When chatting, old people often say proudly, "I have lost 5 kg in the past six months. It's hard for money to buy old people to be thin." In fact, this view is unfavorable to the health of the elderly.
First of all, the elderly are in the process of aging, and the protein in their bodies gradually takes the advantage of catabolism, while their synthetic ability gradually slows down. Therefore, protein malnutrition often occurs in elderly people, and some people rarely eat meat, eggs and milk because of fear of high cholesterol, and instead of vegetarian food. These people often show that the concentration of iron and vitamin B in the blood is reduced, hemoglobin synthesis is reduced, and anemia occurs. The body's immune defense is reduced, and they are vulnerable to external viruses. They often catch cold and have fever. At the same time, the digestive function and liver and kidney function of the elderly are decreased.
Secondly, the elderly suffer from osteoporosis due to calcium deficiency, often resulting in fracture, which brings great inconvenience to life. Osteoporosis prefers the thin and weak elderly, whose incidence is higher than that of the normal weight elderly. Therefore, most medical experts recommend that the elderly drink one or two bags of milk (preferably skimmed milk) every day, and eat bean products, vegetables and fruits at the same time to obtain the daily necessary 1000 mg to 1500 mg of calcium. And the elderly should ensure 1 hour of outdoor activities every day, because sunlight is the best source of vitamin D production.
Therefore, do not blindly pursue thin, not fat or thin is the best state.
Too fat or too thin is not good
Ensuring reasonable nutrition is the foundation of the health of the elderly. Neither too much nutrition nor malnutrition can be allowed to attack. Especially now that "tumors are rampant", many old people are afraid that others will say they have "lost weight recently". It seems that "thin" is a sign of disease. In fact, too much "fat" is not happiness. In a sense, the fat stored in the body of "fat" people is too much, which has formed abnormal obesity and is a disaster.
In fact, the impact of simple obesity on life span should be considered from two aspects. The potential risk of obesity may be more than that of thin people, but thin people should consider whether they are healthy and normal "thin" or "thin" due to various consumptive diseases. If it is the latter, it will not live long, but will also affect the life span.
In general, obesity itself does not affect life span, but diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, etc. caused by obesity will reduce life span. Therefore, we both oppose blind weight loss and do not advocate "fat raising and fat storage", but should try our best to keep the weight moderate. That is to say, we should calculate the ideal weight according to our specific conditions, and then control our weight within the ideal range through diet, exercise and other measures, so that we can live a long and healthy life.
Middle aged and old people should keep their weight within the ideal range. If you look at the body mass index (that is, weight kg divided by the square of body height m, the value is obtained), the elderly should have an ideal weight between 20.5 and 27.9. If not within this range, it may have adverse effects on health. You should adjust the diet content under the guidance of a doctor or nutritionist, Strive to reach and maintain the ideal weight.
Please remember the eight secrets
In the daily diet adjustment, in addition to adapting to the nutritional requirements of existing diseases (such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, etc.), referring to the requirements of the Chinese Dietary Guidelines for the Elderly, we put forward eight tips for keeping neither fat nor thin.
1. The food is diversified and matched in thickness.
Eat cereals and potatoes, animal food, beans, nuts, vegetables, fruits, bacteria and algae every day, and at least 15-20 kinds of food to meet the requirements of food diversification. It is recommended to eat 200g to 350g of cereals, potatoes and beans every day, including 50g to 100g of coarse grains. Try to have rice and noodles, thick and thin, main and auxiliary, vegetables and soup in your daily diet.
2. Eat more vegetables, fruits and potatoes.
It is recommended to eat 300-500g vegetables every day, preferably about half of dark vegetables, and 200-400g fruits. Make sure you have one or two kinds of vegetables for each meal and two or three kinds of fruits every day. When eating fresh vegetables, choose an appropriate cooking method. Elderly people with bad teeth can cut vegetables and mash them into vegetable pulp or puree.
3. Eat milk, soybeans or their products every day, and often eat some fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat.
For the elderly who have lost weight or suffered from sarcopenia, ensure the daily intake of protein, especially high-quality protein, meat, eggs, dairy products and bean products. An additional 20g to 30g of high-quality protein can be added, which is equivalent to 3 liang of lean meat/fish and shrimp, or 3 eggs, or half a jin of tofu, or 750ml of fresh milk.
4. Reduce cooking oil and eat light and salt less meals.
The intake of cooking oil should not exceed 25g (two or three spoons of small porcelain spoon for soup), and vegetable oil should be selected as far as possible. In 2007, the World Health Organization recommended 5 grams of salt per day, including soy sauce, pickles, monosodium glutamate and other high sodium foods as well as various processed foods, so you should try to adapt yourself to the lighter taste.
5. The diet shall be reasonably arranged, and the food shall be soft and easy to digest.
The main meal is three times a day, with regular eating patterns, regular and quantitative meals, and additional meals as appropriate. Eating some snacks properly (such as nuts, about 30g) is beneficial to the health of the elderly. It can not only provide certain energy and nutrients, but also exercise chewing ability, so that facial muscles can often exercise to delay aging. The food should be chopped and boiled as much as possible. The meat can be made into meat paste, and the vegetables can be made of tender leaves and stems; Master the cooking temperature to avoid food overheating; Cooking methods mainly include burning, stewing, steaming and boiling, avoiding greasy, salting, frying and frying; Avoid excessively soaked and dried foods; The loss of nutrients during food cooking can be reduced by adding vinegar, sizing and pasting, yeast fermentation, and thickening.
6. Prevent malnutrition and reasonably use nutrient supplements.
Insufficient weight can increase susceptibility to diseases, reduce stress capacity, easily fracture, fear of cold, injury, slow healing of surgical wounds, easily irritate, fatigue, depression, indifference, anxiety or insomnia. Under the guidance of nutritionists, the elderly should reasonably use nutrient supplements or enteral nutrition preparations with full nutrition to supplement the insufficient intake of nutrients, but not replace natural food. Pay attention to the proportion and matching of minerals and vitamins to improve the absorption and utilization rate. For example, it is better to take iron supplements together with vitamin C after meals, instead of swallowing them with tea; It is best to take calcium supplement together with vitamin D; Fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A and vitamin E should be eaten together with foods containing fat; It is better to take calcium and iron at staggered times.
It is recommended that the elderly with muscle deficiency should expose their upper arms to the sun for 30 minutes every day, or supplement vitamin D preparations. If it is a drug supplement, it must be taken under the guidance of the doctor.
7. Drink enough water and limit drinking.
The elderly should drink no less than 1200ml of water every day. They should drink plain water or light tea, get up in the morning with a cup of plain water, drink water one hour to two hours before going to bed, drink a small amount of water many times, and drink more water in summer and before and after sports.
If the elderly drink alcohol, they should limit the amount. It is recommended that they eat first and then drink alcohol. They should not drink alcohol during taking medicine, especially when they do not drink strong liquor, and they should not drink too much. It is recommended that adult men (women) drink no more than 25 grams of alcohol a day, equivalent to 50 ml of 50 degree liquor, or 65 ml of 38 degree liquor, or 200 ml of wine, or 625 ml of beer, respectively. Drink no more than twice a week.
8. Cooperate with active physical exercise to increase resistance sports.
Active physical exercise is conducive to the muscle synthesis of the elderly. In particular, resistance sports and endurance training can effectively increase the muscle strength and weight of the elderly, such as dumbbells, resistance band exercise, standing, weight bearing and other sports. Every day, 8 to 10 movements, 10 to 12 times each. But we should pay attention to balance and flexibility, train in order, adhere to it for a long time, and act according to our ability.
Doing these eight items well and implementing them for a long time can help you get a healthy and strong old weight.
