The Epidemic Prevention Is Downgraded, But The Nutrition Of The Elders Cannot Be Downgraded! 4 Diet Reminders For Elders, More Ability To Resist Viruses

The epidemic alert has been lowered to Level 2, but the nutrition of the elderly cannot be loosened! The nutritionist reminded that the new crown epidemic is not yet fully understood. If the elderly are frail, have chronic diseases, insufficient nutrition or insufficient immunity, they will indeed increase the risk of diagnosis, severe illness and adverse reactions to vaccines.

Tu Shufen, a nutritionist at Lian An Clinic, pointed out that elderly people generally have poor digestion and gastrointestinal motility. After eating, they are prone to fullness and constipation. Being at home reduces activity and can easily lead to decreased appetite. At this time, if the protein intake is insufficient, the immunity will be weakened and the risk of infection will be increased.

Protein is an important nutrient for building and repairing body tissues, as well as a source for maintaining physical strength, immunity and muscle mass. If the protein is insufficient, there may be symptoms such as easy fatigue, loss of muscle mass, and weakened immunity. Therefore, during the epidemic prevention period, it is particularly important to have a balanced diet, supplement nutrition, and pay attention to protein supplementation. Here are 4 dietary principles for taking care of the health of elders:

1. Intake of diverse and digestible protein

Shufen Tu recommends consuming a variety of proteins, such as soybeans and their products, black beans, edamame, fish, meat, eggs, milk, etc. Take at least one palm of protein per meal, and drink two glasses of 240cc milk or soy milk.

If you have bad teeth, you can choose soft and digestible protein such as steamed eggs or tofu. Elders who have poor digestion and are prone to fullness are advised to eat small meals frequently to reduce the burden on the stomach and intestines.Milk or soy milk can be added between meals to supplement protein.

2. Follow the "protein first" eating order

Elders with small food intake should give priority to protein intake, so as to avoid having to eat protein after eating other things, which can easily lead to too little protein intake. The order of eating suggested by Tu Shufen is: protein→vegetables→starch.

3. Vitamin D supplementation

Foreign studies have found that people with vitamin D deficiency are prone to decline in immunity and increase the risk of new coronary pneumonia. According to the National Health and Nutrition Information of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, up to 98% of Chinese people in Taiwan have insufficient vitamin D concentration.

Stay at home for epidemic prevention and less exposure to sunlight. In the case of insufficient sunlight, vitamin D is more likely to be deficient, which will cause bone loss and increase the risk of infection. It is recommended to consume more foods containing vitamin D, such as black fungus, white fungus, dried shiitake mushrooms, milk, eggs, salmon, saury, duck meat, or additional vitamin D health products to help boost immunity.

4. Eat more vegetables and supplement with probiotics

Tu Shufen pointed out that staying at home for epidemic prevention and being unable to go out reduces the amount of activity, and the gastrointestinal motility will be worse for the elders who usually have trouble defecation. Ingestion also requires more attention. It is recommended to eat more vegetables and fruits, ingest 2 to 3 bowls of vegetables and 2 to 3 fist-sized fruits every day, and supplement with sufficient water. It is recommended to drink 2000cc of water every day to avoid constipation.

The gut is also an important part of the immune systemAs a line of defense, 70% of the body's immune cells are in the gut. Maintain the balance of intestinal flora, help resist pathogen invasion, strengthen immunity, and can promote gastrointestinal motility and improve defecation problems. It is recommended to add more fermented foods containing probiotics, such as kimchi, natto, miso, sugar-free yogurt, yogurt, etc., which are good foods that are beneficial to the gut and can enhance immunity.

During the epidemic prevention period, the nutrition and health of the elders are very important. If you can maintain a balanced diet, supplement high-quality protein, get enough sleep, and do some healthy exercises at home, it will help to maintain the immunity of the elderly and maintain a good health foundation. , in order to have the ability to fight the virus!

"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/Provided by Dazhi Image/shutterstock

◎ Source/Lian On Clinic