{"id":5476,"date":"2019-11-04T14:56:55","date_gmt":"2019-11-04T13:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nutrisens.com\/vitalites\/avoiding-malnutrition-in-the-elderly\/"},"modified":"2024-03-05T15:18:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T14:18:23","slug":"avoiding-malnutrition-in-the-elderly","status":"publish","type":"vitalites","link":"https:\/\/www.nutrisens.com\/en\/vitalites\/avoiding-malnutrition-in-the-elderly\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoiding malnutrition in the elderly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rtejustify\">According to a 2007 report from the French health authority HAS, malnutrition affects:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">4 to 10% of <strong><u><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.nutrisens.com\/en\/3-malnutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">elderly people<\/a><\/u><\/strong> who live at home.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">15 to 38% of people in residential care (retirement homes, nursing homes etc.)<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Up to 70% of hospitalised elderly persons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">Malnutrition stems from an imbalance between food intake and energy used.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>People eat less for many reasons<\/strong>: social (e.g. isolation), psychological (e.g. depression) and physiological (e.g. poor oral health or loss of appetite) factors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>Energy requirements may increase<\/strong> subsequent to acute or chronic inflammation due to an infection, a wound, chronic illness or an allergy. Whatever the reason, the body ceases to receive enough nutrients.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>Why do elderly people eat less?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">Elderly people may eat less for a variety of reasons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>Loss of appetite<\/strong> due to depression (loneliness, the loss of a loved one)<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>Preconceived ideas<\/strong>: \u201cOld people don\u2019t need to eat much\u201d<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>Poor oral health<\/strong> (dental issues) implying a loss of taste and chewing difficulties<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>At home, issues with shopping<\/strong> such as a loss of autonomy (no local shops, not able to travel far etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">A nutritional deficit coupled with an increase in metabolic requirements is the main cause of malnutrition in elderly people.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>Nutrition after 60: Dispelling the myths!<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><u>\u201cI should eat less meat\u201d<\/u>:\u00a0<strong>WRONG<\/strong>, requirements don\u2019t decrease with age. Muscles, cell rejuvenation and the immune system require nutrients.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><u>\u201cI should eat less fat\u201d<\/u>:\u00a0<strong>WRONG<\/strong>, fat or lipids should represent 35-40% of total energy intake. Make sure you consume vegetable oils, oily fish and nuts. But don\u2019t deprive yourself of butter and cream. Any geriatric specialist will tell you that a \u201cchubby\u201d <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.nutrisens.com\/en\/3-malnutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">elderly patient<\/a><\/strong> is easier to treat than a skinny one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><u>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if I eat less for a few days\u201d<\/u>:\u00a0<strong>WRONG<\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.nutrisens.com\/en\/3-malnutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">elderly people<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0take longer and require more effort to process food. Weight loss often means muscle wasting, which is difficult to overcome.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>Daily habits<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">If you have a small appetite, eat little and often throughout the day.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>MORNING:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">Hot drink to rehydrate the organism when you wake up<br \/>\nUnrefined cereals (wholegrain bread or toast)<br \/>\nButter and jam<br \/>\nYoghurt or fromage blanc<br \/>\nFresh fruit (kiwi, orange etc.)<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>LUNCH:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">A starter and\/or raw fruit<br \/>\nA dish comprising meat or fish and vegetables and\/or carbohydrates.<br \/>\nCheese or other dairy product<br \/>\nBread<\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>SNACK:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">Fruit, a dairy product and\/or a Nutrisens madeleine<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>DINNER:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">Soup or starter<br \/>\nProtein (ham, egg, quiche etc.)<br \/>\nWith vegetables, rice, pasta, potatoes or salad<br \/>\nCheese or other dairy product<br \/>\nBread<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>Tips for elderly people who live at home!<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">If you have difficulty doing your shopping:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Use your freezer: <strong>meat, bread, cheese, cooked vegetables and soup<\/strong> can all be frozen. You just need to cook them or reheat them once defrosted.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Use <strong>home delivery<\/strong>: several chains will deliver to your door.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Stock up on <strong>rice, pasta and tinned food<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">If you have difficulty preparing meals:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Use <strong>easy-cook<\/strong> solutions: frozen fish or vegetable dishes, stewed fruit, cheese etc.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Check if there is a meals-on-wheels service in your area. Ask the local authorities.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Butcher\u2019s deli counters often have a variety of <strong>ready-made dishes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">At home or in a residential home, if you have difficulty eating, especially chewing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Mince or blend your food with its juice or a sauce.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Replace meat with fish or an omelette.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Eat yoghurt rather than hard cheese.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice. They may recommend dietary supplements or enriched food.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><strong>Weigh yourself regularly \u2013 once a month \u2013 and let your doctor know if you lose weight significantly.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a 2007 report from the French health authority HAS, malnutrition affects: 4 to 10% of elderly people who live at home. 15 to 38% of people in residential care (retirement homes, nursing homes etc.) Up to 70% of hospitalised elderly persons Malnutrition stems from an imbalance between food intake and energy used. People [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5477,"template":"","thematique_blog":[25],"tags_blog":[93,85],"class_list":["post-5476","vitalites","type-vitalites","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","thematique_blog-nutrition-sante","tags_blog-malnutrition","tags_blog-ageing-well"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrisens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vitalites\/5476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrisens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vitalites"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrisens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vitalites"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrisens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrisens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"thematique_blog","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrisens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thematique_blog?post=5476"},{"taxonomy":"tags_blog","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutrisens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags_blog?post=5476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}