Improving Nutrition in Later Life

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As we get older, our nutritional needs change. You might have lower calorific needs, but your nutritional needs might be similar or even greater than a younger person, as your body needs more support to stay strong and healthy. You might need fewer calories due to a less hectic lifestyle and reduced mobility, and you may also be struggling with a lack of appetite, which is very common in later life. Both of these factors can make meeting your nutritional needs very difficult. Here are some tips to help you. 

Improve Your Social Life

In later life, we can become isolated, and our social lives can dwindle. This can lead to loneliness and depression, which in turn can reduce our appetites. Growing isolation can also mean less movement, reducing your calorific needs, and making it harder to meet your nutritional ones. 

There are many benefits to an improved social life in our old age. Eating more, improving our appetite, and getting the opportunity to experience a wider range of ingredients, flavors, and nutrients by eating socially is certainly one of them, but most older people also find that an improved social life improves their quality of life as well as their mental and physical health. 

If you are finding getting out and meeting or spending time with people hard, and are worried about growing isolation, then it might be time to consider a move to senior living Chicago IL, which will also have the benefit of access to healthcare and professionally cooked meals that are tailored to your nutritional needs. 

Exercise

An improved social life will help you to move more, but you should still try to commit to regular, safe, exercise. If you have any mobility or health issues, which make exercise difficult, speak to a healthcare provider about adapting workouts or exercises that you can do safely. 

If it’s just a case of being out of the habit, start with easy exercise, such as short, daily walks and spending time tending to your garden. 

Cook from Scratch

Many of us stop cooking or cook less frequently as we get older. In part, this can be due to a loss of interest in food, but it can also be because mobility issues make standing to cook for too long difficult, or because we are eating alone, instead of with our families. 

If you can rediscover (or discover for the first time) a love of cooking, you’ll have a great way to add nutritious, fresh ingredients to even smaller portions of your favorite meals. You’ll also find that if you love to cook, you try more new things, and experiment with flavors. Expanding your diet, instead of eating the same things every day, is one of the best ways to make sure you are meeting your nutritional needs. 

If you struggle to stand, think about making some changes in your kitchen, to make cooking easier for you. 

Meeting our nutritional needs isn’t always easy. But if you can find a love for cooking, and enjoy eating with friends, you will find it much easier, and soon notice improvements in your health and mood.

About Author

LaDonna Dennis

LaDonna Dennis is the founder and creator of Mom Blog Society. She wears many hats. She is a Homemaker*Blogger*Crafter*Reader*Pinner*Friend*Animal Lover* Former writer of Frost Illustrated and, Cancer...SURVIVOR! LaDonna is happily married to the love of her life, the mother of 3 grown children and "Grams" to 3 grandchildren. She adores animals and has four furbabies: Makia ( a German Shepherd, whose mission in life is to be her attached to her hip) and Hachie, (an OCD Alaskan Malamute, and Akia (An Alaskan Malamute) who is just sweet as can be. And Sassy, a four-month-old German Shepherd who has quickly stolen her heart and become the most precious fur baby of all times. Aside from the humans in her life, LaDonna's fur babies are her world.

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Amanda
Amanda
1 year ago

You are right, it is important, and at different ages. Also, add more activity to keep your body in better condition. Don’t forget also multivitamins or similar products that can improve your health and body.

Lisa
Lisa
1 year ago

It’s never too late to do this. I started looking for wholesale fruits in Singapore to add more vitamins to my diet and also just to increase my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. This is working well for me so far. It is also important to add activities

Oliver
Oliver
1 year ago

It’s never too late to improve your diet and make it healthier. I’m currently looking for recipe inspiration here, this is a community that offers many solutions, articles, recipes and workouts to improve myself.

Denial
Denial
1 year ago

you’re right, it’s never too late to clean up or think about your nutrition. I am now increasingly looking into the Keto diet to get good weight loss results and improve my body. But the quality of the food, as always, plays a very important role.

Basroal
Basroal
1 year ago

If you have any mobility limitations or health problems that make it difficult for you to exercise, talk to a healthcare practitioner about altering routines or activities that you can undertake safely in order to accommodate these concerns. color by number