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When talking about the health and longevity of the elderly, we inevitably pay attention to their eating habits, especially the amount and content of dinner.
Many elderly people have some problems with their physical health due to factors such as high occupational pressure and irregular life when they were young.
As they age, many seniors want to improve their diet to seek a long and healthy life, but they often feel at a loss as to what to do. Especially about how much they should eat for dinner, this question often bothers them.
First of all, some elderly people eat a considerable amount of food at night, and they think that this will supplement the energy expenditure of the whole day. We know that the body's metabolism at night is slower than during the day, and if you eat too much dinner, it is not only easy to cause indigestion, but also may increase the burden on the heart and increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
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For example, an old man who used to be a construction worker, due to his occupation, was often physically exerted when he was young, and he was accustomed to eating large meals, a habit that was retained in old age. As a result, he was diagnosed with high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia shortly after his retirement.
Let's look at another scenario. Some elderly people have a very simple dinner, or even eat only some vegetables and fruits. This kind of eating habit may seem like a way to reduce the burden on your body, but it can also lead to nutritional deficiencies. An elderly man who used to be an elementary school teacher ate only some salads and fruits for dinner for a long time because he was worried about weight gain and disease risk.
After a long time, she felt weak and was found to have iron deficiency anemia after examination. This shows that although dinner should not be excessive, it should also ensure balanced nutrition and reasonable mixing.
It is also common for the elderly to be late for dinner. A retired government employee who still eats late for dinner after retirement due to the habit of working after dinner for many years, which directly affects his sleep quality. To sum up, the longevity of the elderly has a certain relationship with the amount of dinner, but more important is the balance of time, quality and nutrition of dinner.
A proper combination of dinner can not only help the elderly stay healthy, but also prolong their lives. Let's pay more attention to the nutrition and health of dinner while paying attention to the amount of dinner, so as to make the old life better.
We often hear a saying: "Being able to eat is not necessarily a blessing, eating right is healthier." This may sound simple, but the implications are profound, especially for the elderly. However, this thinking can lead them to overlook the importance of eating quality, which is key to maintaining good health.
First of all, the right amount of calcium and vitamin D can effectively maintain bone health and reduce the risk of fractures. In fact, choosing low-fat or fat-free dairy products, or those calcium-rich plant foods, such as leafy greens and legumes, are healthier options.
We all know that older people are more likely to develop various chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, because of their high levels of inflammation in the body. In this case, foods rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components are particularly important.
Fresh tomatoes, berries, nuts and leafy greens are all great choices. These foods can effectively help reduce the inflammatory response in the body, while supplementing with sufficient vitamins and minerals to enhance the body's immunity and promote health.
A common problem in older people is a decline in digestive system function, which often leads to digestive problems such as constipation. Dietary fiber plays an important role here, not only helping with intestinal motility, but also regulating blood sugar and lowering cholesterol.
A concrete example is the case of an elderly man who used to suffer from long-term constipation, and increased his fiber intake on the advice of his doctor, which not only solved the problem of constipation, but also unexpectedly found that his blood sugar levels improved.
Through the above points, we can see that the concept of "being able to eat is not necessarily a blessing, eating right is healthier" is particularly important in the diet of the elderly. The elderly should choose the right food according to their health status and physical needs, and make scientific dietary adjustments.
Eating healthy is not just a simple matter of eating less or eating more, but a combination of food types, ingestion times, and food quality.
Among the various factors that discuss the health and longevity of the elderly, in addition to diet, there are some specific lifestyle habits and activity arrangements that have a non-negligible impact on their health. Here, I'd like to share some of the lesser-known but very effective health promotion methods that are easy to implement in everyday life and have a significant positive impact on health.
Let's talk about the importance of "going to bed early and waking up early". While this may sound like a cliché, it's especially critical in older adults. Studies have shown that maintaining a lifestyle that synchronizes with the natural photoperiod, i.e., sunrise and sunset, can significantly improve sleep quality, enhance the function of the immune system, and also improve mental health.
This is not only because light exposure affects our body's biological clock, but also because a proper sleep cycle optimizes the body's hormone levels, such as increasing the secretion of melatonin at night, which is essential for maintaining a good night's sleep.
For example, an elderly person who has suffered from insomnia for a long time not only has a significant improvement in sleep quality at night, but also becomes more active during the day after adjusting to the schedule of "going to bed early and waking up early". The change also helped him feel less anxious and improved his overall quality of life.
For the elderly, regular outdoor activities not only provide necessary physical activity to strengthen muscles and bones, but more importantly, being exposed to sunlight and promoting the body's production of vitamin D, which is extremely important to prevent osteoporosis and other chronic diseases.
More critically, outdoor activities can provide opportunities for social interaction, which is just as important for preventing Alzheimer's disease as it is for maintaining mental health.
For example, an elderly retired teacher has seen a significant increase in life satisfaction since regularly participating in gardening activities in the community. This simple outdoor activity not only gave him a moderate amount of physical exercise, but also gave him the opportunity to communicate with his neighbors and enhance social connections, which was a huge boost to his mental state and mood.
In short, the secret of healthy and long life is not only hidden in food, but also in the way and rhythm of life. By going to bed early and waking up early and spending time outdoors regularly, seniors are not only able to improve their health, but also to connect with others and enjoy life.
What do you think about the length of life? Welcome to discuss in the comment area!
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[1] Yanan Liu, The role of V-VST in dietary guidance for elderly patients with severe stroke with dysphagia, The First People's Hospital of Pingdingshan City, 2024-03-01