Are there any food recommendations you would give to a vegetarian senior citizen?
Don’t limit your food intake to cereal, salad, and veg pizza. This is a recipe for disaster. If you’re in danger of B12 deficiency, eat a bowl of fortified cereal with your choice of milk. World/ethnic food is your new best friend. Japanese and Indian cuisines are particularly suited to vegetarian diets.
The best vegetarian cookbook out there is Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian,” and that’s because it’s full of recipes you actually want to eat with endless variations provided and simple cooking instructions. Get used to reading ingredient lists for everything. They hide chicken fat in all sorts of weird places. Same for gelatin, egg whites, etc. Learn the basics of nutrition and find out what nutrients and vitamins you are missing based upon your diet.
After that, find either foods or supplements to fill the gaps. It’s important to avoid highly processed food, even if it is plant-based. Be sure to include a minimum of 30% raw foods, nuts and seeds, whole grains, butter, and fresh cream in your diet.
Vegetarian diets can be challenging, mainly because most people don’t consult with dietary professionals before they step into this lifestyle.
Learning the basics of nutrition and following a professional’s dietary schedule are two vital factors in tackling any nutritional problems. This is because you’ll know how your body works and what it needs to keep doing its job.
Sesame seeds are one of the most nutritious sources of substances like protein and calcium.
People have produced various products using sesame seeds as the main ingredient. Most of these products are high in calcium, protein, and sugar, making them a healthy choice for a nutritious breakfast or afternoon snack.
Soy contains the highest average protein value, but there have been false concerns about how soy can affect men’s hormones and increase their estrogen, causing them massive problems. That’s not the case, though, as professionals have found no links between soy consumption and estrogen levels in men.
Nutrition in older adults is more crucial than ever in their life span, and vegetarians and vegans need to supply some nutrients with an excess of plant-based foods. One of the essential needs of a healthy body is protein, and a senior needs more protein than anybody else, especially if they suffer from an illness.
Chickpeas, black-eyed beans, kidney beans, lentils, quinoa, wild rice, tofu, nuts, seeds, nut butter, and soy products can be substituted for milk and yogurt. If you’re not vegan, you can get your protein from eggs and dairy products. Other critical nutrients for seniors are calcium and vitamin D.
Seniors need more than younger people. So, make sure you have plenty of sources like calcium-fortified cereals and soya milk, almond milk, pitta bread, chapatti, and white bread in your diet. Vitamin D is supplemented primarily by exposure to sunlight, but seniors may be less exposed to it.
Eggs and fish are other sources, but other sources can be as follows if you are not taking them; Fortified spreads, mushrooms, breakfast cereals, and dairy alternatives. It is advised to take supplementary doses of vitamin D on a routine basis.
Animal-based foods mainly supplement vitamin B12. Plant-based sources are yeast extracts, soy yogurts, fortified breakfast cereals, and non-dairy milk. Taking supplements is also recommended.
Another nutrient that a vegetarian must be aware of is iron. Plant-based sources of iron are less absorbed than animal-based sources. Consuming vitamin C from these sources solves this problem with absorption. Iron sources include seeds, pulses, dried fruits, whole grains, and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach.
1. Get enough protein
Older people need more protein than the rest of us to keep their lean body mass, physical function, and overall health in check. While most people only need 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, healthy seniors should raise their daily protein consumption to 1.0-1.2g per kilogram of body weight.
It is considerably greater for seniors who are malnourished or suffering from a severe disease. These situations cause a hypermetabolic state where the body requires more energy and protein to work. To get enough protein, include plant-based proteins in your meals and snacks, such as chickpeas, tofu, black-eyed beans, kidney beans, lentils, quinoa, wild rice, nuts and seeds, nut butter, and soy alternatives to milk and yogurt. Eggs and dairy products are also fantastic sources of protein.
2. Add calcium and vitamin D into your diet.
Calcium and vitamin D play critical roles in bone health, especially in older age, since osteoporosis and associated fractures are a leading cause of bone-related disorders and death in aged people. The average adult needs 700mg of calcium every day. Women over menopause and men over the age of 55, on the other hand, should consume 1200mg of calcium per day. Some plant-based foods with a lot of calcium are soy milk and almond milk, cereals with added calcium, pitta bread, chapatti, and white bread.
Fish such as whitebait, sardines, and pilchards (with bones) offer high calcium levels per serving. Also, doctors suggest that older individuals consume ten micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D each day.
Not only is vitamin D vital for bone health, but it is also one of the elements involved in immune system support and function. Elderly folks are susceptible to insufficiency because they may get less sunshine. Their skin is less capable of producing vitamin D. Vitamin D is present in sunlight-grown mushrooms, fortified spreads, morning cereals, and dairy alternatives. Having that said, it’s challenging to get enough vitamin D from food alone; therefore, a daily supplement of 10mcg is suggested (especially in the winter for individuals who do not go out much). It’s important to note that some vitamin D supplements aren’t suitable for vegans because they may come from animal sources. Instead, they can use Vitamin D2 and lichen-derived vitamin D3 supplements.
3. Get enough vitamin B12
B12 is a vital vitamin for making red blood cells, maintaining the nervous system, and producing energy. Older people, like younger ones, need 1.5 micrograms of vitamin B12 every day. However, many older adults may be in danger of vitamin B12 deficiency, affecting one in every twenty persons aged 65 to 74 and one in every ten people over 75. Those who avoid meat, fish, or eggs may be deficient in vitamin B12, which is high in animal-based foods. Plant-based vitamin B12 sources include fortified breakfast cereals, yeast extracts (Marmite), soy yogurt, and nondairy milk. People should consider taking a Vitamin B12 supplement. Taking 2mg or less of vitamin B12 per day in supplement form is unlikely to be harmful. They should, however, first speak with their doctor or a qualified nutritionist.
4. Eat foods high in iron.
Low iron intake may be a problem for those who do not eat a mixed diet, mainly men over 65 who live in residential care facilities and women over 85. Iron is vital to produce red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. It is also necessary for athletic performance, wound healing, immune system support, cognitive function, and thyroid metabolism. Older people need 8.7mg of iron each day.