Are the elderly more likely to suffer from malnutrition? Eating this way is healthier

The elderly in my family often tell me that now that society is affluent, many foods that were not available before are now within reach. But from my point of view, even though the elderly have more food to choose from, their nutritional level does not seem to have improved accordingly .

There are nearly 200 million elderly people in China over the age of 65. As a special group, the elderly have gradually reduced their body functions and ability to digest and absorb food , so this group is prone to insufficient nutrition .

The average vegetable intake of the elderly in China has not yet reached the recommended standard , and this situation becomes more serious as the elderly age.

Statistics show that the proportion of elderly people over 70 years old whose daily vegetable intake is lower than the recommended amount is as high as 68.6% .

Many domestic and foreign studies have shown that eating vegetables can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, as well as the risk of esophageal cancer and colon cancer . This is due to the fact that vegetables contain nutrients such as beta-carotene (provitamin A), vitamin C, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and a variety of phytochemicals.

Elderly people

Insufficient vegetable intake,

There will be a corresponding

Insufficient dietary nutrient intake,

So how to solve it?

Solution

According to the recommendations of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)", the daily intake of vegetables should be 300g-500g, and dark vegetables (i.e. dark green, red, orange-red, and purple-red) should account for more than half of the total vegetable intake.

However, due to various personal and environmental reasons, the amount of vegetables consumed by the elderly does not reach the corresponding recommended level .

In order to improve the situation of insufficient vegetable intake among the elderly, it is recommended that they eat small and frequent meals , and that they increase the types of vegetables and change the cooking methods when cooking . This will increase the amount of vegetables consumed by the elderly and improve the richness of vegetables, ensuring that the amount of vegetables consumed by the elderly meets the recommended standards.

Because the elderly may have one or more conditions such as tooth loss, difficulty chewing and swallowing, reduced secretion of digestive juices, and decreased absorption capacity , it is recommended to do the following when cooking vegetables to reduce the loss of nutrients in vegetables.

To facilitate memory,

Organized into a formula:

1. Wash first, cut and soak less

Since the vitamin C in vegetables is a water-soluble vitamin, washing or soaking them after cutting will cause excessive loss of vitamin C from the cut part . Similarly, vegetables should not be cut too finely , as this will cause the vitamin C to be oxidized and consumed in the air .

2. Stir-fry quickly and blanch briefly

In order to reduce the loss of nutrients during high-temperature cooking, the heating time of vegetables should be reduced appropriately , but vegetables such as green beans need to be fully heated .

3. Steam instead of cook to reduce greasiness

Boiling vegetables results in a greater loss of vitamin C , while some vegetables, such as zucchini and carrots, lose relatively little vitamin C when steamed.

Although the absorption of β-carotene (provitamin A) depends on fat, excessive fat will increase the burden on the digestive system of the elderly, so overly greasy or fried foods should not be consumed .

4. Make and eat now, don’t leave it overnight

It is recommended to eat the cooked vegetables on the same day as the meal , because the vitamins in the cooked vegetables will be lost during the storage process. Whether it is because it is cooled or left overnight, cooking or heating again will further lose vitamins, so it is best to eat vegetables immediately after cooking, and not leave them overnight .

※Special circumstances : For elderly people with poor chewing and digestion abilities or when cooking vegetables that are difficult to digest, the vegetables can be appropriately chopped or boiled to prevent swallowing and digestion difficulties for the elderly.

Source: Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention official account