Nutrition For The Elderly

Throughout our life we try to practice good health and fueling our body with the best nutrients possible. When someone begins to reach their golden years it is even more important for them to eat excellent nutrition so they can continue to feel good, have a strong immune system and heal wounds efficiently if needed.

So what kinds of foods are needed to insure good health as we age and what are some habits we can begin practicing? Here are a couple we’d recommend adding to your daily practice:

More Fresh fruits and vegetables:

Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They help your body get rid of unwanted toxins as well as fueling your cells with the essential nutrients your body needs.

One benefit of an Assisted living home like Fairbrook Grove Assisted Living Home Mesa AZ is that we make all our food from scratch and include a lot of healthy vegetables and fruits daily. We work really hard to make sure our residents are eating a balanced nutritious diet to keep them well and feeling their best.

Probiotics:

Probiotics are live microorganisms that can be consumed through fermented foods or supplements and are powerful and important for healthy digestion and body. Including more probiotics into your diet can decrease diarrhea or bowel problems and also increase and strengthen the immune system. Studies have also show that increased ‘good bacterias’ like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains can improve mental health and symptoms from anxiety and depression.

Probiotics are very important to us at Fairbrook Grove Assisted Living Home Mesa AZ and we believe the elderly especially need this beneficial supplement. Each day we serve a glass of homemade kefir, a fermented milk, to each resident at lunch time that includes tons of healthy bacteria for the gut, organic coconut oil, fruit, and protein powder. Not only is it tasty, but it also provides them with healthy probiotics, good fats and some extra protein to keep them strong. With permission of each individual doctor, we also have a daily probiotic in capsule form prescribed to each resident that lives in our home.

Good Fats:

Eating good fats increases brain function, heart health and overall immunity. Eating processed fat, like trans fats, can lead to high cholesterol, and heart disease. So staying away from hydrogenated oils, and fried foods can help you be healthier. But overall eating good fats is really healthy for your body and will help it function better.

In our Fairbrook kitchen we are preparing our foods with good fats like olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil. It is good also to eat the healthy oils served in fish, nut butters, eggs, avocado and more.

Eating Sweets At The Best Time:

Eating sugar before eating any food can lead to a high blood glucose and insulin spike. It can increase the blood sugar too quickly and can damage your cells. A repeating occurrence can lead to diabetes. It is better to eat sweets after you have eaten a meal. Protein is the best thing you can eat before having sweets.

At our home, along with the healthy meals each day, the residents also enjoy a delicious dessert after their dinner. Eating sweets after a meal is always better because the body has other food in the stomach to slow down the digestion of sugar and gradually releases it into your bloodstream.

Decreasing Processed Foods:

A lot of convenience foods have a lot of added ingredients that aren’t really good for us and can cause a lot of health problems in our bodies. Making your own food can be more time consuming but it is worth it in the long run.

In our kitchen we make each meal from fresh foods and really take pride in feeding our residents with high quality nutritious foods.

Wherever you are in your health journey, we hope that you can continue to feel energized and healthy, no matter what age you are.