The older people are, the more they cherish their health. In order to maintain sufficient energy, many elderly people choose to exercise, but there are also some elderly people who are keen to buy various nutritional supplements or health care products. The prices of these products vary, ranging from a few. Ten, as many as thousands. Some people have lost their lives because of this, but their diseases have not been improved at all. The Food and Drug Administration has tested certain health products and found that the main ingredient is honey. Although it does not cause harm to the human body, it hardly causes any disease. treatment effect.
In fact, for many elderly people, the culprit of various diseases may be lack of nutrition, but many middle-aged and elderly people seem to be unaware of this problem. Statistics show that 50%-60% of the elderly in my country have enough protein, vitamin A, zinc and other nutrients, which are far below the recommended amount in the dietary guidelines.
The lack of nutrition in the elderly is prone to "invisible" hazards
When middle-aged and elderly people suffer from lack of nutrition, they may not cause too much harm to the body for a while, just like "dripping water through rocks". Another example is "The Dike of a Thousand Miles Is Destroyed in Ant Nest", the damage is accumulated bit by bit. For example, insufficient protein intake will reduce muscles, and insufficient calcium intake will increase the risk of bone hyperplasia. Insufficient intake of vitamins and other elements will affect people's mood and lead to decreased immunity.
The original physical functions of the elderly are already very poor. If they lack nutrition, they will easily fall into a debilitating state and lose their ability to take care of themselves. All in all, compared to diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other diseases that are highly valued by people, many people are not aware of the various problems caused by nutritional deficiencies.
The three causes of nutritional deficiencies in the elderly cannot be ignored
Generally speaking,The problem of nutritional deficiencies in the elderly is mainly caused by three reasons. In addition to lack of money and unable to buy the food they need, there are two reasons.
First of all, follow the eating habits of your youth. Compared with young people, the elderly have decreased body function and are prone to various chronic diseases, so the nutrients they need are more abundant. However, many elderly people do not have this awareness and still use their young eating habits. For example, the elderly should supplement calcium, , vitamin A and other elements, but in fact many elderly people do not do this.
Secondly, there are relatively few foods available for the elderly on the market. Due to the decline in chewing ability and digestion ability of the elderly, some whole-bought, grain-processed foods are not suitable for the elderly. It can also lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Compared with health products, food is the magic weapon for the elderly to delay aging
In fact, many elderly people also have the awareness of supplementing nutrition, but they choose the wrong direction and place their hopes on various nutritional supplements. And health products, everyone knows that high-quality and cheap food is the magic weapon for the elderly to delay aging, and eating three meals a day on time is much more effective than supplementing nutrients. So how should the elderly eat to ensure adequate nutrition for three meals a day?
1. Learn the dietary guidelines. The dietary guidelines clearly indicate the amount of nutrients that people should take in. For example, whether protein, fiber, carbohydrate , etc. are eaten in a balanced manner, etc.
2. Eat less oil, less salt, less sugar and less alcohol. There is a misunderstanding that needs to be clarified to everyone,Some people think that a light diet is a complete vegetarian diet, and the problem of nutritional deficiencies will also occur for a long time. A light diet refers to light taste, not light ingredients. It is still necessary to ensure a variety of foods for three meals a day. Less oil does not mean not eating oil at all. The right amount of oil is very helpful for maintaining the energy required by the body.
3. Elderly people who have difficulty swallowing are most likely to suffer from nutritional deficiencies. You can go to the nutrition department of a specialist hospital for help from a doctor to determine which food is more suitable for eating, and whether supplements are needed or not.
[1] "Eat a good meal, the easiest way to eat", Life Times, February 4, 2021
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