Quality Of Life For Elderly Increases With Good Nutrition

A McDonalds value meal is a quick, affordable fix to your hunger, and many people are forced to make choices like this due to financial or time restraints. It’s no secret that making these nutrition choices are unsavory for anyone, but elderly people are at an even higher risk of problems when they decide to trade in their nutrition for a saved dollar or minute.

The problems increase when an elderly person is restrained from cooking healthy meals because of illnesses such as arthritis. Changes in living conditions and health problems are not easy transitions, but they need coping with to maintain a healthy and happy life.

HelpGuide.org states that moderately active women over 50 need at least 1800 calories a day and men over 50 need at least 2200 calories a day. These calories are supposed to come from healthy foods such as veggies, fruit, grains and protein, but for many reasons elderly people fail to eat this many calories, and they opt for less healthy alternatives. This leads to a lower quality of life and an overall decrease in life expectancy.

How does the quality of life for elderly people improve with good nutrition?

The Elderly Person Actually Saves Money By Going To The Grocery Store

It’s common to think that grabbing a fast food burger or even eating out at a restaurant saves you a little money because of increasingly low prices at places like these. People with financial problems think that a $5 footlong is a great deal, when the opposite is often true.

SparkPeople outlines several comparisons between fast food purchases and grocery shopping, and explains that with just $20 you can not only purchase more food from a grocery store, but you receive a wider selection of healthy options. When you purchase fast food you receive a small selection of items, leading to an unbalanced diet and fatty foods. Even when you dine out or go to a dining room in a nursing home the foods are filled with sodium and other unhealthy components.

Improve your quality of life as an elderly person by saving money on groceries. If you can’t go out and purchase the food then consider hiring a delivery service or asking a friend or relative to pick them up for you. With the extra cash you can make room for other activities.

Good Nutrition Fights Potential Diseases and Mitigates Current Problems As Well

According to a Ross Laboratories study, around 30 percent of elderly people skip at least one meal a day. Studies show that young, healthy men increase their risk of heart attack by skipping breakfast, so what would this do to people who are older and probably have some health concerns?

There are various possible results of poor nutrition, but the leading side effects include dental and memory problems, depression and even the inability to move around. If you want to improve your quality of life and enjoy your later years then eating all of your meals everyday, and ensuring they are healthy works wonders. Your chances of inflaming existing problems decreases as well.

Improve Your Relationships By Asking Others To Help You Eat Healthy

Not everyone has children or other relatives to turn to when it comes to healthy eating. If an elderly person lives in a nursing home or they simply can’t cook their own meals or buy their own food then they resort to unhealthy eating. Like stated above, these habits create additional health problems and decrease your overall quality of life.

What if there was a way to eat healthy and enjoy the company of others while in the process? Elderly people should ask their relatives to come join them in there shopping and cooking adventures. This creates a strong bond between relatives and improves the social quality of life for the elderly person. If relatives are not an option then consider talking to another elderly friend who has the ability to move around more and produce healthy meals.

When my grandmother moved to a nursing home I realized that although my family tried to visit her and cook some food for her on occasion it wasn’t always practical with jobs and other responsibilities. In this case a system needs to be setup so that healthy food is delivered as much as possible. A caretaker can solve this problem, and nursing homes often provide services for grocery runs and cooking meals.

Good Nutrition Makes You More Active and Happy

According to the National Public Health Week website, physical activity is one of the primary contributors to the overweight population. As an elderly person it’s essential to get out and move around or your weight and health will suffer. Receiving good nutrition is known to help people feel better about themselves. This is a primary contributor in wanting to get up, move around and interact with others .

Once you start eating healthy your body parts start acting the way they were meant to act. You start feeling less sluggish and you even lose weight. Your quality of life improves when you receive quality nutrition and it elevates even more when you remain active because of this nutrition. Consider the benefits of maintaining a healthy diet and keeping up with your nutrition. If you know that the end result gives you the ability to exercise, walk around and enjoy the world around you it gives you the incentive to go out of your way to get healthy groceries instead of walking into your favorite greasy spoon everyday.

Now it’s your turn to contribute. Let us know in the comments section if you have an elderly relative who refuses to make quality nutrition choices. What are some ways you can convince them to make healthy choices, take vitamins and eat balanced meals in order to stay happy longer? If you think there are some other ways that good nutrition can help elderly people live better lives then share with the community.

Comments

comments

Related Posts

• 

  5 Ways To Avoid A Negative Customer Experience In Your Aging Care Business
  5 Ways To Avoid A Negative Customer Experience In Your Aging Care Business
• 

  Don’t Look Back and Regret What You Didn’t Do – Aging Care Services Are Growing
  Don’t Look Back and Regret What You Didn’t Do – Aging Care Services Are Growing
• 

  Attitude Is Everything!
  Attitude Is Everything!
• 

  Pam Witt’s 4 Pillars To Goal Achievement
  Pam Witt’s 4 Pillars To Goal Achievement