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Post-menopause women might consider four specific eating behaviors to support weight loss over the long term, according to new research. Continue reading
Category Archives: Diet
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Learning to Manage Your Diabetes
New Jersey Home Care Issues
Diabetes is an insidious disease that preys on older people. Type 2 diabetes, once known as “adult onset diabetes,” affects 90 – 95 percent of the more than 20 million Americans affected with diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million Americans have been diagnosed with Type 2, 6.2 million remain unaware they have the disease – while another 40 million have pre-diabetes (which can become diabetes).
People with Type 2 diabetes produce insulin; however, either their pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body cannot use the insulin adequately. Without enough insulin, glucose (sugar) can’t get into the body’s cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, the body’s cells are unable to function properly.
The incidence of diabetes increases with age, as about half of all cases of diabetes occur in people older than 55 years of age.
Here are the primary complications of diabetes:
Heart disease and stroke. More than 65 percent of people with diabetes will die of heart disease or stroke, and they are likely to die younger than people who do not have diabetes. People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or suffer a stroke.
Blindness due to diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among adults.
Kidney disease due to diabetic nephropathy. People with diabetes who are over 65 years of age are twice as likely to be hospitalized for kidney infections compared with those without diabetes.
Nerve disease and amputations. About 60 – 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which can lead to lower limb amputations. Monitoring and properly managing this condition is very important.
What you can do
Learn all you can about the disease so that you can recognize warning signs that your blood sugar levels are out of balance. Signs of high blood sugar – usually due to having eaten too much, being under stress, or having too little insulin in the body – include a frequent need to urinate, nausea, extreme thirst or hunger, and blurred vision. Signs of low-blood sugar – usually due to not having eaten enough, or having exercised too much – include shaking, sweating, a fast heartbeat, anxiety, dizziness, hunger, weakness and tiredness, and irritability.
Diet and exercise are extremely important. The nutritional goal for diabetics is to attain the ABCs of diabetes. The A stands for the A1c or hemoglobin A1c test, which measures average blood sugar over the previous three months; B is for blood pressure, and C is for cholesterol. People with diabetes should attain as near as normal blood sugar control, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
Meanwhile, exercise can help by improving glucose tolerance – meaning that blood sugars are controlled with less medication, lowering the chance of developing serious complications from diabetes, helping the body manage stress, aiding in weight control, and decreasing one’s risk of getting diabetes in the first place.
Changing one’s lifestyle choices is also critical. Smoking, for example, increases one’s chance of developing diabetes complications in addition to increasing the risk of developing diabetes in the first place.
Diabetics usually need to regularly check their blood sugar levels at home. There are a number of devices available, and they use only a drop of blood. Self-monitoring tells how well diet, medication, and exercise are working together to control the disease. The American Diabetes Association recommends keeping blood sugar levels in the range of 80 – 120 mg/dL before meals and 100 – 140 mg/dL at bedtime.
Posted by: Frank Esposito, VP Expert Home Care. New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional, dependable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.
Planning a Healthy Meal for Your Senior
Senior Health & Lifestyle
What’s for dinner? Here are a few things to consider when planning a menu for a senior:
Easy to chew and swallow: Our digestive processes changes with age and seniors tend to produce 30% less saliva then they did while younger. Foods that are dry can be difficult to chew and swallow. Many senior citizens wear dentures, so tough meats and raw vegetables can be difficult to chew. When planning a meal, it’s best to select softer foods that are easy to eat.
Lower in salt: Most seniors have salt restrictions to reduce the risk of water retention and high blood pressure. Cooking with low or no salt is best, while processed foods and salted meats should also be avoided.
Make it tasty: Prescription medications can affect the flavor of foods and as we age our sense of smell and taste also changes. Foods that once were tasty may taste bland to the elderly. When preparing a meal for a senior adding savory (but not spicy) seasonings will make a meal taste more flavorful.
Use recipes with lots of nutrition: Most seniors tend to have smaller appetites which can contribute to weight loss. Instead of preparing light & lean meals, meals that are high in nutrition and calories can help a senior maintain a healthy weight.
Ask: Sometimes the simplest way of planning a meal for a senior is to ask him/her what they might enjoy eating. Most seniors know what kinds of foods are agreeable and what might lead to indigestion. Instead of deciding on your own what type of entree to prepare for a senior, it’s really best to ask first what he or she might prefer eating.
Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care. New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.
Elderly Senior Diet – 5 Quick Tips
NJ Senior Health
If your elderly loved one is hoping to drop a few pounds, here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Exercise
Studies of the elderly indicate that current weight, rather than age, determined energy intake in men and women. The study suggests that changes in lifestyle, not age, resulted in the dietary changes seen in the healthy elderly survey. As you mature, your body will lose muscle mass, decreasing your metabolic rate, which in turn burns fewer calories at a slower rate. A great way to maintain control of your maturing body is to exercise regularly.
2. Eat More Fiber
Maintaining a regular cycle of all systems in our bodies is very important. Fiber helps maintain regularity, preventing constipation and gastrointestinal diseases like diverticulosis (pouches that cause spasm or cramping in the large intestines). You may also want to be extremely selective in your diet and not include gaseous foods.
3. Get More Calcium
Around 40 years old, our bones start to lose more minerals quicker than it can replace them. For women, menopause causes a drop in estrogen levels, estrogen helps bones maintain calcium. Menopause is responsible for a greater loss of calcium than in men. You should discuss with your physician a dietary supplement to ensure you are properly maintaining your body.
4. Drink Plenty of Water
Water is essential from birth throughout life. It is critical to health and is chronically overlooked. Second only to air in its steady and relentless necessity, H2O carries nutrients to cells; aids digestion by contributing to stomach secretions; flushes bodily wastes and reduces risk of kidney stones by diluting salts in the urine; ensures healthy function of moisture-rich organs (skin, eyes, mouth, nose); lubricates and cushions joints; regulates body temperature; and protects against heat exhaustion through perspiration. And the list goes on and on. You should consume the minimum eight glasses of water daily to maintain a youthful vigor and pep.
5. Avoid Foods With Too Much Sugar
Too much sugar causes a number of problems – it suppresses the immune system, weakens eyesight, contributes to obesity and diabetes, causes constipation, leads to all different types of cancers, and the list goes on and on about the effects of sugar intake. Young and old should never binge on sugar.
Eating well and exercising regularly can make you feel a lot better. It gives you more energy – and it can actually help slow down the aging process!
Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care. New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.
Lifestyle Tips for NJ Seniors
New Jersey Senior Living & Lifestyle
Here are some wise tips that every senior should consider following:
Phone solicitations
Never respond to phone solicitations for products or winning sweepstakes. And NEVER give out ANY personal information to ANYONE who contacts you by telephone – especially a social security number or credit card information. Tell them you are not interested and hang up the phone.
Eating less-the easy way
Diets aren´t always the easy way to maintain a healthy weight for seniors, but eating less can be. Use the salad plate for meals rather than the dinner plate; less surface, less food.
Arthritic hands
For those with arthritis, clothes with buttons can be a challenge. One suggestion would be to convert your present clothes to velcro closure by remove all buttons and sew onto the button-hole opening (closing button-hole); sew a strip of velcro (purchased from craft or cloth stores) to an area where buttons were removed and to an area on backside of the button-hole strip. Some velcro has a sticky backside that can be ironed onto cloth, but sewing is more permanent. If you cannot sew, request assistance from family, friends, or professional seamstress.
Over-extending ourselves
Whether it is gardening, exercising, running errands, we should know what our limit is without adding stress, aches and pains. At the beginning of each week, make a list of things you want to accomplish for that week, then break them down to no more than one hard task per day. Write down what you want to do in a daily-planner or a convenient wall calendar. If you miss a task, add it to next week´s list. You´ll find yourself more flexible and not as rushed (or achy!)
Outside activity for seniors
Check with local houses of worship and the city hall in your area. Also check with your doctor or hospital administration. Many of these locations offer rides to and from their facilities. If no locations are available, ask your local municipal administration or house of worship if they can create activities for seniors.
Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care. New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.
