The Philippine Online Chronicles

Nutrition becomes more and more of a challenge with age. Lives revolve around work and family, which sometimes results in putting oneself last. Sometimes one’s way of eating remains the same. Sometimes one is so stressed out he just throws in the towel and eats whatever he wants as a reward. However, nutritional needs change as one grows older. What worked when one was twenty doesn’t apply twenty years later.

Senior citizens most especially need a little boost to eat correctly. “It’s time to take care of my 80-year-old mother,” 56-year-old Marijo shares. “She’s like a child again, and I have to make sure her diet is strictly followed. It’s harder for her now because she’s accustomed to eating whatever she wanted, but there are more limitations now. I need to guide her in eating correctly.”

“Mas mahirap pag tumatanda,” adds 52-year-old Lou, a nurse who cares for elderly patients. “Bukod sa mas maraming bawal, tumitigas din ang ulo! Tiyaga talaga ang kailangan sa pag-aalaga at pagpapakain ng matatanda.”

The problem-solution with senior nutrition

The difficulty of eating well among senior citizens could be attributed to several reasons. One is that they have a hard time chewing. Ill-fitting dentures, the lack of teeth or no teeth at all, can make chewing a challenge for seniors. “Nakakawalang gana,” says Prescy, a 72-year-old retired teacher. “Mahirap ngumuya, masakit, e di huwag na lang kaya kumain.” A change in food consistency was key in solving this problem. Vegetables that were boiled and mashed proved easier for Prescy to chew on versus nibbling on raw vegetables. “Dati pwede yun kumain ng apples, ng pears, pero mahirap na.” She shares her daughter helps with the food preparation, boiling the apples to make applesauce or boiling kamote instead of frying it.

Other solutions for chewing problems are serving ground meat and fish, or offering alternative sources of protein like tofu, milk and cheese. For carbohydrates, oatmeal or lugaw can be given instead of bread. Softer, moister, more chew-friendly textures will make eating more manageable for chew-challenged seniors.

Another difficulty for seniors may be stomach problems. “Akala ko wala nang gamot sa ubo ko, yun pala sabi ng doctor I had gastro-esophageal reflux,” says Elly, a 61-year-old Math tutor. “Akala ko nung una ulcer, tapos akala ko masakit lang tiyan ko so kung anu-ano kinakain ko or minsan, wala na akong kinakain.” Elly said that she lost weight trying to find the right balance of food in her diet. Digestion becomes more difficult with age. Stomach problems are common among older people, and this can range from constipation to too much gas to hyperacidity.

Without consulting her doctor, Elly turned to soda crackers as her staple food. Elly’s lost weight could be attributed to missing out on the nutrition she needed. Today she’s able to watch her diet better. Drinking milk upsets her stomach, so she has been trying other milk foods to provide her with her calcium requirements. Instead of a glass of milk, she enjoys cream soups, cheese and yogurt. For other seniors who may suffer from too much gas, cabbage may be avoided and other vegetables like carrots and potatoes may be eaten instead. It is also best to avoid spicy food. Spices can irritate the stomach and cause heartburn.

“High-fiber foods din ang kailangan,” proclaims John, Elly’s 63-year-old husband. He battles with constipation, and deals with it by trying to incorporate more vegetables in his diet.

A general loss of appetite is another cause of eating difficulty among seniors. This can be a form of emotional withdrawal. Loneliness could be one reason for this loss of appetite. There may be less people at the dining table, or no other people to accompany the senior during mealtimes.

“When my husband died, I lost a lot of weight,” remembers Gina, 80 years old. She recalls that she retreated to their old room in grief, and refused to eat anything. She struggled with the loss and it affected her health. “We shared every meal time together. He would prepare my medicine after each meal, I would prepare his dessert. I couldn’t imagine having another meal without him.”

While she grieved for her husband, her children tried to make sure their mother would still eat properly. Even if they lived separately from one another, they scheduled mealtimes with their mother to encourage conversation and provide companionship. “It helped,” Gina says. “Malungkot kumain mag-isa di ba? It’s been six years since my husband died, and meals aren’t the same. But being surrounded by my children and apos give me an appetite.”

Another reason for a senior’s loss of appetite may be finding food bland or flavorless. This could be caused by medication. It would be best to consult a doctor to ask if it’s the medicine that causes the appetite problems. Ask the doctor if there are other medicines that can be taken that won’t affect the senior’s taste profile.

Lifestyle-related illnesses like diabetes and kidney problems can result to a variety of food restrictions. Servings are strictly counted, the type of food firmly monitored. “I’m sad that it took a high blood attack to get me to eat better,” says Josefina, a 60-year-old retired engineer who remembers her emergency room rush fifteen years earlier. “I already knew I wasn’t eating right, but I kept on eating. Ayan tuloy, buti hindi ako bumigay. I’ve been trying to eat healthier since then.”

Examining food labels is key in preparing a diet for seniors with many food restrictions. Fat content and sodium levels should be scanned, as well as sugar and cholesterol content. It is also best to ask the senior’s doctor what foods are best eaten and avoided specific to the condition, so the senior can receive the best nutrition from the diet. Going natural is also a good idea, for as long as the doctor is made aware of it. “Ang okra raw pwedeng panlaban sa diabetes,” shares Bessy, a 75-year-old retired teacher. “Pinapakuluan ko yun okra, tapos iniinom ko yun tubig, kinakain yun okra pagkatapos.” It is believed that okra helps the body metabolize glucose, making the body less dependent on medications. “Matagal na akong may diabetes, pero hindi pa naman ako nagkakasakit nang matindi dahil dito. Baka nga nakakatulong ang halos araw-araw kong pag-prepare ng okra.”

Nutrition shouldn’t be compromised as  one grows older. With an encouraging support system, the guidance of a good doctor or nutritionist and the willingness to be open to new diets, seniors can easily get the nutrients they need specific to their needs.

Photos: “Strawberry Farm #3” by A K, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved / “CHOU DOFU” by Jakob Montrasio, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved / “19. Lonely Heart” by Maxi Adrian San Agustin, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

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Toni Tiu is a communications planner by profession and a writer at heart. She blogs about marriage, parenthood and home & living on Wifely Steps and random things in her other coves around the net. She enjoys playing video games with her husband and peekaboo with her baby boy.