Healthy living starts with daily diet and nutrition, please take this diet guide for the elderly →

This year's theme is "Improving Nutrition for the Elderly and Promoting Health in the Elderly", with a focus on the nutritional health of the elderly and the popularization of health knowledge for the elderly. In the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022 Edition)" released by the Chinese Nutrition Society in May 2022, the core recommendations of dietary nutrition for the general elderly (65-79 years old) and the elderly (80 years old and above) are presented according to the characteristics of the elderly population. Let's learn together ↓

As the body functions of the elderly decline with age, the risk of various diseases increases and the demand for nutrition changes. Scientific nutritional intake is the cornerstone of health protection in old age, helping to maintain body functions, prolong life, prevent various common diseases in old age, reduce the occurrence of adverse health outcomes, and improve quality of life.

Part 1 Dietary Guidelines for Older Adults Under 80 Years of Age

The elderly population aged 65-79 years needs to pay attention to the declining functions of food intake and digestion and absorption caused by aging. In the face of changes in bodily functions, a proper diet can prevent and delay the progress of various diseases, prolong healthy life and improve quality of life. There are 3 main core recommendations as follows.

1. Rich food variety, sufficient animal food, and frequent consumption of soybean products

Inadequate intake of protein and micronutrients makes it easy for anemia, wasting and accelerated muscle loss to occur, making the body of the elderly less resistant and more prone to illness. A wide variety of foods can ensure the acquisition of various nutrients.

2, active outdoor activities, delay muscle decay, maintain the appropriate weight

For the elderly, reserve muscle is reserve gold. Avoiding muscle loss is crucial to maintaining physical activity and self-care. Outdoor activities and sufficient sunshine are conducive to enhancing bone and muscle health. In terms of longevity, maintaining body weight at a slightly overweight level can better protect against the risk of disease.

3 、 Regular health checkups to prevent nutritional deficiencies

Regular medical checkups (at least once a year), blood pressure measurement, blood glucose measurement, and weighing, etc. Can help detect health problems as early as possible and adjust diet and nutrition in time to cope with a series of changes that occur in the body during the aging process.

Part 2 Dietary Guidelines for the Elderly

Elderly people aged 80 and above have significantly declined in body functions and are prone to more chronic diseases and other illnesses, as well as being more fragile and less able to take care of themselves, making them more prone to malnutrition. Therefore, more refined dietary nutrition management is needed, and the guidance of professional nutritionists can be sought when necessary. There are 6 main core recommendations as follows.

1. Diversify food and encourage multiple ways of eating

Senior citizens have a reduced appetite and are prone to early satiety, so they can choose to eat less and more meals to ensure nutritional intake. If you don't want to or are inconvenienced by cooking for yourself, you can also choose to have meals delivered to your home, such as applying to the street elderly canteen for home delivery service to improve the taste.

2 、 Choose food with fine and soft texture

In the face of tooth loss, chewing and digestive function decline, cut food small, cook soft, squeeze fruits and vegetables into juice, choose tofu, soy milk to replace whole soy beans, more conducive to senior citizens to eat.

3, eat more fish, poultry, meat, eggs, milk and beans, the right amount of vegetables with fruit

These nutrient-rich foods, with high energy density and high bioavailability, can be cooked in easily digestible ways such as steaming, boiling, stewing and casserole to help senior citizens better replenish their nutrients.

4. Pay attention to weight loss and regular nutritional screening assessment to prevent malnutrition

If there is a significant weight loss in a short period of time (for example, weight loss of more than 5% in a year), the elderly should be alerted to whether they are in a state of malnutrition and weakness, and seek the guidance and advice of a nutrition specialist if necessary.

5 、 Rational nutrition at the right time to improve the quality of life

If the elderly have poor appetite and physical condition, and are unable to take in sufficient nutrition through daily meals, they should choose nutritional supplements, fortified foods or health products under the guidance of a professional physician to improve their nutrition level.

6 、 Adhere to fitness and educational activities to promote physical and mental health

Reduce sedentary, do more physical activities, encourage the elderly to do simple housework, carry out daily exercise and social activities, which are beneficial to body and brain functions and make life more colorful in old age.