk of worsening health
Reduced appetite and interest in food and drink
Dental issues like dentures becoming loose or losing teeth
Wounds that are slow to heal
Slower walking speed or weakening of grip strength can indicate nutritional deficiencies such as not enough protein or carbohydrates to provide energy
Increased falls or fractures which may be because of nutritional deficiencies
Becoming more tired more often

How do you make sure you or your loved one is eating enough of the right nutrients?

Make sure every meal your and your loved one eats is full of colourful vegetables, a lean source of protein (i.e. meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts/seeds) and some complex carbohydrate (i.e. minimally processed grains/cereals and beans/lentils).

It’s really important to look after your immune system, but there is no single food that can do this. Foods such as densely coloured vegetables and fruits that are rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals, iron, zinc, selenium or vitamins A, B, C, D or E, and foods rich in monosaturated or polysaturated fats all greatly support immune function.