Healthy eating for older adults
As you get older, it’s important you continue to eat well. Changes in your body result in lower energy (calorie) requirements. It is therefore important to reduce portion sizes if activity is low, and to cut down on sugary snacks such as cakes and buns.
What to eat
The Eatwell guide is used to show the different types of foods commonly eaten and the proportions that are recommended to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
No single food provides all the nutrients you need, so it's important to include a wide variety of foods in the diet.
The Eatwell guide is split into five main food groups:
- fruit and vegetables
- potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy foods
- dairy and alternatives
- beans, pulses, fish, eggs and other proteins
- oils and spreads
Further information on the Eatwell guide is available at:
Minerals and vitamins
You should try to make sure you are getting the right amount of certain vitamins. The following minerals and vitamins are important in the later years of life.
Calcium
Osteoporosis is a major health issue for older people, particularly women.
This is where bone density reduces and so the risk of fractures increases.
Good sources of calcium are dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. Choose lower-fat varieties when you can.
Calcium is also found in canned fish with bones, such as sardines.
Other sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables (such as broccoli, cabbage and spinach), soya beans and tofu.
Iron
You should eat plenty of iron-rich foods to help keep up your body's store of iron.
The best source of iron is red meat. It can also be found in:
- pulses (such as peas, beans and lentils)
- oily fish such as sardines
- eggs
- bread
- green vegetables
- breakfast cereals with added vitamins
Vitamin C
Foods and drinks rich in vitamin C will help the body absorb iron, so you could have some fruit or vegetables or a glass of fruit juice with an iron-rich meal.
Fruit, especially citrus fruit, green vegetables, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes are all good sources of vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Having too much vitamin A (more than 1.5mg of vitamin A every day, from food or supplements) might increase the risk of bone fracture.
Liver is a rich source of vitamin A, so you should avoid eating liver or liver products such as pâté more than once a week, or you could eat smaller portions.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for everyone, to help develop and maintain healthy bones, teeth and muscles.
You get vitamin D from three main sources:
- sunlight
- food
- Vitamin D supplements
During the summer months most people will usually get enough vitamin D from sunlight, so you may choose not to take a supplement over the summer months (late March/ April to the end of September).
If a person is confined indoors for long periods then they will need a daily supplement of ten micrograms of vitamin D because their skin is not exposed to sunlight to make vitamin D.
For older adults, vitamin D with added calcium may be recommended by healthcare staff to protect bone health and guard against osteoporosis.
Potassium
As you get older, your kidneys become less able to remove potassium from your blood.
You should avoid taking potassium supplements unless on medical advice.
Folic acid
Foods containing folic acid help maintain good health in older age.
Good sources are green vegetables and brown rice, as well as bread and breakfast cereals that have vitamins added.
What to drink
It's very important to make sure you’re drinking enough.
Your body needs plenty of fluid to work properly, such as helping to stop you getting constipated or confused.
Aim to drink about six to eight glasses of water, or other fluids, every day to stop you getting dehydrated.
When the weather is warm or when you get active, your body is likely to need more than this.
How to tell if you're drinking enough
As you get older, your sense of thirst reduces which means you might not always feel thirsty when your body is already dehydrated.
Look out for the following symptoms of dehydration:
- urine has a dark colour and you don’t pass much when you go to the toilet
- headaches
- confusion and irritability
- lack of concentration
As you get older, these signs of dehydration could also be signs of other issues so check with your GP if you’re concerned about any symptoms.
Healthy weight
Try to keep your weight at a healthy level.
As you grow older, if you're overweight this will affect your mobility, which can affect your health and your quality of life.
Being overweight increases your risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Equally, sudden weight loss is not healthy and may be a sign either that you are not eating enough food or that you are not well.
If you are concerned about your weight you should speak to your GP.
Eating less
As you get older it's natural to start eating less because you will become less physically active and so your body will adapt and adjust your overall food intake.
You may find it difficult to tolerate the meals you used to eat. Try having smaller meals more often and with nutritious snacks in between.
It's important to eat regularly, at least three times a day.
You might not always feel like cooking so you could increase your intake of tinned, chilled and frozen ready-prepared meals.
Always make sure you heat chilled and frozen food until it's steaming hot all the way through.
You might eat less because you're finding it more difficult to buy or prepare food or you're finding it harder to get around if you have conditions such as arthritis.
You may be able to get help with these sorts of problems through your GP.
Cutting down on salt
On average, you should aim to keep your salt intake to less than 6g per day (about 2.4g of sodium).
If you’re buying processed foods, remember to check the information given on the labels to choose those with less salt.
Try replacing salt with pepper, herbs and spices to add flavour to your favourite dishes.
Cutting down on sugar
Adults should eat no more than 30g of sugar per day, roughly equal to seven sugar cubes.
Alcohol
Although many people enjoy alcohol socially, alcohol in large quantities can be a significant source of calories, which may result in weight gain.
Alcohol can also impair judgement, which can increase the risk of falls.
As you get older, you tend to have less body weight than younger adults, so the alcohol is more concentrated in the blood.
You may also need more prescription medication or over the counter medication.
It is important to check whether the medication you are taking will be affected by alcohol intake.