AGING is a natural process, one’s physical growth is completed by early adulthood, after which the cells and body tissues are in changing state where the process of catabolism is more accelerated than the process of anabolism. Aging is majorly divided into three phases, Young Adulthood, Middle Adulthood, and Old adulthood, whose age bars differ are (18-40 ), 40-60 years, and 60 to 80 and above respectively.
Indian diet plan for the elderly helps in keeping up with all these phases and providing complete nourishment to the body to prevent major medical conditions that your body easily falls prey to in old age.
In the younger adulthood, one is very much inclined towards, keeping up with his career-related responsibilities, family life, and balancing the two, which calls for a higher level of stress in one’s life.
In middle adulthood, the person, steps towards his later years of life where his kids are grown, they have their challenges, their circle to socialize, and less interaction with the parents. During this time, the feeling of emptiness, loneliness, depression, emotional setback is what hits the man.
In the last category of this division, older Adults, face what their body and their life have kept for them at the later stage of their life cycle. More depression, more stress, feeling lonely and aloof is what is generally been felt by the person.
Moreover, the kids are later engrossed with their own families and then our well-experienced gems are restricted to 4 walled rooms of their house. This 4 walled room not only constrains their existence also their experience, their emotions, and each essential breath.
Biological changes during this stage
With the increased age of a person, his basic physiological functions of the body reduce its ability over time, like there is a cell loss as well as reduced cell metabolism. The other changes that we witness are decreased digestive juices, decreased mobility of the gastrointestinal tract, and less absorption as well as utilization of nutrients.
INDIAN DIET PLAN FOR ELDERLY helps in treating these conditions well and maintains the overall health of the body.
What Problems come with the aging process?
- Increased fat percentage in the body
- Reduced lean body mass
- Low appetite
- Reduced physical activity due to joint pains, rigidity in the joints
- Mental instability- depression, poor memory, emotional trauma
- One of the medical condition like diabetes, Blood Pressure, kidney-related issues,
- Impaired vision, smell, hearing, poor teeth, ill-fitting dentures
All these demands for a low-calorie nutrient-dense diet regimen.
The Complication In the old age Life cycle
There are a set of challenges that our experienced gems commonly develop, that burdens their body and as a result, depletes their body to recover or reverse it well.
1. Obesity
Obesity and overweight are the big cause of all the further health concerns that people develop in their old age. The major reason behind being obese is those unchanged food habits that are surrounded by too much processed foods, unhealthy fat intake and led to an increase in those extra kilos and stubborn flabby flesh around the whole body. So, it becomes essential to cut down on calorie intake and introduction to many other important nutrients to maintain a good composition of the body.
2. Diabetes Mellitus
The increased sugar levels in blood and urine due to the inadequate supply of insulin in the body is known as diabetes mellitus. This is a dangerous condition that results in adversely impacting many systems of the body. This condition is majorly controlled by medication, weight loss, and dietary modifications.
INDIAN DIET PLAN FOR ELDERLY helps in maintaining the blood glucose levels and keeping up a healthy pancreas.
3. Concerns related to Digestive System
People with growing age lose their teeth; therefore chewing food becomes difficult for them. Due to this, they face many issues relating to their gut like constipation, acidity, gastric issues, and loose stools.
4. Anemia
In old age, people usually get nutritional anemia that is the cause of deficiency of folic acid, iron, protein, B12, vitamin C.
5. Hypertension
Increased fat, stress, depression, bad food habits generally make old age people get the issue of high blood pressure levels. With this persistent increase in BP levels, heart health gets affected resulting in a heart attack.
6. Joint Pains
Commonly witnessed the condition of joint and bone pain in old aged people. Vitamin D and calcium deficiency is the most seen reason behind joint pains. Correct supplementation and inclusion of natural sources of calcium and vitamin D help in treating this condition.
7. Constipation
The major reason behind constipation in old age is less intake of fiber or roughage. It is also caused due to a heavy dosage of medicines or certain medications. The easy way out to get off this gut issue is a good fiber intake, adequate water intake, and moderate physical activity.
Indian diet plan for elderly
Diet and nutrition have become a strong area of work to manage all the challenges been faced in old age. Along with the correct percentage of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, it becomes essential to consume some necessary micros that can help in the betterment of the immune system, digestive system, nervous system, cardiovascular system as well as excretory system. Below is a brief on all the nutritional demands one should take care of in the Geriatric group.
The calorie intake of the Indian Diet Plan for the elderly would depend on the physical activity one does regularly. Also, it is generally recommended to have fewer calories once the person has an advanced age due to a lower basal metabolic rate and reduced exercise levels.
Carbohydrates being the primary source of energy to the body need to cover 50-60 % of the total calorie intake, in which refined sugars should be restricted as it helps in adding to the deposited fat in the body, as well as triggers the blood sugar levels in our elderly relatives.
INDIAN DIET PLAN FOR ELDERLY is commonly enriched with a good percentage of carbohydrates all through the day, so it is recommended to include whole grains, millets in the diet, basically more fiber to meet up this intake for each day. As the diet plan for the elderly will have much dietary fiber that would help to maintain the bowel movement of the body and strengthen the immune system.
Protein is an essential macro that majorly helps the information of the cells in old age and also the lost muscle mass in the body. The diet plan for the elderly should include 15-20% of protein intake in the form of eggs, chicken, dairy products, soya, legumes, pulses, lentils.
The protein in the diet not only manages muscular repair also helps in kick-starting the basal metabolic rate and maintaining the HB levels in the body. It is important to note that giving specific types of protein should be gut-friendly in the case of the elderly.
Fats, as much aware we are, should be included in the diet in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated forms. Intake of good fatty acids helps in maintaining neuron functioning, cell communication, organ functioning, fight antibodies, and maintain the health of joints as well as better absorption of many compounds and vitamins in the body.
Essential vitamins and minerals recommended in diet plan for elderly
Vitamin D, A, B12, calcium, and Iron are some of the most important micros one should never fall back to consume in his old age years. Vitamin D and calcium, in combination help to mineralize the bones and maintain the density of bones and joints.
Vitamin A on the other hand works to help maintain eyesight in our later years of life. Vitamin A and D, being fat-soluble vitamins need good fat to get them absorbed well and store in the body.
Vitamin B12 helps to maintain the DNA, nerve cells work properly, and also keep up with the red blood cells formation. Due to chronic problems with the gut, like severe acidity, chronic constipation, and decreased digestive juices with time the body is unable to retain the B12 vitamin reserves. Therefore, it is recommended to include vitamin B12 in the form of fermented foods, greens, seafood in the diet to better the formation of blood cells.
Iron is another mostly ignored mineral that helps in fighting anemia issues and better oxygen to the body. Include darker green leafy veggies in the diet help in keeping up with the Iron stores or ferritin levels in the body to maintain better oxygenation in the body.
Conclusion-
As we know aging is not in control but its better management is. Let’s just make few lifelong changes in dietary habits as well as physical activity routines and give our body what it has been striving for years.
Food and moderate movements help in reducing the aging challenges and certainly give the body better years to survive. Don’t forget the three Rights- Eating Right, Feeling Right and Doing It Right.
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