Healthy Eating for Older Adults
Top Tips:
For older adults in good health, a healthy varied diet can help nourish your body and keep you strong.
Aim for 3 meals and 2-3 snacks each day.
Remember to drink enough fluids throughout the day.
Make sure each meal has:
High fibre starchy foods (e.g. brown cereals/bread/rice/pasta or potatoes)
Plenty of fruit or vegetables
High quality protein foods (e.g. eggs, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, nuts, pulses)
It is best to limit alcohol, fat, sugar and salt intake.
Healthy Eating helps your muscles, brain, weight, bones and gut.
Mind your muscles:
It is important to eat foods which are a good source of protein to maintain muscle mass.
Good protein sources are: Eggs, milk, cheese, yoghurt, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, peas, beans, lentils Include these foods with each main meal and after exercising to help repair your muscle.
Boost the brain: B vitamins can boost brain function. Choose fruit & vegetables and high-quality protein foods (e.g. meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, dairy) Also, opt for foods that are “fortified” with B Vitamins such as some milks and cereals. Aim to consume oily fish once per week such as salmon, trout, mackerel.
Keeping a healthy body weight helps to reduce your risk of developing diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Limit foods high in fat, sugar and salt e.g. cake, biscuits, crisps & alcohol. Be mindful of portion sizes.
Strengthen those bones: Include 3-4 daily servings of Calcium foods, e.g. dairy or fortified dairy alternatives. A 15 microgram (600IU) vitamin D3 supplement is advised every day. Get vitamin D from food sources such as eggs, oily fish, liver, fortified foods and safe sun exposure.
Keep your gut happy: Consume a wide variety of fruit and veg, aiming for 5-7 different portions each day. Aim for a regular meal pattern that includes wholegrain cereals, breads, seeds and nuts Drink plenty of any fluids daily: - Women 6-8 glasses - Men 8-10 glasses
Alcohol: Less is Best! Alcohol does not contain any nutrients beneficial to health It can increase your risk of falling. If you do drink alcohol: * do so in small quantities, spread over the week * allow at least 2 alcohol free days each week.
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