Nutritional Intake of my Chosen Senior
My chosen senior is a widowed 63 year old woman, living alone in an urban setting, doesn’t have any diet related diseases or illness and isn’t under any prescribed medication. Her Carbohydrate intake is high, she consumes carbohydrates four out of seven days a week, her carbohydrate sources are brown rice, whole wheat pasta and potatoes. She consumes vitamin daily, she takes a glass or two of fresh fruit juice. Her calcium intake throughout the week is recommendable since she takes milk and dairy foods such as cheese, ghee and calcium fortified cereals. Generally, she has been avoiding fats. Her nutritional intake contains fiber as well because she takes fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain bread and porridge. Her fluid intake includes green tea, homemade coffee as well as water. She takes meat two times a week, which is also, constitutes an iron intake, her Vitamin C sources are fresh vegetables and fruits but she also takes Vitamin C supplements. Her intake however restricts sodium.
Problems She Might Encounter
Since she doesn’t have an active lifestyle, drinking fresh juice on the regular may cause problems like high insulin levels, which can lead to diabetes.
Her whole grain consumption may result to digestive issues and stool inconsistency since it contains gluten. Also contrary to popular belief, whole grain is just as unhealthy because it has been processed into fine flour making it rapidly digestible and can easily cause high blood sugar level.
Her diet restricts sodium and this can lead to adverse effects such as elevated cholesterol levels and insulin resistance.
At her age, her body produces less fluids that it needs to process food in her digestive system, this can make it harder for her body to absorb important nutrients like pholic acids and vitamins B6 and B12.
She is likely to experience a slowed metabolism, since she burns fewer calories as she isn’t active in her lifestyle. Slow metabolism can lead to obesity.
Osteoporosis is a major problem she is likely to face being an old woman after menopause whose diet hardly consists of proteins and calcium (Brown, 2008, p. 16).
Her low folate consumption may lead to an increase in the risk of her contacting mental disorder including Alzheimer’s disease.
She might also face dental health problems.
At her age, she might have difficulty in chewing, swallowing and digesting.
Appetite difficulties might also be a problem at her age.
Shopping in the modern day has become more difficult with many food and departmental stores located in shopping malls and on streets. For my subject to go grocery shopping, she has to drive to the store and that is impossible seeing as she can’t drive as her vision is impaired coupled up with the fact that it is a challenge navigating through traffic.
Another major nutritional problem she is likely to go through is constipation, which is very common in senior people. This maybe as a result of low fiber intake or foods in general.
There is reduction in the sensitivity to salt in the elderly, they usually have problems identifying bitter and salty tastes, and in the long run it results in the increase in salt consumption. High consumption of salt is harmful as it is known to cause high blood pressure. They have the same challenge is sugary stuff, the elderly, since they have an ability to retain sweet tastes longer, they are likely to go overboard on the sugary foodstuffs. In the long run, the sweet foodstuffs can lead to an increase in weight gain.
Solutions to the Above Problems
Seeing as she already consumes fresh blended fruit juice, she needs to adopt an active lifestyle, this is to complement the juice intake. It doesn’t have to be as vigorous.
Her diet needs to consist of more calcium to reduce risk of bone fractures; she also needs to increase her protein intake which is importance for bone health in the elderly.
She needs to engage in regular gentle exercises that are beneficial in strengthening bones and helping to prevent further loses.
She should try ensuring her diet includes good amount of folate by eating foods like liver, pulses, oranges, green leafy vegetables and yeast extracts. By eating good amounts of folate, risk of her having mental disorders like the Alzheimer’s disease.
In order to maintain and retain as many teeth as possible in old age, she needs to ensure she eats more of foods such as apples, raw carrots and a wide range of nuts (Posner, Jett, Smith, Miller, 1993, p. 23).
Her fruit and vegetable intake should consist of canned fruits, creamed and well cooked vegetables, eggs, milk dishes, for example; creamed soup, cheese and yoghurt since these are easier to chew, swallow and digest. Also to make eating meat or vegetable and fresh fruits easier, they should be chopped, steamed or grated.
An Appropriate Meal Plan
The nutritional wants and needs of older people are almost similar to that of the younger adults; this is with the exception of Vitamin D, energy requirements in meals reduce with increase in age, especially if physical activity is limited. In the long run, this means reduction in eating, protein requirement, minerals and vitamins. Perfect dietary consumption of iron belongs with promoters of its absorption for example Vitamin C, this helps prevent risk of diseases.
The appropriate meal plan I designed for her is nutritionally balanced to suit a person her age, in reasonable health and moderately active. Adopting this meal plan may require flexibility in her lifestyle, daily routine and nutritional intake.
Breakfast – cereals or other foods that contain high fiber for example porridge, skimmed milk, fruit juice and either tea or coffee
Mid-morning snack – can include digestive biscuits, fruit or drink.
Lunch – low fat/ low sugar yoghurt, two eggs (should be pouched, scrambled or boiled), two slices of whole meal bread, plus a slice of chicken or ham.
Mid-afternoon – fruit or milk
Dinner – half a cup of brown rice, a bunch of steamed spinach and four slices of sliced pineapple. Hot milky drink (optional)
An Evaluation of the Subject’s Dietary Adequacy
Although health and physical issues make it difficult for seniors to eat adequately, it is important for people of all ages to eat well. The subject’s carbohydrate intake isn’t alarming as it is within the stipulated and required dietary standard. Her meals should include more nutrient-dense meals targeted to reduce prevalence of nutrient inadequacy. This isn’t achieved because she lacks nutritional knowledge; she thinks drinking fresh juice on the regular is healthy when it is actually not healthy as it poses exposure to diseases such as diabetes. It is also her lack of background knowledge on nutrition that leads her to thinking consumption of whole wheat is healthy. It is in the same thinking that she restricts her sodium intake with the notion that it will give her stronger bones, when that is not the case scientifically. My subject also has limited food preferences that affect her eating habits. She doesn’t like protein foods, and leaves them out of her nutritional intake; this makes her vulnerable to diseases brought by lack of proteins. Her good level of education, however, helps her in knowing what foods to avoid which help her protect herself from heart and diet related disease, as well as unhealthy weight gain.
How the Subject’s Eating Habits Compare to Those Reported in Other Literature
The subject’s eating habits are not influenced by financial constraints unlike other elderly people as reported in some literature. Just like other seniors reported in the readings, my subject’s eating habits are affected by loneliness. My subject, being a widow finds it difficult to cook and have meals alone so she foregoes meals at times and this affects her both physically and emotionally. Unlike most seniors in reported readings, my interviewee has a high level of education and it helps in choosing what to eat in regards to her health and age. Just like most elderly people in the reported readings, the interviewee’s eating habits are affected by her inability to move around – being that she is of old age, she finds it difficult to go shopping for food and foodstuffs.
References
Brown, J. (2007). Nutrition through the life cycle. Cengage Learning.
Flegal, K. M., Graubard, B. I., Williamson, D. F., & Gail, M. H. (2005). Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity. Jama,293(15), 1861-1867.
Hall, B., & Brown, J. L. (2005). Food security among older adults in the United States. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, 20(4), 329-338.
Sacks, F. M., Svetkey, L. P., Vollmer, W. M., Appel, L. J., Bray, G. A., Harsha, D., & Karanja, N. (2001). Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. New England journal of medicine, 344(1), 3-10.
Posner, B. M., Jette, A. M., Smith, K. W., & Miller, D. R. (1993). Nutrition and health risks in the elderly: the nutrition screening initiative. American Journal of Public Health, 83(7), 972-978.
RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE
Appendix 1: Questionnaire for seniors
A research on the eating habits and nutritional adequacy of seniors
Age
Gender: Male Female
Marital Status? Single
Married
Divorced
Widowed
Living Arrangement: Where do you live? .
Lives Alone Lives with someone
Who pays for your food?
Who pays for your shelter?
Level of Education?
Do you have any food preferences? Yes No
If Yes, is it; Gluten Free
Omnivore
Vegetarian
Vegan
Do you have any diet related diseases? Yes No
How easy is it to move around? Fairly Easy
Very Easy
Fairly Difficult
Very Difficult
Does your marital Status affect your eating habits? Yes No
