The 10th "National Nutrition Week" was held from May 12 to 18, with the theme of "milk beans are more nutritious, less oil and healthier". And 2024 is also the second year of China's elderly nutrition improvement action (2023-2025). With the rapid pace of China's entry into the aging society, how to balance the diet of middle-aged and elderly people, how to build their own nutritious diet, and how to use nutrition to ensure healthy aging are the key points of every elderly person's life.
On May 18, Dr. He Mei, the chief expert of Beike Nutrition Source Health Industry (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. (chairman of the Elderly Nutrition Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society and vice member of the Nutrition Food Branch of the Chinese Gerontology and Geriatrics Society), was invited to participate in the elderly nutrition and health salon held in Taiyuan, Shanxi "Leisure Time Health Activity Center", He also gave a special lecture - "Development Trends and Solutions of Nutrition and Health for the Elderly in China".
It is reported that in the seventh national population census, in 2020, the number of people aged over 60 in China has reached 260 million (18.7% of the total population), and the number of people aged over 65 has reached 190 million (13.5%). By 2022, there will be 210 million people (14.9%) over 65 years old in China, 20 million more than two years ago. This rapid growth trend will continue until 2035. The increased elderly population will have a huge demand for healthy food, health care tourism, elderly care aids and appliances, and elderly care institutions, thus promoting the development of the silver economy, and will also promote another wave of economic development in China.
At the activity site, He Mei analyzed the physiological characteristics of the elderly and the main health problems. He Mei said that the functions of various tissues and organs of the elderly will decline with age, which is reflected in the weakening of the chewing ability of the elderly's teeth, which will reduce the intake of meat and radial vegetables, the reduction of gastrointestinal digestion and absorption function, which will reduce the total intake of daily meals, and the reduction of the metabolic rate of the body, which will reduce the circulation rate of nutrients, which will lead to slower muscle synthesis The ability of the immune system to be lower than the outside world is reduced in many aspects.
He Mei pointed out that in order to slow down the decline of the body, the elderly must pay attention to balanced diet and nutrition, and pay attention to the diversification of food varieties. The food should be made in a way that is easy to digest and absorb, and try to choose foods with high nutrient density. In addition, He Mei encourages the elderly to take active physical activities and keep their BMI (generally referred to as body mass index) within the appropriate range of 20.0-26.9kg/m2. It is recommended that the elderly aged 65-79 years old should take 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activities every week. If they cannot do so, they should try to increase all kinds of physical activities within their capabilities, and attach importance to muscle strength exercises and balance exercises on the basis of aerobic exercise.
The whole lecture lasted for more than an hour, during which the old people gained a lot and gave warm applause from time to time. After the lecture, the old people attending the meeting expressed their appreciation and support for the salon activity and hoped that it could continue in the future.
Beike Nutrition Source Health Industry (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. said that it will continue to pay attention to the elderly and special groups, help the elderly care cause and improve elderly nutrition.
