30% Of Severe Cases Over The Age Of 60! Silver-haired People Rely On These 6 Tricks To "eat Well" And They Are Not Afraid Of The Virus

The local epidemic of the new crown pneumonia (COVID-19) continues to spread, not only the number of confirmed cases continues to rise, but patients are dying every day recently, which has made many people very worried. The nutritionist reminded that in addition to controlling chronic diseases during the epidemic, it is also important to improve the nutritional status of the elderly!

According to statistics from the Central Epidemic Command Center, since April 20, there have been as many as 1,303 severe patients with new coronary pneumonia in Taiwan, of which 912 are over the age of 60; Based on the cases of people over 60 years old (2958 people), the severe rate is as high as 30.8%.

The silver-haired people have bad teeth, and their senses of smell and taste are degraded. Nutritionist Song Minghua pointed out on Facebook that nutritional status is inseparable from the course of the disease after the disease. "As long as a person's nutritional status is good, even if a virus invades, he can successfully KO (defeat) the virus."

She shared the following ways to help elders improve their nutritional status and build strong resistance:

1. Small and frequent meals, ingesting 6 types of food

Many elderly people will affect their appetite due to degeneration of their teeth, long-term use of drugs, and chronic diseases. If you can't eat enough for a meal, you have to rely on snacks to make up for it, she said,

2. Don't blindly use less oil, less sugar and less salt

Meals for the elderly are not equal to "light". If the elderly do not have special chronic diseases, they do not need to eatYu was bland and tasteless, "Think about it for yourself. Every dish has no taste, no oil, no sauce. Who would want to eat it?"

She also shared that she once saw an old man who could eat a whole bowl of rice with only a piece of pickled cucumber; therefore, she reminded children and caregivers not to insist on less Oil, less sugar, and less salt may give elders more motivation to eat.

3. Prepare chewable and digestible food

Some elderly people have degenerated teeth, wear dentures, and lack of saliva secretion... all of which will affect the swallowing function. At this time, adjust the food to a suitable hardness, size, and texture, which is convenient Swallowing is necessary, such as finely dicing vegetables, mashing fruit, changing pork chunks into ground meat, and moderately thickening can help.

Song Minghua reminded, using different cooking methods, such as long-boiled, juicing, etc., to change the texture of the ingredients, the meal can also be very easy.

4. Make good use of liquid food

If the intake of solid food is really insufficient, if the elderly still lacks a balanced diet in the long run, or if there is inconvenience in cooking, they can also make good use of various homemade or commercially available liquid drinks. (Nutrition) to supplement micronutrients. Song Minghua reminded that if you don't have enough food, you can drink it, but it is still based on natural foods and supplemented by nutritional products; you can add some nuts in drinks to increase the calorie density.

5. Create a good dining environment

Seniors may experience problems such as incoordination and muscle weakness due to physical deteriorationInsufficient dietary intake due to inability to hold utensils, or nutritional deficiencies caused by eating only food that is easy to pick up for a long time. Song Minghua pointed out that family members can also observe more whether the table and chairs of the elderly increase the difficulty of eating, and help to adjust it into a convenient dining environment.

6. Regular activities increase appetite

Many elderly people mostly sit and lie down all day long, and lack of activity for a long time will affect intestinal peristalsis, which makes them prone to constipation and therefore lose their appetite. Song Minghua suggested that taking a moderate walk at home, shaking your hands, and simply cleaning, as long as your body is moving, it will definitely help to increase your appetite.

"Health 2.0" reminds you

In response to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the CDC continues to strengthen epidemic monitoring and border control measures, and wear a mask as instructed to seek medical treatment as soon as possible, and actively inform the doctor of travel history and contact history, so as to facilitate timely Diagnosis and notification.

◎ Image source/Dazhi Image/Shutterstock provided ◎ Data source/Song Minghua nutritionist