Eating and the elderly

(MS) - Parents often hear about the need for their children to eat a healthy and balanced diet. But what about the parents of those parents? As people age, a balanced diet remains important.

For seniors, maintaining a healthy diet is very important as they head deeper into their golden years. Oftentimes, maintaining a healthy diet means making changes to your existing diet to counter the changes in body composition experienced as you grow older. Because your body will gradually lose bone and muscle while gaining fat as you grow older, these changes can go a long way to helping you maintain your current health.

• Keep protein a part of your diet. As people grow older, protein becomes more important, in large part because protein helps to maintain a healthy immune system and prevents the wasting of muscle. Discuss with your physician the various ways in which you can incorporate high quality proteins, such as fish, eggs and poultry, into your diet.

• Make sure you're eating enough carbohydrates and fiber. A diet with the right amount of fiber will help you avoid problems such as constipation. Carbohydrates are necessary because they provide a good source of energy, something seniors need if they hope to maintain a more active and less sedentary lifestyle. • Continue to consume calcium. Bone diseases such as osteoporosis can be the result of calcium deficiency, and most seniors will admit their calcium intake isn't what it should be. Since osteoporosis weakens bones and makes them more susceptible to breaking, consuming calcium is essential for seniors to avoid potentially debilitating breaks. Seniors who don't like the taste of milk or other dairy products, can consider a calcium supplement or regularly include broccoli, a good source of calcium, in their diet.

• Drink enough water. Dehydration is common among seniors due to the reduction in the body's overall water content. Regardless of thirst, seniors should drink water with each meal. Oftentimes, low water levels in the body can result in fatigue. How much water you should drink depends on individual body weight, so consult with your physician and stick to his or her recommendations.

• Don't eliminate fat entirely. While it's important for seniors to limit their fat intake, fat remains an important energy source, so eliminating fat entirely is not a good idea. Low fat dairy products and lean meats are good sources of fat, which also provide necessary vitamins to maintain health. Also consider where you're getting fat from. If your preferred method of preparing meals is frying, that should be eliminated, as it will only lead to excessive fat intake.

Most of these changes are manageable and will help seniors maintain a healthy lifestyle as they age. However, consult a physician before making any of the above modifications.