10 healthy diet for the elderly The diet and nutrition intake of the elderly need special attention. According to the physiological characteristics and nutritional needs of the elderly, nutrition experts summarized the following 10 dietary principles applicable to the elderly, which can be used as a reference for arranging the diet of elderly parents. Let the elderly at home eat healthily while enjoying delicious food. 1. Because of poor chewing and swallowing ability, the elderly who supplement nutrition with snacks often can't eat much at one meal and eat for a long time. In order to make the elderly get enough calories and nutrition every day, nutritionists suggest that the elderly should eat 5-6 meals a day, and prepare some simple snacks between meals, such as low-fat milk soaked biscuits (or nutritious oatmeal), low-fat milk oatmeal, or bean curd, soybean milk and eggs, or you can mix small pieces of fruit or fruit paste with yogurt. 2. Replacing some animals with bean products Middle-aged and elderly people in protein must limit their meat intake, and some protein sources should be replaced by beans and bean products (such as tofu and soybean milk). In the diet of the elderly, each dinner should contain at least170g of high-quality protein (such as lean meat, fish, eggs, tofu, etc. Vegetarians should get high-quality protein from beans and nuts (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, etc.). Add vegetables to the staple food and cook together. In order to facilitate the elderly to chew, try to choose soft vegetables, such as tomatoes, loofah, melons, pumpkins, eggplant and green leafy vegetables, and cut them into small pieces or plane them into filaments before cooking. If the elderly usually take porridge or noodle soup as their staple food, they can add 1-2 kinds of vegetables to cook together every time, and ensure that they eat at least 500 grams of vegetables every day. Eating 350 grams of fruit every day is a food that the elderly often ignore. Some soft fruits, such as bananas, watermelons, peaches, papayas, mangoes and kiwis, are very suitable for the elderly. You can slice the fruit or scrape it into mud with a spoon to eat. If you want to make juice, you must pay attention to controlling the amount. You can add some water to dilute it when making juice. 5. Studies on vitamin B supplementation in recent years have gradually shown that vitamin B is closely related to cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, cataracts, brain function degradation (cognition and memory) and mental health that the elderly are prone to. No matter getting sick, taking medicine or after surgery, it will cause a lot of loss of vitamin B. Therefore, for the sick elderly, special attention should be paid to vitamin B supplementation. Raw grains and nuts are rich in vitamin B, so when preparing three meals for the elderly, you might as well add some brown rice and germ. Cook porridge with white rice, or you can put a small amount of nuts into a blender and break them into powder, then add oatmeal to cook oatmeal. 6. Limit the intake of oil and fat. The fat intake of the elderly should be mainly vegetable oil, avoiding fat and animal fat (lard and butter) and frying and cooking food less. In addition, desserts and cakes are also high in fat, so try not to let the elderly eat such high-fat snacks. It is best to take turns to eat polyunsaturated fats (such as corn oil and sunflower oil) and monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil and peanut oil) in order to absorb various fatty acids in a balanced way. 7. Add less salt, monosodium glutamate and soy sauce, and make good use of other seasoning methods. Old people who are insensitive to taste often feel dull when eating. When food comes up, it is easy to ingest too much sodium and bury the hidden danger of high blood pressure. You can make more use of some fragrant vegetables, such as parsley, mushrooms and onions to scramble eggs or cook soup and porridge. Using white vinegar, fruit vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice or pineapple can also change the taste of food. Some Chinese herbal medicines, such as strong-smelling angelica, cinnamon, spiced, star anise or sweet wolfberry and red dates, can replace salt or soy sauce, and their rich taste is helpful to improve the appetite of the elderly. 8. Eat less spicy food. Although spicy spices can arouse appetite, it is easy for the elderly to eat more of these foods, which may lead to imbalance of water and electrolytes in the body, thirst, anger and poor sleep, so it is recommended to eat less. 9. Add more water during the day. Many elderly people don't drink much water all day because they are worried about urinary incontinence or frequent toilet trips at night. In fact, we should encourage the elderly to drink more boiled water during the day, or make some herbal tea (try not to put sugar) to change their taste, but drink less sugary drinks. Reduce water intake after meals to avoid going to the toilet at night and affecting sleep. 10. There is a great difference between the elderly who take multivitamin supplements every day and take them for a long time, so the nutrients that everyone needs to supplement are also very different. It is the most basic and safe way to strengthen nutrition for the elderly to take multivitamin supplements every day, especially vitamin B supplementation, antioxidant vitamins C and E, calcium for maintaining bones, zinc for enhancing immunity, etc. Don't take high-dose single supplements without authorization, especially fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E. If you eat too much, it will accumulate in the body and even cause toxicity. Among many factors that affect the health and longevity of the elderly, reasonable nutrition is one of the most important factors. Experts put forward the following principles for the healthy diet of the elderly: the diet structure should be vegetarian and mixed, mainly vegetarian. In the proportion of nutrients in the three heat sources, carbohydrates account for 79% of the total heat energy, mainly supplied by rice, wheat and miscellaneous grains; Lipids account for 20%, mainly vegetable oils containing unsaturated fatty acids such as soybean oil, peanut oil, corn oil and sesame oil. Protein accounts for 10%, and per kilogram of body weight 1g is appropriate. There must be animal protein provided by meat, fish, eggs and milk. Soybean and its products are rich in high-quality protein and calcium, so you should eat more. Due to the decline of liver and kidney function in the elderly, it is not advisable to eat high-protein food excessively, let alone overeat. The metabolic function of the elderly is reduced and physical activity is less. The daily calorie intake should meet the physiological needs of the human body, about 2000 kilocalories, with 89% full and 70% full for each meal. First, advocate the matching of food thickness. Because the gastrointestinal function of the elderly is weakened and their teeth are not good, it is necessary to choose digestible foods to ensure their digestion and absorption, and pay attention to the fact that the staple food processing should not be too fine to prevent the loss of a large number of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. Coarse grains and fruits and vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which can increase intestinal peristalsis and prevent constipation. In particular, soluble dietary fiber can improve the metabolism of blood sugar and blood lipid, which is beneficial to prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer in the elderly. B, reasonably supplement nutrition to improve the body's metabolic ability. Adequate vitamins and trace elements can strengthen the functions of various metabolic enzymes. Vitamins E, C and carotene, in particular, have a strong antioxidant effect, can remove harmful free radicals, prevent and reduce cell damage, and play a role in delaying aging. Such as rape, vegetables, mustard, cauliflower, radish, carrot, dandelion and potato. These vegetables are rich in potassium, vitamins and many minerals. Coriander, shepherd's purse and celery, in particular, can not only relieve constipation, help digestion and enhance gastrointestinal peristalsis, but also eliminate gas accumulation and putrefaction in the stomach, and are the three major protected vegetables of lettuce. Kelp is indispensable in the diet of the elderly. Kelp, also known as kelp, is a dark brown seaweed plant. Kelp itself is rich in nutrition, which not only contains a lot of iodine, but also contains essential nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and cellulose. Regular consumption of kelp by the elderly can increase human intestinal peristalsis and effectively prevent senile constipation. Kelp can also lower blood pressure, treat dyspepsia and dysuria, and has a good health care function for the elderly to get rid of diseases, strengthen the body and prolong life. Peanut, sesame and walnut are three kinds of nutritious foods that nourish and protect the brain of the elderly. Peanut contains catechin, sesame contains vitamin E, and walnut contains minerals such as phosphorus, iron and zinc, which has a certain curative effect on dizziness and memory loss of the elderly and can also slow down the decline of brain function of the elderly. The preferred food is milk, soybean and its products. The aging of human body begins with the oxidation of lipid in body cells, and the nutritional components of soybean itself are the most antioxidant and effective in daily food. Therefore, regular consumption of soybean food can inhibit the oxidation of cell lipids and resist human aging. Such as soybean milk, soybean milk, bean powder, tofu, stinky tofu and bean paste. When the nutrition of daily diet is not properly adjusted, many elderly people will have loss of appetite, even premature hair turning white, tooth loss and osteoporosis. This is because the body of the elderly is in a state of low cholesterol for a long time, and the body cannot carry out normal metabolism. Therefore, eating less fat regularly after long-term cooking is beneficial to the health of the elderly. You can also refine the fat into lard, extracting a little less at a time. It is best to fry in clear oil. Because lard contains a nutrient that can prolong life, it can prevent coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease. If you can buy some pig bones from time to time, it is best to break them and drink them in boiled soup, because bone soup can relieve osteoporosis in the elderly, prevent muscle contracture and knee pain, and prevent human aging.