Geriatric Nutrition
Eating healthy should not be just for the young adults who are trying to look good in time for swimsuit season or people on fad diets. Everyone should eat healthy to enhance and prolong their lives. Geriatric patients greatly see the effects more than any other age group of their bad nutritional choices. Choosing the right healthy foods and non processed foods will not only help in preventing chronic diseases, it will also help in increasing energy levels. By making better food choices, a !
The food choices people make might not affect them in the present but may affect them in thgeriatric patient will feel better and be able to do more in his or her everyday life. You shouldn't wait until you are old to make the right food choicese long run. With convenience being key in today's society, people often divulge in cheaper fast food. With all the marketing spent on advertisement and glamorizing fast food, it has quickly led us to an obese nation that is beginning to see the effects that fast food has on health. Fast food is problematic because it is processed, loaded with sodium and fat, and for the most part has empty calories. For geriatric patients who are not up to cooking a healthy meal every day and not living on an fixed income anymore, it is hard for them to avoid the quick and easy stop at the local Mc Donald's or KFC. Fast food chains have gotten better at trying to provide a variety of foods other than the normal staple foods: hamburger, fries, friend chicken, burrito, etc. There are problems when fast food restaurants raise the prices for the healthier, more nutrient-dense food and lower the prices for the greasy bad foods. They also use processed meats which are loaded with sodium and fat. The fried food powerhouses deep fry all their food, adding more calories and increasing the overall fat content. Eating a great deal of fast food greatly increases the chance of having: heart disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, sleep apnea, and obesity. A nursing goal to be met through nutrition is to "maintain or improve nutritional status" (DiMaria-Ghalili, 2008). Nurses can accomplish this by providing information to the patient about what foods are beneficial and healthy.
One of the most common problems among our older clients is the enormous nutritional debt and toxins that have resulted from years of not eating adequate fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. They are also experiencing the effects of years of a high-sugar diet and a general belief that diet relates to weight control issues rather than to health. (Croker, 2008). Geriatric patients need to have a well balanced diet with healthy foods and activity to help them feel better and decrease their chances of progressing or worsening their disease. Geriatric patients need to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables because these foods are loaded with antioxidants and phytochemicals, which help in reducing the risk of cancer. They also contain fiber, which lowers cholesterol and helps with constipation. Geriatric patients should avoid sodas because of the high sugar content that can cause tooth decay, and because of all the empty calories a can of coke contains. They should consume whole grains and wheat for their source of complex carbohydrates, which also help in making them full and for the fiber content. Instead of having fried chicken or a hamburger, a healthy alternative is turkey, chicken or fish. Lean meat is better because it is lower in fat and cholesterol. Geriatric patients should also drink low fat milk for calcium and Vitamin D, and stay well hydrated by drinking six to eight glasses of water a day unless contraindicated. Simple lifestyle changes can be accomplished by adjusting what they choose at the fast food line.
The food choices people make might not affect them in the present but may affect them in thgeriatric patient will feel better and be able to do more in his or her everyday life. You shouldn't wait until you are old to make the right food choicese long run. With convenience being key in today's society, people often divulge in cheaper fast food. With all the marketing spent on advertisement and glamorizing fast food, it has quickly led us to an obese nation that is beginning to see the effects that fast food has on health. Fast food is problematic because it is processed, loaded with sodium and fat, and for the most part has empty calories. For geriatric patients who are not up to cooking a healthy meal every day and not living on an fixed income anymore, it is hard for them to avoid the quick and easy stop at the local Mc Donald's or KFC. Fast food chains have gotten better at trying to provide a variety of foods other than the normal staple foods: hamburger, fries, friend chicken, burrito, etc. There are problems when fast food restaurants raise the prices for the healthier, more nutrient-dense food and lower the prices for the greasy bad foods. They also use processed meats which are loaded with sodium and fat. The fried food powerhouses deep fry all their food, adding more calories and increasing the overall fat content. Eating a great deal of fast food greatly increases the chance of having: heart disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, sleep apnea, and obesity. A nursing goal to be met through nutrition is to "maintain or improve nutritional status" (DiMaria-Ghalili, 2008). Nurses can accomplish this by providing information to the patient about what foods are beneficial and healthy.
One of the most common problems among our older clients is the enormous nutritional debt and toxins that have resulted from years of not eating adequate fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. They are also experiencing the effects of years of a high-sugar diet and a general belief that diet relates to weight control issues rather than to health. (Croker, 2008). Geriatric patients need to have a well balanced diet with healthy foods and activity to help them feel better and decrease their chances of progressing or worsening their disease. Geriatric patients need to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables because these foods are loaded with antioxidants and phytochemicals, which help in reducing the risk of cancer. They also contain fiber, which lowers cholesterol and helps with constipation. Geriatric patients should avoid sodas because of the high sugar content that can cause tooth decay, and because of all the empty calories a can of coke contains. They should consume whole grains and wheat for their source of complex carbohydrates, which also help in making them full and for the fiber content. Instead of having fried chicken or a hamburger, a healthy alternative is turkey, chicken or fish. Lean meat is better because it is lower in fat and cholesterol. Geriatric patients should also drink low fat milk for calcium and Vitamin D, and stay well hydrated by drinking six to eight glasses of water a day unless contraindicated. Simple lifestyle changes can be accomplished by adjusting what they choose at the fast food line.
Start your way to eating healthy today!
photo credit: http://www.americanhearinglab.com/adults.htm
1 comment:
Man, my biceps are pumped - thanks, Dawg!
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