Caring for the diet and nutrition of the elderly and establishing a friendly hospital for the elderly.

With the increase of age, the organ functions of the elderly gradually decline, such as tooth loss, decreased secretion of digestive juice, decreased digestion and absorption ability, slow sensory response such as taste, muscle atrophy and so on. These changes will obviously affect the intake, digestion and absorption capacity of the elderly, and increase the risk of nutritional deficiency and chronic non-communicable diseases of the elderly. Therefore, in order to achieve healthy aging, the elderly need correct nutritional guidance.

The Dietary Guide for the Elderly in China formulated by the Nutrition Society of China aims at helping the elderly to better adapt to the changes of physical functions, strive to achieve a balanced diet and reasonable nutrition, reduce and delay the occurrence and development of nutrition-related diseases, prolong the healthy life time, and promote the early realization of healthy aging in China.

Core recommendation of dietary guidelines for the elderly in China

A small amount of food is soft; Prevention of malnutrition

The diet of the elderly needs to be relatively accurate and should not be arbitrary. The number of meals can be divided into two parts or three parts; The energy provided by each meal accounts for 20% ~ 25% of the total energy of the whole day, and the energy provided by each meal accounts for 5% ~ 10%, so it is appropriate to eat regularly and quantitatively.

Food should be cut into small pieces or the cooking time should be extended. Use more cooking methods such as stewing, boiling, steaming, stewing, stewing and burning, and use less frying and smoking. For the elderly and people with severely decreased chewing ability, meals should be cooked soft and burnt, such as soft rice, thick porridge and soft pasta. For the elderly with chewing and swallowing disorders, you can choose soft food, semi-liquid food or paste food, and liquid food should be thickened appropriately.

Due to the decline of physiological function and insufficient food intake, the elderly often lack certain minerals and vitamins, which leads to nutritional deficiencies such as calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A and vitamin C, anemia and low weight. On the one hand, it can be corrected by balanced diet and reasonable nutrition; On the other hand, under the guidance of nutritionists and doctors, choose nutritious fortified foods or nutritional supplements that suit you.

Take the initiative to drink enough water; Active outdoor activities

Take the initiative to drink water every day and develop the habit of taking the initiative to drink water regularly. The amount of drinking water for the elderly should be no less than 1200ml, and 1500ml~ 1700ml is appropriate. Warm boiled water is the first choice for drinking water. According to personal circumstances, you can also choose to drink mineral water or light tea.

Appropriate outdoor activities can make the elderly better exposed to ultraviolet rays, which is beneficial to the synthesis of vitamin D in the body and delays the development of osteoporosis and muscle attenuation. The amount of exercise of the elderly should be adjusted at any time according to their own health and physique, and step by step. Can be divided into multiple exercises, each time not less than 10 minutes. The activity intensity is suitable for sweating slightly.

Delaying muscle attenuation; Maintain a proper weight

Muscle is an important part of the body, and delaying muscle decline is extremely important to maintain the self-care ability, activity ability and health status of the elderly. The effective way to delay muscle decay is to combine diet with exercise, that is, on the one hand, we should eat enough animal food and soybean products rich in high-quality protein, on the other hand, we should do aerobic exercise and appropriate resistance exercise. Animal foods such as fish, shrimp, poultry, pork, beef and mutton all contain high-quality protein and various micronutrients with high digestibility. Drink milk every day and eat soybeans and their bean products every day.

Maintaining a proper weight can be measured according to your body mass index. Body mass index = the square of weight (kg) and height (m). From the point of view of reducing the risk of malnutrition and death, the body mass index of the elderly should be not less than 20.0kg/m2 and not more than 26.9kg/m2, and guidance and improvement should be encouraged through individualized evaluation by nutritionists.

Eat enough food; Encourage accompanying meals.

Old people should eat at least 12 kinds of food every day. Use various methods to increase appetite and appetite, and eat three meals well. Breakfast should have 1 ~ 2 servings of staple food, 1 serving of eggs, 1 cup of milk and vegetables or fruits. Chinese food and dinner should have more than two staple foods, including 1 ~ 2 meat dishes, 1 ~ 2 vegetables and 1 bean products. Meals should be less salt, less oil, less sugar, less spicy, seasoned with the natural taste of food, full of color, flavor and appropriate temperature. Encouraging dining company and good communication and exchange is the best way to promote the mental health, appetite and nutritional status of the elderly.

Recommended daily food intake for the elderly over 65 years old.

Text/Nutrition Section