Holiday Sweets Aren’t So Sweet
"They’ve lived a long life, let them eat whatever they want???????" This can cause a lot of health problems in the long run!
With the holidays soon approaching it is a time of family, gifts and cheer. Many people gather at parties, events and dinner tables, celebrating this wonderful season. It is a time when friends and family of all ages can come together and enjoy each other's company. It is also a time of showing appreciation through gift giving and delicious treats.
At Fairbrook Grove Assisted Living Home Mesa AZ, we love the holidays and the people we get to share the season with. Over the past 12 1/2 years, we have learned a lot of things that can help the elderly enjoy this time and stay healthy as well.
One way that we show that we love them is by protecting their immune system so they can be present for all of these fun events and experiences. For when someone gets sick, they aren't able to fully participate in all the activities because they aren't feeling well, or the sickness could be contagious to others.
At Fairbrook Grove Assisted Living Home, we really focus on building their immune system through nutrition, supplements, extra water and sleep. We also try to limit the amount of sugar and sweets they eat each day.
A lot of family and friends bring a lot of sweet treats into the home to share or for the residents individually. It is kind and appreciated, but an overload of too much sugar can be really damaging to an elderly person. Sometimes there is the belief that “They’ve lived a long life, let them eat whatever they want.” This can bring a sense of freedom, but causes a lot of problems in the long run.
When someone reaches their golden years, they need to careful to protect their immune system now more than ever. Their bodies are not functioning the same as they were before and sweets can really damage their health and causes them to be more prone to illness and disease.
When the elderly are given a lot of sugar it really lowers their immune system. They already have a hard time fighting off infection and sickness because of their age, and adding sugar on top of it, their immune system really takes a hit.
Sugar causes their body to be chemically imbalanced. Sugar overload has been shown to increase a persons chance of dementia and brain fog, making them more confused and disoriented. This causes them to be a higher fall risk. Too many hits of sugar causes insulin resistance which makes them a higher risk for diabetes, urinary tract infections, mood disorders like depression, headaches and/or many other health problems.
Serving sweets after a balanced meal with protein helps to slow the effects on the body from high blood sugar. At Fairbrook Grove Assisted Living Home we want our residents to enjoy their sweet treats, but we offer the treats after a protein meal so that the blood sugar stays more balanced and slows the digestion of the sugar. This is less harsh on the body and keeps the immune system doing its job.
So this season as we are all thinking of ways to show our appreciation and love for our loved ones, we hope you might consider something other than sweets and sugary treats. There are other ways we can show our love without compromising their immune system.
We hope your upcoming holiday season is blessed and full of fun and love.
The Fairbrook Grove Management Team
