HJBR May/Jun 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAY / JUN 2023 61 Melissa Brunvoll Marketing Director Assisted Living and Nursing Care Lambeth House to limit one’s intake of processed foods. This goes for people of all ages. Amer says the more processed the food, generally the more salt, fat, and sugar are added. In turn, natural fibers, minerals, and vitamins are lost. Foods labeled as “enriched” are simply adding back the nutrients that were lost in processing. Amer recommends reaching for whole grain bread and brown rice versus the “white options.” Sodium is another sneaky ingredient that seniors should be mindful of. Amer says the love of salt is a learned affection, so try to use salt-free seasonings as well as natural herbs and spices to flavor your meals. This can help lower blood pressure as well as keep the heart healthy. Sneak in your vegetables We all know that vegetables are important for a healthy diet, but howmany should we be eating? Amer says older adults should aim for 2 cups of cooked vegetables per day. She recommends sneaking it into meals where you might not normally reach for vegetables, like breakfast. She finds that adding spinach and sauteed mushrooms to eggs is a great way to start getting your vegetables in early. She also notes that low sodium V-8 or tomato juice is a lovely option for seniors. She says, “Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables, and the other half starches and lean proteins.” Good options for lean proteins include skinless chicken breasts, lean beef cuts like flank or sirloin, and seafood. Resources for older adults Depending on their diagnoses, Amer notes that Medicare will cover a one- on-one visit with a registered dietitian for seniors. This is a great resource for Medicare members to have, and she believes it should be taken advantage of more frequently. Federal standards also require that senior living communities have a registered dietician on a full- time or consultant basis. This is helpful for overseeing the dietary needs of the community as well as to ensure that residents are healthy and well-nourished. Following the tips set forth above, older adults can decrease their risk of chronic disease and ensure they can live an active lifestyle. Amer believes everyone should experiment and have fun trying new foods, saying you “live a day longer for every new food you try.”That is great advice to live by at any age! n REFERENCES 1 DeSilva, D.; Anderson-Villaluz, D. “Nutrition as We Age: Healthy Eating with the Dietary Guide- lines.” Health.gov, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, U.S Dept. of Health and Human Services. Last updated June 8, 2022. https://health.gov/ news/202107/nutrition-we-age-healthy-eating- dietary-guidelines Melissa Brunvoll graduated from Tulane University with a BA in communications and Spanish. She is one of the marketing directors at Lambeth House, specializing in assisted living and nursing care. She has over five years’experience in the senior care in- dustry,and prior to joining the Lambeth House team, she worked in the hospitality industry as an opera- tions manager for Marriott International. we age, we need to make a concerted effort to drink even when we are not thirsty. Amer recommends drinking 5-6 ounces every 2-3 hours and notes that water is always best. You can make your water “entertaining” by adding lemons, limes, or a drop of orange juice. She also recommends freezing ice cubes made of fruit juice, so you have them on hand to add to a glass of water. Choose nutrient-dense foods When it comes to older adults, the optimal BodyMass Index (BMI) is different from those of the younger population. Amer says that it is alright not to try to lose weight in our later years. Elder BMIs are acceptable in the “overweight” range of 23-28. A more realistic goal for an older adult is to try to maintain their weight as they age. Amer also notes that, as we grow older, our calorie needs decrease, so it is important to eat more “nutrient dense” foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. A good rule of thumb, Amer says, is “if it grows in the ground, eat it. And eat it the way the farmer raised it!” For example, try eating a baked potato instead of French fries, or a sliced apple instead of sugar-heavy apple juice. Making smart choices like these can help seniors maintain a healthy weight. Be mindful of processed foods and excess sodium Going hand in hand with eating more nutrient-dense, or whole, foods is the need