Eating as we Age

“Fortune cookie say: You will find happiness in mind and heart.”

silverware

I grew up with the food pyramid, which morphed into MyPlate (2011). This is a plate symbol that’s divided into unequal quadrants and shows a healthy diet.

Now, this chart has been revised for older adults. It still encourages variety in foods (easy rule: make sure to dine on plenty of colors!). Here a few interesting highlights for eating as we age:

  • Use frozen veggies (they’re convenient and have an equivalent nutritional value)
  • Spice it up! (taste buds change, but instead of using salt for flavor, substitute in spices and herbs)
  • Drink a lot (thirst becomes less of an indicator as our bodies get older, so make sure we consciously stay hydrated)

Happy eating!

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Comments

  1. This is interesting. My family has tried to explain to my mother that although she says she’s not hungry or thirsty she still needs to eat and drink something. She frequently says she can’t taste the salt in the food, so we’ve had to take away the salt shaker because of her high blood pressure and put a shaker of herb mix on the table. Sometimes it seems it’s an ongoing battle to get her to eat better.

    • Jennifer J. Chow says

      It’s hard to realize that as we get older, our bodies change–and that includes our taste! I think one thing that may help is changing the way the whole family eats, so that people don’t feel singled out. Of course, easier said than done, especially with kids around the table!

  2. I’m on my way to the grocery store. I think I’ll buy some frozen veggies.

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