Why Seniors Have Different Nutritional Needs
Dr. Lindsay Jones-Born is a naturopathic physician who provides a breadth of expertise about how nutritional needs change as we age, providing insight into why 3.7 million seniors are malnourished in America today.
By guest blogger: Dr. Lindsay Jones-Born
Eating well is important at any age, but even more necessary for seniors because nutritional needs change as we age. Adequate nutrition is necessary for health, vitality and quality of life. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons many seniors are not eating as well as they should, which can lead to poor nutrition or malnutrition, easily being mistaken as a disease or illness.
How Do Our Bodies Change As We Age?
There are many reasons our bodies change as we get older, including physiological, perceptual and and general age-related conditions—such as gastrointestinal or dental conditions. These changes all influence the performance of our body as a whole, which in turn, influences our eating, nutritional intake and overall health.
Physiological Changes ~
One reason nutritional needs change is due to physiological changes that occur later in life. Energy expenditure generally decreases with advancing age because of a decrease in basal metabolic rate and physical activity, thus decreasing our caloric needs. Our bodies also begin to experience a decrease in kidney function, re-distribution of body composition and changes in our nervous system.
Perceptual Changes ~
Perceptual changes later in life can also influence our nutrition, such as changes in hearing, taste, smell and vision. One of the most common complaints is in regards to the diminished taste in food. As taste buds decrease, so does our taste for salty and sweet—often times making food taste more bitter or sour. Diminished or loss of hearing also affects our nutrition and food experience. The difficulty and frustration from the inability to hold a conversation with our eating partner out at a restaurant or at a social function can limit one’s food experience. And the loss of smell can also have a huge impact on the types of food one chooses to eat as there is a loss of satisfaction that can lead to poor food choices.
Other Aging-Related Changes ~
Other changes in body function may impact nutritional intake, such as dentition, or the makeup of a set of teeth (including how many, their arrangement and their condition). The loss of teeth and/or ill-fitting dentures can lead to avoidance of hard and sticky foods. Gastrointestinal changes such as chronic gastritis, delayed stomach emptying, constipation and gas may lead to avoiding healthy foods, such a fruits and vegetables—the food categories that should be more emphasized rather than eliminated.
These factors alone may contribute to why 3.7 million seniors are malnourished and shed light on the importance of educating caregivers and aging seniors as to specific dietary need options, as well as, catered senior diets and nutritional needs.
Senior Citizens, Malnutrition—And Vitamin Deficiencies
Malnutrition is seen in varying degrees in the elderly, along with varying vitamin deficiencies. Malnutrition is due to under nutrition, nutrient deficiencies or imbalances. Most physicians do not see frank malnutrition anymore, such as scurvy; but more milder malnutrition symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss/gain, general malaise or lack of overall interest and wellness. Common nutrient deficiencies of dietary origin include inadequate intake of vitamin A, B, C, D, E, folic acid and niacin. Malnutrition may also be the result of some socioeconomic risk factors, such as the following:
- Loss of a spouse or family member
- Lack of interest in cooking or eating alone
- Fear of personal safety (which affects their ability to go grocery shopping)
- Financial concerns
- Institutionalization or hospitalizations (that do not ensure adequate nutrition)
Clearly nutrition plays a vital role in the quality of life in older persons. This is why preventative medicine and focusing on good eating habits is crucial. It is recommended to follow a preventative health maintenance nutritional program, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which describes two eating plans.
- The USDA food patterns
- The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan
*DASH is a lot like the Food Patterns, but focuses on lowering blood pressure.
The USDA food patterns suggests that people 50 or older choose healthy foods every day from the following:
- Fruits—1-1/2 to 2-1/2 cups
What is the same as 1/2 cup of cut-up fruit? A 2-inch peach or 1/4 cup of dried fruit - Vegetables—2 to 3-1/2 cups
What is the same as a cup of cut-up vegetables? Two cups of uncooked leafy vegetable - Grains—5 to 10 ounces
What is the same as an ounce of grains? A small muffin, a slice of bread, a cup of flaked, ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta - Protein foods—5 to 7 ounces
What is the same as an ounce of meat, fish, or poultry? One egg, ¼ cup of cooked beans or tofu, ½ ounce of nuts or seeds, or 1 tablespoon of peanut butter - Dairy foods—3 cups of fat-free or low-fat milk
What is the same as 1 cup of milk? One cup of yogurt or 1-1/2 to 2 ounces of cheese. One cup of cottage cheese is the same as ½ cup of milk. - Oils—5 to 8 teaspoons
What is the same as oil added during cooking? Foods like olives, nuts, and avocado have a lot of oil in them. - Solid fats and added sugars (SoFAS)—keep the amount of SoFAS small
If you eat too many foods containing SoFAS, you will not have enough calories for the nutritious foods you should be eating.
The Importance of Preventative Health
Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Lindsay Jones-Born
Ensuring adequate nutrition and proper intake of vitamins and minerals will help keep our aging population feeling more vital and ultimately more healthy, thus using prevention rather than intervention.
About the Author:
Dr. Lindsay Jones-Born is a licensed naturopathic physician in Connecticut, and is an active member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Whole Health Associates, LLC is the premier location in the Farmington Valley for natural medical care for the entire family, offering naturopathic medicine, chiropractic care, acupuncture and massage therapy. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit www.wholehealthllc.com or call 860-674-0111.
Do you have any senior nutrition questions or concerns for Dr. Lindsay Jones-Born that were not addressed above? If so, please feel free to list them in the comments section below…
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About the Author
Dana Larsen is a senior living writer at A Place for Mom, the nation’s largest senior care referral service. A Place for Mom helps more than 200,000 families each year find the best assisted living and memory care facilities for their needs and budget across the United States.
Dana is mother to two bright-eyed, zealous children, and is caregiver to a vivacious and quirky 88-year-old grandmother. Her passions include dancing, yoga, traveling, good food and the arts. She graduated with honors from University of Washington with a degree in English and Communications and achieved Technical Communications Certification from Bellevue College. View Dana’s Google Profile.
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