“Healthy food choices for the elderly must be high in nutrition but low in calories.” “The elderly need to eat a variety of nutritious foods to ensure their nutritional needs are met.”

As you get older, it is important to continue to eat healthy foods. However, a person’s nutritional needs when they are elderly (elderly) may be slightly different when they were young.

So, as you age, your metabolism slows down. That’s why the elderly need fewer calories than before. However, the body also needs more of certain nutrients.

Well, by eating the right nutritious foods, the elderly can have a healthy body and mind, and a lower risk for various diseases. Come on, see what healthy foods are good for the elderly here.

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Healthy Food Choices for the Elderly

Elderly people are encouraged to eat nutrient-rich foods with low calories. In addition, the elderly also need to eat a variety of nutritious foods to ensure their nutritional needs are met. Here are good healthy food choices for the elderly:

1. Lean protein

To get enough protein throughout the day and to maintain muscle strength, older people need to eat lean protein. Examples include lean red meat, fish and shellfish, eggs, nuts and seeds.

In addition to providing protein intake, healthy foods, such as red meat, eggs and fatty fish can also provide the elderly with iron intake which is important for blood formation in the body.

2. Fruits and vegetables

Seniors also need to eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Healthy food for the elderly can provide vitamins and minerals that are important for their body’s health.

For example, fruits, especially oranges, green leafy vegetables, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes are good sources of vitamin C which is important for strong immunity, and helps the body absorb iron better.

While green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and spinach can provide calcium intake which is important to prevent osteoporosis in the elderly.

3. Whole Grains

Other healthy foods for the elderly are whole grains, such as brown rice, oatmeal, whole grain breads and pastas. Not only low in calories, these foods are also rich in fiber which is important for the digestive health of the elderly. Eating fiber-rich foods can prevent them from constipation and other digestive problems. Soluble fiber is also important for maintaining healthy cholesterol levels in the elderly.

4. Low-fat milk and its alternatives

Milk is also an important drink for the elderly because it can provide calcium intake which is important for the health of the elderly. Choose milk or dairy products such as cheese, which are low in fat.

In addition, soy milk or rice milk that has been fortified by vitamin D is also a healthy food choice for the elderly. This is because vitamin D is an important mineral as you age.

Those are some healthy food choices for the elderly. However, meeting the nutritional needs of food sometimes feels difficult, especially if they have to avoid certain foods.

So, ask your doctor if you need to take a vitamin or mineral supplement, such as calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, or vitamin B-12. The reason is that these specific vitamins are often poorly absorbed or insufficiently consumed by parents.

Be careful, some supplements can interfere with certain medications. So, make sure you ask your doctor or pharmacist about potential side effects before starting a new supplement.