Food for grandmas. Nutrition for the elderly: recommendations and sample menu for the week
From this article you will learn:
Why do eating problems appear in old age?
What are the principles for preparing meals for the elderly?
What foods should older people with constipation not eat?
Is it possible to drink alcohol in old age?
To maintain the vital functions of the body and correct various conditions of the elderly body, it is necessary to provide the body with energy and various nutrients. Proper nutrition plays a key role in this process. It is important to consider that a slowing metabolism, various diseases and lifestyle should be fundamental factors when choosing a diet and healthy eating menu. Taking these principles into account will allow you to create a complete diet that will take into account the individual needs of each person.
Features and principles of rational nutrition for older people
Energy balance of nutrition
It is worth keeping a strict calorie count: both overeating and eating large amounts of fatty foods and foods rich in carbohydrates (bread, cereal, sugar) cause harm. Often, it is overeating that causes the main harm to health.
Prevention of atherosclerosis
Vascular atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of mortality in older people. You need to eat as little animal fat as possible and as much fish as possible. It contains important fatty acids. Also, cottage cheese and fermented milk products, vegetables, and fruits are indispensable in the diet. All this will help lower cholesterol in the blood and prevent its absorption into the blood through the intestines.
Maximum Diet Variety
To maintain optimal functioning of the body, the daily menu should include a variety of foods: fish, meat, eggs, vegetables and fruits, dairy products, cereals.
Adequate intake of vitamins and minerals
In addition to choosing the right foods, it is important to prepare your food properly. For example, by improperly preparing vegetables or fruits, you can completely destroy the vitamins they contain. Minerals are supplied to the body by raw fruits, vegetables, freshly washed juices, and dried fruits.
For the nutrition of older people, it is important to avoid canned foods and various concentrates. The basis of the diet should be raw vegetables and fruits, and on a year-round basis. A large amount of salt, by the way, negatively affects blood pressure, heart function and retains water in the body. The recommended amount of salt per day is no more than 10g. Moreover, it is important to limit the consumption of obviously salty foods, such as herring, pickled cucumbers, mushrooms, etc.
Foods and dishes should be light and easily digestible
Digestive enzymes work less and less with age and digestive activity noticeably decreases. Mushrooms, legumes and smoked foods can greatly complicate the digestive tract. Therefore, you should prefer fish and dairy products to these harmful products instead of animal proteins.
Food should be appetizing
The dishes should look quite appetizing, since the appetite itself in elderly people is quite reduced. Use fresh seasonings: onion, dill, garlic, parsley, etc. They have the excellent ability to enhance taste, and they also contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals. By the way, few people know, but onions and garlic serve excellently as prevention of atherosclerosis and increase the functioning of the digestive organs
The main problems in older people are slow metabolism, decreased appetite, various side effects from medications, overeating and picky eating. Perhaps not all of them, but most of them are certainly encountered by people as they age. To reduce the consequences of such phenomena, it is important to change your usual diet:
Sources of proteins. The best protein is not meat protein, but seafood protein. It is much better absorbed and many times more useful. It is advisable to consume seafood daily by boiling or steaming it. You need to eat meat 2 times a week maximum. Moreover, soups with meat broth are served only once a week. You can eat 3 eggs a week. Dairy products are not limited, but it is important to choose low-fat ones.
Sources of fats. If you consume fats, then only vegetable ones. Oil - only unrefined and only fresh - add to salads, cereals, but do not overuse. Cholesterol metabolism is activated by animal fats, with which it is also important not to overdo it. The fat contained in eggs and dairy products in general will be sufficient. It is also important not to overdo it with butter - you can consume a maximum of 1 sandwich per day.
Sources of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are extremely important in the diet of an elderly person. They should only be complex ones that release energy slowly. Moreover, to maintain normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, the presence of indigestible dietary fiber in food is important. They will not only help avoid such unpleasant phenomena as constipation, but also stimulate the functioning of the entire digestive system. You can find them in wholemeal bread, cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal), vegetables, and fruits. Everything that grows in the beds should be eaten exclusively raw, use soups, casseroles, etc.
Sources of micro- and macroelements, vitamins. The older we get, the worse nutrients are absorbed. All micro- and microelements help our body, regardless of age, but in old age their help is invaluable. Of course, doctors advise getting all the elements through food, however, all people over 60 should take additional nutritional supplements to stabilize the amount of vitamins and elements in the body.
Restrictions and prohibitions. The main thing is to approach the construction of the menu rationally, then the prohibitions and restrictions will seem insignificant. The main goal of all restrictions is to reduce obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. “Empty calories” – sugar, baked goods, confectionery – can lead to this. Replace them with fresh berries, honey, fruits. Also, it is undesirable to eat bread made from finely ground flour and polished cereals.
Excessive load on the gastrointestinal tract in old age is undesirable. To avoid this, you should not overeat, eat salty, spicy and smoked foods.
A categorical “no” in the diet of older people. All processed foods, sausages, soda and fast food should be strictly excluded from the diet. Alcohol is acceptable, but in very moderate quantities. The most optimal thing is a glass of dry wine. It is better to use table salt to a minimum - excess salt will only help the development of heart defects. However, it is important to understand that the diet should be varied so as not to put the body into a state of stress.
For the complete absorption of food in old age, it is necessary not only the characteristics of the food, but also the general condition of the person. To keep the body in good shape, it is also important to introduce physical activity. This will help stabilize digestion. In addition, it is necessary to maintain an optimal psychological state. Eating should not be accompanied by reading or watching TV; it is much better to communicate with loved ones while eating, for example.
An example of a menu for the elderly for a week
Monday
Breakfast: tea (green), sandwich with cheese and butter.
Second breakfast: milk porridge (milk), grated apples with boiled grated carrots, with lemon dressing.
Lunch: green salad, pea soup, fish cutlets with mashed potatoes and rosehip compote.
Afternoon snack: fermented milk products.
Dinner: baked apple, veal cutlets with boiled vegetables (small portions).
Breakfast: chicory with milk, cottage cheese with the addition of low-fat sour cream.
Second breakfast: oatmeal with milk, cottage cheese pancakes, green tea.
Lunch: cauliflower soup, stewed beef and peas, cranberry compote.
Afternoon snack: one apple or any fruit.
Dinner: eggplant baked in cheese, mashed potatoes, berry jelly.
Breakfast: tea with baked goods.
Second breakfast: fruit and porridge.
Lunch: salad of poached sweet peppers, onion soup, chicken meatballs with rice, prune compote.
Afternoon snack: rosehip compote, cottage cheese cream.
Dinner: rice porridge, lemon tea.
Breakfast: warm milk with bagels.
Second breakfast: milk porridge, buttered sandwich, barley coffee.
Lunch: noodle soup with meatballs.
Afternoon snack: dried fruits.
Dinner: zucchini pancakes, fermented milk drink.
Breakfast: cocoa with milk, chicken or rabbit pate.
Second breakfast: oatmeal porridge with water, boiled egg (without yolk), tea with lemon.
Lunch: tomato rice soup, steamed fish steak with boiled vegetables, rosehip compote.
Afternoon snack: grapes, cheese.
Dinner: tomatoes stuffed with rice and mashed potatoes, dried fruit compote.
Breakfast: tea with milk, bun with cottage cheese.
Second breakfast: milk porridge with cinnamon, a sandwich with butter, cocoa with milk.
Lunch: lentil soup with croutons, fish with mushrooms, steamed, boiled potatoes, cranberry jelly.
Afternoon snack: fruit.
Dinner: fish soup (lean), salad (like a vinaigrette), tea.
Sunday
Breakfast: endive with milk, sandwich with ham.
Second breakfast: beaten eggs, sandwich with cheese and butter, cocoa with milk.
Lunch: vegetable soup, boiled chicken with pasta, fresh juice.
Afternoon snack: kefir, rye bread with jam.
Dinner: pie with cottage cheese, apricot compote.
This is one of the diet options for older people. Of course, it is important to select it taking into account the person’s diseases and preferences. But in the proposed option there are definitely no foods that weaken digestion or anything that can harm a weak body.
What kind of food should you eat for constipation in older people?
One of the most unpleasant consequences of changes in body functions with age is constipation. At the same time, nutrition to treat this disease is the key to a quick recovery.
Be sure to exclude the following foods from your diet:
blueberries, dogwood, quince;
any confectionery products;
hot sauces, mustard.
any dough - puff pastry or butter, bread made from premium flour;
any meat and fatty poultry (goose or duck);
smoked meats and canned food;
eggs (hard-boiled and scrambled)
radishes, garlic, onions, turnips, radishes;
Also, for constipation, the following are prohibited:
black coffee;
strong tea;
any jelly;
any alcohol.
In addition, exclude rice and semolina.
What can you eat if you are constipated?
rye bread and bread baked from wholemeal flour, as well as dry cookies and savory pastries;
vegetable soups cooked in meat broth, as well as borscht, beetroot soup and cabbage soup made from fresh cabbage;
semi-viscous and crumbly porridges, especially buckwheat;
lean poultry and meat;
boiled and baked fish;
seafood;
greens and sour sauerkraut.
Special recommendations for the use of beets, melons, prunes, plums, figs and apricots. Salads made from raw vegetables (for example, vinaigrette) are also shown. Dressing exclusively from vegetable or olive oil. Vegetable caviar and fruit salads will also come in handy.
It is best to drink dairy products for constipation: fermented baked milk, yogurt and yoghurts (if dairy products are well tolerated), rosehip and rye bran compote, vegetable and fruit juices.
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24-hour care for the elderly by professional nurses (all staff are citizens of the Russian Federation).
There are things that each of us must be able to do. For example, make a gift for your grandmother’s birthday with your own hands. Of course, today you can buy any item in the store, and grandma will appreciate your efforts. However exclusive gift received from granddaughter or from a grandson and decorated with your own hands will bring much more joy and positivity. We will tell you later in the article how to make an unforgettable surprise for a loved one.
Grandmothers sometimes love their grandchildren more than their own grown-up children. And the grandchildren, in gratitude for the love, care, understanding and all sorts of goodies, can independently make a gift to their grandmother for her birthday, which she will remember and keep with pleasure throughout her life. Depending on your capabilities, you can think over a serious and useful gift(for example, sew a pillow), or you can make a nice little thing in just 5 minutes.
For example, try making a stylish stand for indoor plants from ordinary wooden clothespins. Plant some greens, mint or a small flower in a pot and give it to your grandmother as a keepsake.
If you have no idea what you can present to your grandmother for her 80th birthday, give her memories. Family photos in beautiful design will help reveal many family stories that you did not know about before.
A nice gift from my grandson - spring flowers in a cup.
Grandmothers are unsurpassed kitchen wizards and thrifty housewives. Give it to your grandma useful kitchen items, made with taste by your own hands.
Decorate a bag for grandma with your own hands. Using acrylic paints and pieces of vegetables or fruits, you can draw original patterns on fabric. With such a bag, grandma will be happy to go shopping and delight you with new goodies. And best of all - visit your grandmother more often and don’t forget to help her with the housework.
For 75 years You can present your grandmother with a beautiful handmade vase.
Give it to your grandmother as a gift for her anniversary. original candlestick.
What to give your grandmother on March 8, made with your own hands?
You can please your grandmother on March 8th with warmth and care. Prepare a surprise tea box for her. Place in a box with tea bags notes with words of love and gratitude. And then have a festive tea party with grandma. 
The continuation of the first gift will be a delicious cake that you bake for your grandmother with your own hands.
Design for grandma several vases in an original way.
A nice DIY gift for grandma - soft rug, which you can make from pieces of old things.
Paper also produces a lot of interesting and useful things. A memorable gift - a postcard - can be presented on other occasions, on March 8, and on any other holiday. Try it decorate a card with paper flowers, and write the text yourself, from the heart, with words of gratitude. We wrote in detail about how to make flowers from paper in one of the previous articles, and we are sure that you will find words of congratulations in your heart.
How to make a paper gift card for your grandmother for the holiday?
We will tell you more about making cards for grandma right now. For example, you want give 65th birthday card for grandma and please her with gentle congratulations, sincere words or beautiful poems.
Beautifully designed photos of your beloved grandchildren will be an excellent card for your grandmother's anniversary.
Ideas for cards for congratulating grandma are striking in their variety and simplicity. For making postcards you will need very few things.
- Scrapbooking paper
- Corrugated paper (for flowers)
- Lace
- Colored paper
- Cardboard
- Glue
- Scissors
- Colored ribbons
- Beads, beads, pearls
By combining these elements into a harmonious composition, you will receive a wonderful postcard as a gift for your beloved grandmother.
Everyone knows how important attention is for older people, which is why it is so important to handmade gift for grandma for any holiday, be it a birthday or March 8th. However, a cute handmade gift will always come in handy - grandma will simply be delighted with the creativity and thoughtfulness of her grandchildren.
DIY birthday gift for grandma
A birthday present for grandma can be absolutely anything - it all depends on the preferences and needs of each person. But, in any case, be sure to accompany your gift with a hand-made bouquet in which two eternal female weaknesses - flowers and sweets - will be in harmony. will be useful.List of what is needed:
- crepe paper,
- candies,
- wire,
- glue gun,
- scotch,
- box of cookies.
The next step is gluing the candy onto the wire; to do this, drop a drop of glue onto the candy wrapper with a glue gun, quickly, before the adhesive composition hardens, dip the wire tip into the glue and wrap the candy wrapper around it. Please note that the candy cannot be pierced with wire!
You can also attach sweets using tape - the candy wrapper is wrapped around a wire and then secured with tape.
To make the inside of the flower, take a light green paper blank and make a wavy edge along the entire length with your index and thumb. Proceed in the same way with the rest of the light green parts. Then pull each one towards the edges from the center to create a recess for the candy
To make snowdrop petals, divide each white strip into 3 equal parts, bend each piece in half to find its middle. At this fold, wrap the half of the part 360 degrees along its axis. Repeat these manipulations with the remaining 14 blanks.
Fold the twisted strip in half and bend the middle from the center to the edge, using your thumbs. Each petal should have a convex shape.
Wrap the light green center around the candy and secure with tape or thread. Then gather the white petals slightly overlapping around the center. Also secure the petals with tape or thread. Trim the tips of the petals at approximately 45 degrees - this will help make a smooth transition from the snowdrop to the stem.
Snowdrops will show off on a box of chocolates or cookies, which is why when all the flowers are ready, you will need to bend the wire a little and figure out exactly what the finished flower arrangement will look like.
The pieces of green crepe paper should be divided into 4 parts, cut out a leaf from each part. Fold each one out, running your thumb along the underside.
The stem must be wrapped with light green tape, then at a distance of 4-5 cm from the bud you must insert a leaf, wrapping it deeper at the base with tape. Collect the finished snowdrops into a single composition, tie it with a ribbon, and disguise the ends of the wire stems. You can use beads to decorate the bouquet.
In several places of the bouquet (on the stem), drop drops of glue from a thermal gun and secure it to the box of chocolates. Here you have a wonderful craft! By the way, since snowdrops were used in this master class, such a bouquet will be wonderful DIY gift for grandma on March 8th. Check out other people's ideas too.
DIY gift for grandma for her birthday
If grandma has poor eyesight (and this is by no means uncommon for older people), then a case for glasses would be an excellent present. The grandmother will take it in her hands several times a day, each time remembering her grandchildren with gratitude.Prepare:
- bright fabric,
- lining material,
- batting,
- pins,
- threads,
- satin ribbon.
Fold the batting blanks with the parts for the outside of the case, and fasten them diagonally with pins. Sew the blanks diagonally with contrasting threads. Fold the satin ribbon in half and attach it to the edge of the workpiece with a pin.
Align the blanks so that the batting sides “look” outward, fasten with pins, and then baste along the outer edge, not forgetting the 0.6 cm allowance.
Unfold the stitched part, iron the edges and trim the seam allowance. The excess along the bottom seam should be trimmed, but it is very important not to damage the seam itself. Turn the workpiece inside out and iron it.
Fold the raw top edges evenly inward, iron and secure with pins.
With the right side facing in, pin the lining and sew along the edge, but do not sew the top edge. Fold the top 1.25 cm and iron.
Fold the ruffle strip right side inward with an overlap of 7.5 cm. Sew (don’t forget about the 0.6 cm allowance), iron. Fold the ribbon in half and iron it. Sew along the raw edge through two layers of fabric, leaving ten centimeters of thread at the beginning and end. Pull the thread, making a frill.
Place the frill on the future case, aligning the raw edge of the frill with the top edge of the case. Sew the frill with an allowance of 1.25 cm. Insert the lining into the case blank. Align the seam of the frill with the folded edge of the lining and fasten. Carefully sew from the inside with matching thread. Iron the finished case.
DIY gift for grandma on her 8th birthday
Even novice craftswomen can easily master such a type of needlework as decoupage, which is why it is excellent a gift to grandmother from her granddaughter, with her own hands When done, there will be a cutting board decorated using this technique.Materials and tools:
- cutting board,
- dye,
- decoupage napkin,
- file,
- PVA glue.
The drawing should be covered with PVA glue diluted with water; you can also use office glue. Wait for the adhesive to dry.
To decorate the ends, mix gold and black paint, paint the ends with this mixture in two layers, after the paint has dried, the product can be varnished. Apply a layer of acrylic construction semi-gloss varnish, after drying, apply a second coat of varnish. This manipulation will make the product more durable and water resistant. Now you know, what gift to make for grandma with your own hands using decoupage technique.
How to make a gift for your grandmother with your own hands
A very interesting gift option would be a coffee vase, which you can easily make yourself.Prepare:
- mug,
- coffee beans,
- cotton pads,
- hot glue,
- brown paint.
Healthy nutrition for the elderly is aimed at maintaining the active functioning of the body, providing it with useful substances and energy. At the same time, it must take into account the slowing metabolism, as well as the individual needs of a particular person.
Principles of proper nutrition for older people
- Calorie counting and energy balance of food. Both overeating and consuming large amounts of carbohydrates cause serious harm to the body.
- Prevention of vascular atherosclerosis by including fish, cottage cheese, fruits, vegetables and other cholesterol-lowering foods in the diet.
- Maximum variety of the daily menu to maintain normal functioning of the body and stimulate appetite.
- Adequate intake of minerals and vitamins. When preparing dishes, it is important to select recipes that preserve the nutritional value of the food. In addition, older people should consume raw vegetables and fruits, fresh juices, and dried fruits.
- Easy digestibility of food. In adulthood, the digestive activity of the stomach decreases. In this regard, you need to avoid foods that can complicate the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Dishes that older people should avoid
- Homemade and store-bought canned goods.
- Foods high in salt.
- Baking and confectionery products.
- Fast food and dishes prepared according to similar recipes.
- Semi-finished meat products and sausages.
- Carbonated and alcoholic drinks.