Should senior citizens avoid certain foods or consume them in moderation?
• Soft Cheeses
Brie, camembert, and gorgonzola are ideal breeding grounds for Listeria and other bacterias that can be deadly for seniors with weaker immune systems. This is because of their low acidity and high moisture content. Since heat eliminates germs, cooked soft cheeses are safe to consume.
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• Raw Eggs
Salmonella food poisoning can be more likely to happen to people who eat raw or undercooked eggs. It’s imperative to cook all eggs until both the yolk and white are cooked through. Avoid unpasteurized eggnog, homemade mayo, and hollandaise sauce.
• Raw Shellfish and Fish
If you want to get rid of harmful bacteria in lobster, mussels, scallops, and other shellfish, you should cook them long enough. Raw fish may have parasitic worms that can make you sick. It’s advisable to freeze the fish for at least four days before you use it to kill parasites.
• Raw Milk
Although buying fresh milk from a local dairy or farmer’s market seems healthy, seniors should only buy pasteurized milk from supermarkets. Unpasteurized milk may contain various germs that cause sickness, including Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli.
• Grapefruit
Before eating grapefruit, seniors who take drugs for high blood pressure, sleeplessness, or anxiety should consult their doctors and check their prescription labels. Grapefruit has the potential to interact with some medicines, resulting in significant adverse effects.
• Raw Meats
Undercooked meat contains E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and other germs that can cause food poisoning. Seniors should consume only properly cooked meats free of blood and pink flesh.
• Unpasteurized Juices
Fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices may contain many bacteria, either within or outside. To reduce the risk of food poisoning, seniors should drink pasteurized juices.
• Raw Sprouts
Warm, wet environments are perfect for bacteria to grow. Bean sprouts grow in such places. Seniors should only eat cooked sprouts with steam flowing all the way through.
• Processed Foods
Because of the simplicity of preparation, many seniors like processed foods. However, these meals are heavy in fat, salt, carbohydrates, and preservatives, which are incredibly harmful to seniors with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. It’s difficult for elders to perform daily routines while dealing with the symptoms of a major illness.
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• Cold Meats
In some cases, eating uncooked cured meats can cause parasitic diseases, like Toxoplasmosis. Before using, seniors should properly boil cold meats, buy those labelled “ready-to-eat,” or freeze them for four days. According to a new study, Toxoplasmosis may relate to various neurological illnesses, including Alzheimer’s.
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