Senior Nutrition Needs and Myths – What You Need to Know

Getting enough nutrients is important at all stages of life, as nutrients provide your body with the building blocks that it needs to function well. Getting inadequate nutrients or calories can lead to a host of problems, including weight gain and increased disease risk.

Senior nutrition is a particularly important topic, as there are a variety of extra difficulties to consider.

Today we’re digging into the topic – looking at the nutritional needs of seniors, the challenges they face, and how family members can help.

What Should Seniors Eat?

Generally speaking, seniors have similar nutritional needs to adults. This means practices are similar, like eating fruit and vegetables (including leafy greens), focusing on whole foods rather than processed options, keeping sugar intake low, eating whole grains, and choosing lean cuts of meat.

And, as with other age groups, this doesn’t mean that every single meal needs to be as healthy as possible. There is still scope for some treats and favorite foods.

To put it another way – having McDonalds occasionally isn’t likely to seriously impact a senior’s health. Instead, their health will be influenced by how often they eat McDonalds (and similar foods) compared to how often they eat healthy meals.

That said, there are some specific areas to watch out for with seniors:

Senior-Specific Needs and Challenges

Difficulties with Eating

Aging can make eating difficult in a few ways.

Dental problems, like the loss of teeth, use of false teeth, or painful gums make eating a much trickier and less enjoyable endeavor. There can be other issues too, like shaky hands making it difficult to get food onto a fork and then into the senior’s mouth.

Seniors with cognitive conditions, like dementia, may face additional difficulties with eating. These can become more challenging as their conditions progress. 

Changes in Appetite and Enjoyment

Many seniors experience a decreased appetite, which may make them more resistant to eating. The ability to taste and smell may be lower as well, making meals seem duller and less flavorful.

These factors all decrease how much a senior is likely to enjoy their meal. Such issues are even worse when coupled with eating difficulties.

Making meals tastier and more interesting can help with some of these issues. This includes ensuring there is color contrast between different parts of the meal and using spices to boost the flavor profile.

Differences in Calorie Needs

Calorie needs tend to decrease with age, as metabolism slows down and people often become less active. Because of this, seniors often need to decrease their food intake to prevent weight gain.

The Importance of Protein

Protein is essential for all age groups, as proteins play countless roles in our bodies. Getting enough protein is particularly important for muscle development and repair, which is crucial for this age group.

For seniors, too little protein raises the risk of age-related muscle loss, which can lead to reduced function and mobility.  

However, getting enough protein can get a little trickier with age.

Protein is the most filling macronutrient, meaning that high protein foods tend to be more satisfying than low protein ones. While this is normally a good thing, it can become a problem if the senior doesn’t have much of an appetite.

Dental challenges can also make meat more difficult to eat as people age. To get around the issue, you’ll need to prepare soft meat or find other sources of protein.

Specific Nutrition Needs

Seniors may also have some specific nutritional needs, which are often associated with health conditions.

Medication Interactions

Interactions between medications and food are surprisingly common and can cause significant health issues. Seniors may face extra risks here, due to metabolism changes with age and the use of multiple medications.

Some examples of interactions include the following.

• Grapefruit interferes with many medications, influencing how they’re absorbed and leading to more medication in the body.
• Vitamin K rich foods change the effectiveness of some blood thinners, requiring some seniors to keep their vitamin K intake consistent.
• High tyramine foods, including fermented foods, can interact with MAOIs, which are a particular type of antidepressant.

Those are just a few potential interactions. There are others too, including some that aren’t well-known.

Beyond this, there can be interactions between individual medications and interactions between medications and supplements. As a result, it’s always important to talk to the senior’s doctor and keep an eye out for side effects.

Low Sodium Diets

Many of us regularly consume too much sodium in our diets, which can increase blood pressure and raise the risk of many health problems. A low sodium diet can be a crucial way of decreasing risk and remaining healthy.

Such diets often involve focusing on homemade foods instead of processed foods. You may also need to use herbs and spices instead of salt for seasoning.

Other Limited Diets

The senior’s diet may need to be changed in other ways to accommodate their health needs. Such diets should always be followed under the guidance of a doctor, as they can be risky if used in the wrong way or the wrong situation.

Important examples include:

• Liquid Diets. These are generally short-term diets, often used before medical procedures or to help the digestive system. Except in very specific situations, seniors shouldn’t be following a liquid diet for long and certainly not without a doctor’s recommendation.
• Renal Diets. These diets are most common for people with chronic kidney disease. They limit the intake of some nutrients including potassium, sodium, and protein, in order to help with kidney function.
• Low Residue Diet. These diets typically lower fiber intake to help with some digestive conditions.
• Pureed Diet. A pureed diet can consist entirely or mostly of pureed food. Pureeing makes foods easier to eat without compromising their nutritional profile.  

Difficulties Preparing Food

Finally, seniors can face difficulties preparing healthy food for themselves. This could be the result of physical or cognitive challenges, ones that sometimes even make cooking dangerous.

For other seniors, willpower may be a big issue. For example, if cooking now takes a lot of energy and effort, some seniors may not want to bother. They might simply rely on fast food or frozen dinners, regardless of the health implications. Seniors with depression may similarly not want to cook for themselves.

Senior Nutrition Myths

Some myths persist about seniors and nutrition. The following are some of the most common examples.

Seniors Don’t Need to Worry About Weight

Excess weight is a challenge for any age group and it can be particularly significant for seniors.

Despite decreased appetite, there are a few risk factors that increase the chance of weight gain among seniors.

• They’re Often Less Mobile. Even active seniors probably don’t get out as much as they did when they were younger. After all, they no longer have a job to go to every day and mightn’t be able to engage in some activities, like sports or running.
• Calorie Needs are Lower. Seniors typically need fewer calories than when they were younger, but may not be in the habit of eating less.
• Treats and Snacks are Appealing. Even seniors with decreased appetite often enjoy high calorie treats, like chocolate and ice cream. Some may overdo it on such treats, especially if they’re bored or their mood is low.
• They Have More Free Time. One of the best ways to limit eating is to stay active and do things. This is harder for seniors, who often have more free time and may have limited mobility.

Seniors Need Fewer Nutrients

In most cases, seniors do need fewer calories per day than younger age groups. But, the same isn’t true for nutrients.

Seniors even need more of some nutrients, as their ability to produce or absorb these decreases. Calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D are all examples. This is why many seniors will be prescribed vitamin D supplements.

Supplements can help prevent deficiencies, but they shouldn’t replace a healthy diet.

For one thing, food is an important social activity and one that helps give life enjoyment. Supplements are also associated with side effects, like constipation or diarrhea. Besides, there are other important compounds within food that aren’t found in nutritional supplements.

It’s Fine to Skip Meals

Seniors often have little appetite, so skipping meals can seem appealing. But, the practice doesn’t help. Realistically, seniors still need to eat, even if they aren’t getting the correct signals from their bodies.

In some cases, skipping meals also decreases appetite further, creating a dangerous pattern.

Caregivers often find that it’s easier to focus on many small meals throughout the day. This means that the meals can be of a more manageable portion size. With many chances to eat per day, a senior refusing to eat once or twice is less of an issue.

Should Seniors Always Eat Good Food?

In most situations, yes, seniors should focus on healthy eating. However, there are a few things to consider here.

Eating Well is a Continuum

There are generally always some ways a person could improve their diet – and some ways they could make it worse.

The goal shouldn’t be to make food as healthy as humanly possible. Instead, we’re looking for a balance between health and enjoyment – as food has a strong emotional component.

So, we want meals to be as healthy as they can be, while still being something the senior wants to eat. Otherwise, the whole experience becomes increasingly frustrating and the senior probably won’t stick with it.

What this looks like will vary from person to person.

Sometimes, you might just be focusing on getting the senior to eat better, instead of getting them to eat well.

Sometimes Other Priorities Matter

There are times in everyone’s life when eating well isn’t the most important thing.

For example, in times of extreme stress, grief, or emotional turmoil, eating can become highly erratic. People often focus on comfort food, as it offers short-term mood boosts. Sometimes eating well in such periods may be completely unrealistic.

Also, when someone is ill, the emphasis may be simply on consuming enough calories and fluids, regardless of the specific foods chosen. This can happen for seniors with limited appetite too, especially if they don’t have many years left. Here, simply getting them to eat may be a win.

Finances change the balancing act too. You may need to make different decisions if money is tight, perhaps leading to less-than-ideal foods. 

Finally, there’s end-of-life to consider.

When people are nearing the end, healthy food becomes much less important. After all, considerations like weight gain and heart disease risk aren’t that relevant when someone only has months to live.

The focus is generally on comfort at this time, so the senior might simply eat their favorite foods instead of healthy options. 

What Caregivers Can Do

While there are many areas to consider, nutrition for seniors doesn’t need to be overwhelming.

Talk to their Doctor

The first step is to talk to their doctor. They may tell you about the senior’s nutritional needs themselves or refer you to a nutritionist.

When doing so, it’s worth asking the reason for each recommendation, along with which areas are the most important.

I’ve found that doctors are often idealistic with nutritional advice, suggesting a dietary plan that isn’t emotionally or practically realistic for the patient. Asking specific questions gives you the information you need to adapt the plan to meet their needs.

Talk to the Senior

The next part is talking to the senior and making a plan.

Put yourself in their shoes for this part. Food is an incredibly personal thing. Not only do we all have different tastes and preferences, but we vary in how much we focus on healthy eating vs food we enjoy.

Adults have the right to choose for themselves. You can’t force someone to eat healthily. Trying to pressure them into it often doesn’t work either.

It’s often best to inform them instead. Talk to them about the risks of unhealthy food and the benefits of eating well. You might also highlight how healthy food can be tasty too, then work with them to determine the best way forward.

Part of this conversation may involve setting boundaries, especially if you’re cooking for them.

For example, if you’re cooking for the entire family, their meal might need to be the same or very similar to everyone else’s. If you’re making a separate meal for them, you might focus on recipes that aren’t too complex or expensive. Or, perhaps you’re only willing to prepare healthy dinners.

If the senior isn’t happy with the food you’re willing to cook, they may need to find another solution, like a meal delivery service or cooking for themselves.

Experiment

Finally, there’s a trial-and-error aspect.

It takes time to determine the diet and specific foods that will work for someone. You’ll likely need to tweak things over time as well, especially if there are changes to the senior’s needs or your available time.

You could also try some creative solutions, like the following:

• Use meal replacement shakes to help seniors get more nutrients and calories. 
• Try meal delivery services or meal kit services to make meals easier.
• Focus on small meals and snacks instead of the regular three meals per day.
• If the senior is struggling in the kitchen, consider making the environment and tools more senior-friendly. This could include reducing fire hazards and making sure there are plenty of easy grip tools for them to use.

Just remember that you don’t need to get everything perfect.

Perfection is a myth anyway, especially when it comes to caregiving and aging. You can’t even really know what the ideal approaches are at any time. It’s simply a matter of doing your best, whatever that looks like.

Final Thoughts

For the most part, eating well for seniors involves listening to their doctor’s advice, ensuring a decent nutritional intake, and limiting processed foods and treats.

The trickiest part may be finding a balance between what the doctor advises and what the senior wants to do. Some seniors will be very willing to follow health advice and improve their diets. Others may resist the advice every step of the way.