Diet plan for the Elderly

 Planning a menu for the elderly is  sometimes a herculean task.They can't chew,they feel weak and tired easily,suffer from constipation. 

I am sharing few tips which might help you 

1. Elderly population  requires a soft diet as many of them are edentulous or have difficulty  in initiating swallowing. 

2.Never force them to eat a certain quantity and at particular time.

3.Add plenty of natural colour . Two to three meals of seasonal fruits will work as antioxidants and prevent constipation.

4.Their diet should be protein rich- egg whites,paneer,lentils,peanuts are good options

5.Calcium rich food  like milk,sesame seeds,green leafy vegetables should be incorporated in their meal.

6.Salt should not be restricted  until and unless they have uncontrolled  systemic hypertension. Many suffer from hypontraemia i.e.reduced sodium in the body.

7.Use of  cold pressed coconut oil,mustard oil or olive oil is a good cooking medium as both prevent high cholesterol and improve good cholesterol in the blood.

8.Avoid all purpose flour ,white sugar, processed foods with artificial colours and preservatives.

9.10 -12 glasses of water is advised in a day to prevent dehydration. In old age, muscle density reduces and susceptibility to dehydration is always very high, especially in summer.

10 Ajust the consistency  and texture of the food according to the likes of the patient

11 All the family members should sit together and eat

12  Incase of difficulty  in swallowing  kindly  consult the ENT doctor for swallowing  evaluation. A team approach evaluation  needs to be done.

Here, I'm sharing a sample diet plan for the elderly  after consulting geriatric physicians, senior ENT surgeons ,swallowing  therapists and elderly  patients.

Elderly age group requires 1500 -2000 cal/ day.

I haven't  mentioned the exact quantity as that will depend on each individual  and will be sorted  if we plan for a personalized  diet plan. 

Early morning 

200-250ml warm water/ fenugreek water+

Overnight soaked 5-10 Black raisins

Breakfast

Oats/ ragi porridge 

Ragi/ spinach dosa

Millet neer dosa

Rava/ oats idlis

Scrambled egg( 2 egg whites) with 2 slices of brown bread

Midmorning snacks

200-250ml juice

Pomegranate juice

Tender coconut 

Lunch

1 bowl of Boiled moong dal salad / boiled peanut salad+

green leafy vegetable sabji/ beetroot sabji/bottlegourd/ Ridgegourd  sabji/ fish curry+ 1 bowl rice/ 1 ragi ball /1.5 chapathis+ 1 bowl of curd

Evening

2 walnuts+ 5 almonds+ 2 figs/ 1 tsp of protein  powder in 200 ml milk/ 50g of sweet potato

Night

Soups 

Mixed vegetables soups

Chicken soup

Palak soup

Lentil soup

+ boiled veggies ( carrots + beans+ brocolli etc)

Regular moderate exercise,yoga will ensure absorption of nutrients well.

In case of any  medical disorder, like Diabetes Mellitus,Chronic Kidney Disease consult your physician.

At our hospital, we evaluate and manage swallowing  disorders  which is commonly seen in geriatric  group which may be due to age,neurological  disorders or local causes.

For more queries email me at amulyathotambailu@gmail.com