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Choose dietary supplements with care
Food supplements such as shakes, powders, and puddings were originally developed for people unable to eat regular meals or to absorb nutrients properly, or whose conditions required special diets. Many of these products are now being marketed to healthy people who should be able to meet their nutritional needs through a normal, healthy diet. If you decide to use food supplements, consult your healthcare provider first to make sure your supplement properly complements your diet. Be careful not to let a supplement replace a meal.
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Elderly Nutrition Needs More Research
The nutritional health of the elderly is an under-researched topic. Ignorance in this area results in countless numbers of premature deaths among the elderly, as well as chronic and life-threatening illness. According to some estimates, more than one in four elderly people are malnourished.
What does malnutrition mean? It isn't just a lack of calories; malnutrition includes diets lacking in essential vitamins and minerals as well as diets with excessive fat or cholesterol.
While there is no separate Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) table for the elderly, there is agreement in the medical community that a separate table is needed to address the elderly's different nutritional needs. But because there has not been enough research on the topic, there has been hesitation about coming up with a new RDA table.
Many Factors Affect Nutritional Requirements As You Age
- Your basal metabolism rate (BMR) is the amount of energy you need to perform bodily functions such as breathing and moving. As you age, your BMR decreases, resulting in an overall decrease in the amount of calories you need.
- If you are not as active as you used to be, you will not need as many calories.
- Cooking and shopping may become more difficult, and the senses of taste and smell may decrease as well. This can take the joy out of eating.
- You are at greater risk of becoming dehydrated, yet your ability to recognize thirst is also impaired.
- Because sun exposure is one of the main sources of vitamin D (essential for proper calcium absorption), you are at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency if you don't go outdoors in the sunshine very often.
- Because your body cannot get rid of vitamin A as quickly as it used to, you need to reduce the amount of vitamin A in your diet to avoid the accumulation of toxic levels.
- Up one-third of the elderly will develop atropic gastritis. This simply means that less stomach acid is produced, making it more difficult to digest foods as well as absorb nutrients. You may need to supplement your diet with select vitamins and minerals.
- A dangerous side effect of atropic gastritis is an increased risk of food poisoning. The less stomach acid you have, the harder it is to destroy harmful bacteria in your food. The elderly are more prone to food poisoning than any other segment of the population.
- To avoid retinal diseases that can cause decreased eyesight, increase the amount of vitamin C- containing foods you consume.
- Oral diseases and dental difficulty account in large part for a decline in proper eating habits among the elderly.
- Often, old age brings disease and disease brings drug treatment. Drugs can decrease, increase, or alter the way your body takes up nutrients.
- As you get older, you produce less saliva. This can make your mouth dry and eating difficult.
Who Is at Risk for Malnutrition?
- Elderly people who live at, below, or near the poverty line
- People suffering from depression or other disease states that affect their ability to eat
- Individuals who are dieting
- Elderly people with little or no experience with food preparation
Should I Take Vitamin and Mineral Supplements?
Yes, but not without consulting your healthcare provider. Remember to tell him or her about all the prescription and over-the-counter drugs you are taking.
Should I Turn to Food Supplements?
Food supplements, often called "enteral nutrition," are really only designed for use under the supervision of a doctor. Food supplements are specially designed to help supply the body with vitamins and minerals that specific health conditions demand. Food supplements are generally used when you are too ill to consume food by yourself. If you can consume food orally on your own, regular food is always preferred.
Never use food supplements without the consultation of your healthcare provider.
When To Use Supplements
- When the body is experiencing trauma, fighting off disease, or undergoing chemotherapy, it expends more energy. You may need to increase calorie intake if you are ill; however, remember that illness often brings reduced activity, which in turn calls for reduced calorie intake. Only your healthcare provider can calculate your proper dietary intake during times of illness.
- Always use food supplements under the guidance of your healthcare provider, and don't make adjustments without their approval.
- Different food supplements are designed for different health conditions. A supplement designed for someone undergoing chemotherapy can have disastrous effect for someone with another condition.
Some conditions may require food supplements. In these situations, the person will always be under a doctor's care and should not attempt to use food supplements on their own. The conditions include the following:
- AIDS
- After surgery that impairs oral consumption of solid food
- Liver conditions
- Stomach disorders
- Cancer
- Chemotherapy
- Chronic infections
- Respiratory problems
- Pancreatic diseases
- Trauma
- Chronic vomiting
- Severe burns
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When To Use Food Supplements
- Food supplements are designed to provide proper nutrients to people who require a special diet or cannot orally consume adequate nutrition due to illness.
- If you are capable of orally consuming regular food, food supplements shouldn't be used as a replacement.
How Food Supplements Work
- Food supplements provide vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in forms that are easy to digest and absorb.
Ways to Improve Nutrition Beyond the Use of Food Supplements
- A great way of increasing your desire to eat is to increase your use of spices. However, don't go overboard on salt as this can increase your blood pressure. Also, those with sensitive stomachs should avoid particularly spicy foods.
- Try using food colors or food decoration to make your food look more appealing.
- Pickles, vinegar, and lemon juice are a great alternative to salt.
- Maintain or create social relations that revolve around eating. You are more likely to motivate yourself to eat if you consider it a social outlet.
- Have frequent dental check-ups.
- Use sauces to moisten food.
- Try dunking breads into your milk or tea to moisten them.
- After each bite of food, wash it down with a swallow of your beverage.
- Are you lactose intolerant? Make sure you get adequate amounts of calcium through some other means. Often lactose intolerant individuals can comfortably consume yogurt.
- Make sure that you consume enough liquids to avoid dehydration.
- Keep your digestive tract on track. Consume high-fiber foods such as fruits, grains, and vegetables.
- Educate yourself on possible interactions between the foods you eat and the drugs you take. Consult your healthcare professional and remember to mention both prescription and non-prescription drugs you are taking.
- Be aware that as if senses of sight and smell diminish, it will be harder for you to determine when food has spoiled or when plates and forks are dirty. Be extra careful and set a date past which you throw out all perishable food, even if you can't see or smell spoilage.
- Remember to shop for soft foods.
A List of Minimum Daily Dietary Requirements
- While this list should be altered according to your individual needs and is not comprehensive for all individuals, it provides a nice sketch of what an average person should consume. Many of these foods are also particularly friendly to dentures. Consult your healthcare provider for specific dietary requirements.
- Two servings of dairy products: 1 1/2 ounces of cheese, eight ounces of milk or yogurt
- Two servings of meat/protein products: two ounces lean ground beef, two eggs, one-half cup cottage cheese, four tablespoons peanut butter, two ounces tuna fish
- Four servings fruits or vegetables: one cup raw or a half-cup cooked. Try ripe pears, bananas, juices.
- Four servings of grains: one slice bread, a half-cup cooked cereal, or pasta
- Try to eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible. Canned fruits and vegetables have fewer vitamins and nutrients and more salt.
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Food Supplements Can Potentially Cause Many Side Effects
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Nausea
Consult a Healthcare Provider If You Experience Any of the Following
- Weakness
- Nervousness
- Cramps and pain in the muscles
- Mood swings
- Confusion, delusions
- Markedly reduced urine volume
- Tingling in the hands, feet, or lips
- Respiratory difficulty
- Excessive urination
- Dry mouth
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Websites, Organizations & Manufacturers
Sources & Further Reading
Books
- 1. American Medical Association. The American Medical Association: Guide to your family's symptoms. Washington, D.C.: American Pharmaceutical Association 1992.
- 2. Bronner, Felix. Ed. Nutrition and Health: Topics and controversies. New York: CRC Press 1995.
- 3. Fauci, Anthony S. et al. Eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed. New York: MacGraw Hill 1998.
Find more books on health and wellness at  barnesandnoble.com.
Articles
- 1. Maugh, Thomas H. "Diet seen as a key to health in elderly." Los Angeles Times; 3/18/1998.
- 2. Food & Drug Adminstration. FDA/CFSAN Federal Register 61; 11/29/1996.
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