Simple Nutrition Insights

Unlock the Secrets to Healthy Aging with Vital Nutrients and Active Living

• Leonila • Season 2 • Episode 13

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Understanding how our nutritional needs change as we age is crucial for maintaining health and vitality later in life. This episode discusses key nutrients essential for aging well, including protein, calcium, vitamin D, omega-3s, and fiber, while providing actionable tips for better meal planning and addressing the challenges faced by the elderly population regarding nutrition.

• Importance of nutrition for longevity and well-being 
• Focus on protein for muscle mass preservation 
• Roles of calcium and vitamin D in bone health 
• Benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for brain and heart 
• Importance of fiber for digestive health 
• Hydration challenges in elderly populations 
• Strategies to overcome common barriers to healthy eating 
• Meal examples and easy recipes for nutrient-dense meals 
• Value of physical activity in supporting healthy aging

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Speaker 1:

Hey, hey, welcome back to another episode in the Simple Nutrition Insights Podcast. I am your host, lili Lacampos, registered dietitian, and today we're talking about a topic that affects all of us healthy aging. As we get older, our nutritional needs change and getting the right nutrients can make all the difference in maintaining energy, preventing chronic diseases and improving overall well-being. Whether you're an older adult yourself or you're caring for a loved one, this episode is packed with actionable tips to help you, to help make every meal count. So let's dive in Now. The reason why I decided to do this episode it's because, or on this topic, it's because last week I did a presentation in Spanish for the Mexican consulate about this topic specifically, and so you know it's. The information is so valuable that I said I should do that. I should do a podcast in English, right, about this topic in specific, because oftentimes we don't really think about, especially if we are younger, right or middle age. We don't really think about nutrition as we get older, right In that older age or for elderly, and it is so important to start now. We should have started yesterday in terms of taking care of our health Now. The topic specifically, obviously, is about key nutrients, but more so about bone density and muscle mass preservation, because, as you are going to learn today, as we get older we start to lose bone density and we start to lose muscle mass, and that is huge because it's an indicator for mortality. And so, if you didn't know that, please pay attention. And if you're not elderly, still pay attention, because we're heading that way right, and I'm sure you know someone that is elderly, a parent, a grandparent, whatever. The information today is beneficial for anybody essentially. So it's important to understand that as we age, our metabolism slows down, our bodies absorb nutrients differently and our risk for conditions like osteoporosis, heart disease and cognitive decline increases. That's why focusing on key nutrients is so important. I have an elderly client that she's doing such an amazing job. Actually, I have two elderly clients that are doing such an amazing job at really taking care of themselves even at their age they're over 85, but by just making changes in their nutrition, they are seeing better energy, better cognition, mobility, right, and that is huge right, because I used to work in a long-term care facility. The main reason why someone declines significantly is not being able to be mobile, right, not being able to move, because they lose a significant amount of muscle mass and again, that is a risk for mortality. Moving nutrition it all plays a huge role.

Speaker 1:

Now the challenge as we get older, right Oftentimes is the reducing appetite, changes in digestion and difficulty chewing certain foods. That's why we need to be intentional about food choices to get the most nutrition in every bite. So let's break down the most important nutrients for aging well and where to find them. Now I don't want you to just focus on these nutrients right, as I talk in pretty much all of my episodes. The importance is to have balance right and making sure that we're targeting all the five food groups every single day in some kind of way. If it's not in our main meals with our snacks, right. If we don't eat vegetables with our main meals, adding them with our snacks, there are different opportunities to have a really, really nutrient-dense meal or snack throughout the day. The less that we eat I want you to also really understand this that the less that we eat, I want you to also really understand this that the less that you eat right, the less the opportunity you have to really maximize your nutrition right. If you only eat once a day, you are going to become deficient in a lot of nutrients, because it's so difficult to really really optimize and maximize your nutrition in just one meal. So really really think about that too. So the first one and it's not in order of importance, it's just the way that I'm going to talk about them, but this one is a huge one Protein.

Speaker 1:

Protein prevents muscle loss. As we age, we naturally lose muscle, which can lead to weakness, falls and slower recovery from illness. That's why protein is essential. Now, if we already have chronic conditions right, diabetes, heart disease, any other chronic condition our need for protein is even more essential. The only change here is, if you have chronic kidney disease right, where the protein is we have to be more conservative about that. And if that is the case, please consult with a dietician, because sometimes there's a lot of misinformation out there and you want to make sure that you maintain your kidneys where you know hopefully, where they need to be. But if you already have chronic kidney disease, that it doesn't continue to advance at a rapid rate.

Speaker 1:

So some great sources for protein are lean meats. Now here's also a key right. If you have heart disease or elevated cholesterol, you have to choose leaner pieces of meat, more plant sources, right to help you with your cholesterol. But lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy. If you do more a vegetarian or plant-based diet lots of beans and lentils, tofu and nuts are also going to give you great sources of protein.

Speaker 1:

Aim for at least about 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal. If you have trouble eating large portions, try high protein snacks like Greek yogurt or a handful of almonds or any other nuts or seeds. Divide them up between meals. Eat smaller meals, right, if possible. Protein keeps us satiated and so sometimes, when we don't have a lot of appetite eating, you know that amount of protein can keep us full for a longer period of time. But if we're skipping meals, right, and we're already losing weight, it's better to break it up into smaller meals. Now, 20 to 30 grams of protein you know, if you look at the size of your palm right and the thickness of your palm or the size of a deck of cards, that's about three ounces. Which is going to give you about it depends. 20 to 27, 20 to 30 grams of protein, and that's a good amount of protein. Now, this is just a rule of thumb, this is just a general recommendation. Right, talking or working with a registered dietitian is going to help you create a more individualized plan and you can work with your dietitian to figure out exactly how much protein you need for your own age, chronic condition. If there's any physical activity whatever, it is right. If you're already losing muscle mass significantly, you might need more. But this is just a general recommendation to get started and to have a visual.

Speaker 1:

The next one is calcium and vitamin D. These are for strong bones. Bone loss is a major issue for older adults, increasing the risk of fractures, so calcium and vitamin D work together to keep bones strong. Unfortunately, the majority of the population is deficient in vitamin D, oftentimes even more so in elderly, you know, if they're already not going outside or there are other chronic conditions, or if they get sick often. Vitamin D is also essential for immunity, and so making sure that you check your vitamin D levels at least once a year is important and you work with your again with your healthcare provider, your dietitian, to find ways to increase your vitamin D.

Speaker 1:

But here are some great sources of calcium and vitamin D Dairy milk, yogurt cheese, leafy greens like spinach and kale, fortified plant-based milks, almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, and now there's also Greek style yogurts that are plant-based that are also fortified, and oftentimes they'll give you about 25 percent of the daily value. So let's say, if you drink three to four servings right, of dairy or plant-based milks, you'll get about 75, probably to 100 percent of what you need. And in between you, you want to add. Add your leafy greens. You can also add fatty fish like salmon to also provide some of this vitamin D and calcium. Now the goal is about 1,200 milligrams of calcium and about 800 to 1,000 international units of vitamin D daily.

Speaker 1:

Now someone asked me can I take just a supplement? Now I want you to understand that supplements are not a replacement of your meals, right, because meals or foods are going to give you more than just the individual nutrients, right, or individual vitamins or minerals you can get. You know, for example, if you do leafy greens, you can get vitamin D I'm sorry vitamin A, vitamin C. You can also get fiber. If you do fatty fish like salmon, you're going to get omega-3s and proteins. So it's important to first focus on your nutrition and, if you continue to be deficient, talk to your doctor about what's the best approach for supplements and then work with your dietician on that too. Calcium is an interesting one, because if you already have heart disease or issues with like heartening, atherosclerosis, heartening of the arteries, sometimes adding too much calcium can also affect that. So again, you want to talk to your provider, talk to your dietitian, to see if actually a calcium supplement is a good idea for you. Start with your nutrition first and then think about supplements later.

Speaker 1:

Omega-3 fatty acids they are essential for brain and heart health. Omega-3s help reduce inflammation, lower heart disease risk and support brain function. They also help with eye health and immunity as well. So some best sources of omega-3s you can find a good amount, a rich amount, in fatty fish like salmon, tuna, sardines. You can also find them in plant sources walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds, fortified eggs. So the idea is to add these types of fatty fish at least twice a week, or add flax seeds and chia seeds, fortified eggs. So the idea is to add these types of fatty fish at least twice a week, or add flax seeds to smoothies or a meal on a daily basis. Again, you know, if you really struggle with your omega-3s, talk to your dietician, talk to your healthcare provider about adding an omega-3 supplement if needed. About adding an omega-3 supplement if needed.

Speaker 1:

Fiber Fiber is needed for digestive health and blood sugar control and cholesterol management, specifically as we get older. You know digestive issues, including constipation, are pretty common in older adults. So fiber helps keep things moving and regulates blood sugars and manages our cholesterol. Some great sources, rich sources of fiber are your whole grains, oats, quinoa, whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain pastas, fruits and vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, and so adding them on a daily basis can really help us with our digestive health. It is important to gradually increase fiber intake and drink plenty of water to prevent bloating, because our bodies get used to the way that we eat, regardless if it's healthy or not so healthy, and so making a change sometimes can cause a little bit of digestive issues by increasing it slowly, right? So, okay, I am going to start adding one fruit every single day, right, and then next week I'll add one cup of vegetables at lunch, right, or something like that, something that makes sense for you to increase your fiber progressively.

Speaker 1:

Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is essential for energy and cognitive function. As we age, our ability to absorb B12 decreases, which can lead to fatigue and memory issues or vitamin B anemia. Now, if you're taking antacids right for heartburn, to reduce acid reflux, as well as some medications such as metformin, it can affect vitamin B12. And so making sure that you check your B12, just like when checking your vitamin D at least annually once a year to make sure that you don't have a B12 deficiency. But you can find B12, vitamin B12, in animal products meat, fish, eggs, dairy, also in fortified cereals, and you can also find it in nutritional yeast. It's a great source B12,. You can also find it in fortified milks, and so you are able to get your B12 from foods. Again, we're strategic about it, right. If you think that you are adding all these foods and you're still deficient, again, if you need supplementation, your doctor and your dietician can help you with that.

Speaker 1:

Hydration Hydration is essential specifically as we get older, because we kind of lose this not lose but our sense of thirst decreases with age, and so many older adults don't drink enough fluids, either because we don't feel thirsty, because we forget, or it's cold. I do see these often in the wintertime, especially across the board with all my clients, more so with our elderly population because, number one, they might not be eating as much and now they're drinking less water and they might be drinking more coffee, but that's also not helping with hydration, and so they can end up severely dehydrated, have a kidney injury and they'll have to be taken to the hospital because they're severely dehydrated. And so it's important to remind our elderly right and even just in general, to even have sips of water. But if it's cold and I do hear this often I don't want to drink cold water. Even having soups, having tea, especially non-coffeinated tea, throughout the day can help with just staying hydrated. And so, specifically with the elderly, they might forget to drink water because they're not thirsty, but these are some easier ways to do that. If it's more so in the summertime, popsicles are great. There's a lot of vegetables that are high in water watermelon, pineapple, oranges that can also keep them hydrated throughout the day. So these are just a few right of the nutrients that are essential as we get older.

Speaker 1:

Of course, you know the whole idea is to add the five food groups on a daily basis, right? Try to maximize our nutrition on a daily basis by adding all these five food groups, which are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins and high calcium, high vitamin D foods, including our healthy fats. And so if we think about these food groups and every time we sit down to eat a meal right, or we assist our elderly folks to serve their meal. Looking, you know, visually. Okay, how many food groups do we have? Do we have at least three food groups here, right? If we don't, not a problem, when we have our snack right, we can add the ones that we're missing, or our next meal we can try to add them to, and so those are some of the ways that we can implement these.

Speaker 1:

Another easy way to add them right is here are just some really specific examples. You don't have to follow these. This is just to give you some ideas. But, for example, scrambled eggs with avocado on whole wheat toast, or Greek yogurt with walnuts and berries. If you're wanting something lighter, you can also do. Scrambled tofu, right, some chopped spinach, tomatoes, and then avocado on whole wheat toast, or a whole grain tortilla. That's wonderful.

Speaker 1:

For lunch, grill salmon with quinoa and roasted vegetables, or grill tofu with quinoa and roasted vegetables, chicken soup with beans and leafy greens, or lentil soup right, with leafy greens and add it to them. For dinner, stir fry tofu or stir fry any other kind of protein source that you want with brown rice and steamed broccoli, or any other vegetable that you like. If you're like I hate broccoli. There's so many other vegetables out there that you can try Lentil soup with a side of whole wheat bread or naan or roti or any other kind of legume soup, bean soup or chili, if you like. If you want to add, it can make a turkey chili. You can make tvp a chili, like texture vegetable protein. If you want a plum based dinner for snacks, you can have almonds and bananas or cheese with whole grain crackers or hummus with carrots, carrot sticks or bell peppers right, a whole variety of bell peppers with hummus or guacamole.

Speaker 1:

So you don't have to complicate things, especially if you're cooking just for yourself and you're like I don't want to make this elaborate meal. Right, that is just for myself. First of all, we have to change that mindset. Right, like I just have to cook for myself. We have to change that mindset right, like I just have to cook for myself. I do see this often more so with my either retired empty nesters either if it's a couple or just a single parent that they almost forget to cook for themselves. They used to cook, you know, a lot for their families. Now that they don't have a family at home, it's really hard for them to cook just for themselves, but you matter as well, right? You should be able to also put that effort on your own meals, because that is going to help you with your health. So keep it super simple, right. If you want to make a chili and you're like that's a lot, you can freeze it and use it next week, right? Or when you're short in time, so you can still do maybe these elaborate meals, but you can save them, right. Or when you're short in time, so you can still do maybe these elaborate meals, but you can save them, right. It's like you can have them for leftovers If you don't want to cook so much. Right, just keep it super simple. It doesn't have to be complicated, but you can still make these meals, you know, balanced. You can add lots of nutrients to them and basically add, you know, so you can optimize every bite that you take of that meal by making it this way. Okay.

Speaker 1:

Overcoming common barriers in the elderly population. Yes, let's be real, eating well as we age comes with challenges. So here's how to tackle some of those common barriers. If our elderly have low appetite, right of those common barriers. If elderly have low appetite, right, and that can be significant if they've been losing weight, right, because it's harder for them to gain weight. And so, if that is the case, right, eating smaller meals, frequent meals and include protein-rich snacks can help. Adding a little bit of extra fats, you know, extra avocado, or a little bit of extra fats, extra avocado or a little bit of extra olive oil to help stabilize the weight first, and then we need to increase weight, adding more calories to those meals.

Speaker 1:

Dental issues so either they're missing teeth, they have cavities, or even if they have dentures, and the dentures are painful, right, or too big and they're not able to eat, that can be a huge challenge, right. So, looking, be observant if you're taking care of somebody or if it's yourself, you know, having pain when you're eating is definitely not normal. Having pain when you're eating is definitely not normal, you know. Consulting with your doctor, going to the dentist to figure out what the plan is. But on the meantime, right, it's totally okay to have and choose soft foods. Now, if you were used to eating whole beans, mash the beans, right, add a little bit of broth to make sure that they're nice and there's more liquid on them. Yogurt, smoothies, soups, right. You can still get a lot of nutrition with these meals and it's still easy for you, right, without having to chew so much.

Speaker 1:

Oftentimes that's also a problem If you're having, or if your elderly is having, dental issues. It's hard for them to chew a piece of meat right, and so either shredding it really well, right, adding some broth to it or chopping it to where they're able to chew better, is helping them. Or doing like long cooking right, like a slow cooker, where it's going to be softer If it's more so, swallowing issues, working with a speech therapist or getting a swallow evaluation, because sometimes that could also be the case where they're not able to swallow properly and so they're afraid of eating right, because they don't want to choke. So paying attention to that as well.

Speaker 1:

Limited mobility is another one. So using pre-chopped vegetables right, frozen fruits or meal delivery services, if needed, if you're having already problems with, like you know, not being able to move as much or not being able to stand for a longer period of time it could even be for 10 minutes right, if that is the case. Buying ingredients that are pre-cooked is the case. Buying ingredients that are pre-cooked, pre-chopped right, they're ready to go. It's also okay, right? Or frozen fruits, frozen vegetables that you can you know, either warm up really quick and it won't require as much time. There's also some meal delivery places or services that are a low cost or insurances can cover for elderly, so looking into that as well.

Speaker 1:

If you're on a fixed budget, which oftentimes that is the case, right. Sometimes buying in bulk might be more affordable, or using canned or frozen foods Canned foods are great, right. If you're concerned about the amount of salt, either rinsing them a couple times, right. Or if you're able to do no sodium added or light sodium, then those are options, great options as well. So we talked about different things, right? Specifically key nutrients for elderly or as we get older as well.

Speaker 1:

But, but to wrap things up, remember that good nutrition is one of the most powerful ways to support healthy aging. Focus on getting enough protein, calcium, omega-3s, fiber and staying well hydrated, and don't forget to enjoy your meals as well. Now you might ask why is this important, right? Why do I care about that? Here's why Because as we get older, we start to lose our bone density. Bone is a living tissue that responds to stress and impact by becoming stronger, but as we age, bone loss or osteopenia or osteoporosis becomes a risk. Making weight-bearing and resistant exercise is essential to prevent fractures. So I haven't talked about exercise, but it's another key factor that with um to prevent, you know, either falling or just overall, you know well-being and so thinking about exercise in a whole different way. Right, not to be bulky, not to, you know, be toned or whatever, but more so for aging, healthy, right After the age of 30, we naturally lose three to 5% of muscle mass per decade, which is called sarcopenia, now is called sarcopenia.

Speaker 1:

Now it's higher, you know, after we get old, after we turn 60, 65, right. But if we just think about what that is I'm going to make that calculation for you here 3 to 5% muscle mass. So let's say we are 180 pounds, right, goodness, 180. 180, that's about. So 3%, if we're 180 pounds, right, 3%, that's 5.4 pounds of muscle mass. Now, if we think about 5%, right, that's 9 pounds. Now, you might think, in a decade, that's 10 years. Why does that matter? Right, it absolutely matters. Because muscle is metabolically active, right, and it's going to help us with our metabolism. But it's also going to help us with the prevention of falling or having stability or having flexibility, and so losing muscle mass, again, as I mentioned at the beginning is a mortality risk.

Speaker 1:

So if you're over 30, right. Or if you're getting to the age of 30, you're going to be losing some muscle mass, right? Every 10 years, you can lose 3.5 to 9 pounds right of muscle mass. You might think, well, I want to lose weight. There's a difference between losing body fat and losing weight, because you're also losing muscle mass, right, you never want to lose your muscle mass because, again, it's a mortality risk, but it's also going to affect your metabolism. So I want you to make the differentiation.

Speaker 1:

Instead of saying I want to lose weight, focus on saying I want to lose body fat but increase my muscle mass, or maintain my muscle mass, the amount of muscle mass that I have, right, I want to maintain that year after year, specifically, as you know, once you get to 30 and over. I was thinking about that because I'm 38. And so I was like, oh my gosh, I don't want to lose, you know. And so I was like, oh my gosh, I don't want to lose, you know, 5, 3.5 to 9 pounds by the time I get to 40, right. And so it's so important to think about exercise right in such a different way, not because you want to punish your body, but more so because you want to be able to help your body age properly. And so adding weight-bearing exercises like walking, jogging, hiking, dancing, start climbing right If you feel safe about that. Or adding resistance training right, like lifting weights, body weight exercises, or adding resistance bands they all can help impact exercises right, like if you want to do aerobics, right, as well as including balance and flexibility exercises, yoga, tai chi, pilates they all can help our bodies in so many ways and it doesn't have to be like, oh, we have to go to the gym, right? Not if you don't want to, you can. You know, walking it's so underrated right Like, you can start by walking and that is a type of weight-bearing exercise. Right, because you are moving your body and it's helping you in so many ways.

Speaker 1:

I have an elderly client I want to say. She's even more active than I am. So she wakes up in the morning and she does a three mile walk, she goes for a 10 mile bike and then she goes to the gym and does weightlifting. She's very active, and I think I've gave this example in another episode, but she was telling me a story when she went bike riding with a friend and she was going so fast that she fell and I was so afraid. I was like, oh my gosh, did you break anything? And she's like you know. Thankfully I didn't. But the reason why is because she has really really strong bones, right, and because of all the exercises that she does.

Speaker 1:

Now you don't have to be at that level, right, but you can do things to help your body to maintain the bone density, to maintain your muscle mass, to age gracefully, you'll still be able to do daily things right. Okay, let me pick up something, or let me reach for something, right, or let me be able to move my body to transfer myself right, or to go to the restroom on my own. We love our independence, right, and as we get older, we start to lose that independence, and that is heartbreaking, right, and I'm sure I can't imagine for our elderly population how stressful and how sad that is for them. And so why not do something now, right, to be able to maintain our independence and be able to do our daily things with minimal support? Consider all these things, right.

Speaker 1:

If it's really overwhelming, you're not alone, right, you can reach out to me, you can contact a dietitian and start working on these things right. Start with the things that I mentioned so far, one thing at a time, and, trust me, you're going to see a huge benefit. Anything that we do towards our health and well-being right is going to be beneficial in one way or another. So that is it, my friend. Stay safe, stay strong, stay tuned for more episodes. Please share this episode with a friend, with an elderly friend, with your mom and dad, and I hope to see you soon. Take care. Bye-bye for now.