Gillian McKeith's Food Bible (63 page)

Nutrition for older people

Foods to include

Vegetables of all types (except potatoes) can be eaten freely. Aim for a range of colors over the week and have something green every day.

Many older people cannot digest raw vegetables well. Raw foods can be hard to chew and may lead to gas and bloating if digestive function is not optimal. Steaming, baking, and roasting are all good ways of preparing vegetables that make them easier to digest without the loss of too many nutrients. Soups are also a great way of getting lots of nutritious vegetables into one easily digested meal.

Steaming

To steam vegetables, it’s best to get a steamer; you can buy tiered saucepans or you can buy a steamer that will sit inside any pot. Otherwise, just putting a small amount of water in a pot and cooking the vegetables with the lid on is a simple way of steaming them. Most vegetables take only a few minutes to steam if chopped up into chunks beforehand. Try steaming carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, rutabagas, spinach, fava beans, peas, or anything that you would normally boil. Do not oversteam or boil veggies to death.

Baking

There’s more to life than just the plain old white potato. And potatoes are not the only vegetable that can be baked. Sweet potatoes and whole squash (such as butternut or red kuri) can be baked just as you would bake normal white potatoes. Other vegetables can be wrapped in aluminum foil and baked in the oven; beets and carrots work well cooked like this.

Roasting

Vegetables are delicious when roasted; the heat breaks down the carbohydrates in the vegetables into naturally occurring sugars, meaning they taste sweeter and are easier to digest. Putting a small amount of olive oil on the vegetables actually helps to seal in the nutrients and enhances their flavor. Most vegetables can be roasted. The only preparation needed is washing, peeling (if necessary), and chopping into large chunks. Try parsnips, carrots, rutabagas, celeriac, beets, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, and mushrooms.

Fruit

Fruit is packed full of antioxidants that protect the body’s cells from damage and disease. Soft fruits such as berries, apricots, nectarines, and bananas may be easy enough to eat as they are. Others, such as apples or pears, may be better tolerated if cooked gently in a small amount of water with some cinnamon. Smoothies are easy to make if you have a blender; just put in any fruit (remove peel, seeds, and core where necessary) and blend. If you popped into my kitchen on any morning, you would find my blenders (yes, I have more than one) on overtime as I whip up smoothies for the whole family. In the McKeith household, I’m the Smoothie Queen.

Juices

I recommend juicing vegetables. Veggie juices are nutrient powerhouses, cleansing and easy to digest and absorb.

Whole grains

Fiber is vital for good digestion and elimination. Some of the best sources are whole grains. These include brown rice, millet, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, barley, and rye. If you find grains difficult to eat, another easy way to benefit from the goodness of whole grains is by using the flakes. These can be soaked
overnight with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits to make a soft muesli or they can be made into a porridge. Buckwheat, millet, and quinoa flakes are especially easy, as they can be prepared without cooking.

Nut and seed butters

You will easily find them in most supermarkets and health-food stores. They are literally made from whole nuts and seeds puréed up. They provide a good way of getting the benefits of nuts and seeds if chewing the whole seeds is a problem. Rotate hazelnut, almond, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, and cashew nut butters. They can be stirred into oatmeal or whole grains after cooking to add flavor and essential fats. Use them as spreads on toast or sandwiches.

Beans and lentils

Cans of pulses can be added to soups as mentioned above and also to whole grains. Add them to grains toward the end of cooking and serve with salad or vegetables to make a nutritious meal. Sprouting pulses is a great way of rendering them more digestible. Sprouts can be added to soups at the end of cooking or stirred into cooked grains for easily digestible protein packed full of nutrients.

Eggs (if tolerated)

Eggs can be soft boiled, poached, scrambled, or made into omelettes. They provide useful protein, B vitamins, essential fats (look for those high in omega-3 fats), zinc, and lecithin (which aids fat digestion). They do not raise cholesterol but may be hard to digest for some people, so eat them in moderation.

Fish

Putting a piece of fish under the grill is so easy and can be the basis of a good meal. Serve with salad or vegetables for an easy
lunch or dinner. Fish can also be steamed, poached, or baked, so try these methods as well. The addition of herbs can help digestion and improve flavor. Fennel, dill, and parsley all work well with fish. While fresh fish is ideal, canned fish such as mackerel, salmon, tuna, and sardines is a great, inexpensive, and easy-to-use alternative.

Grilled chicken

All you need to do is pop a chicken breast under the broiler to make a nutritious lunch or dinner. Serve it with lots of vegetables. Use miso broth as an easy, delicious gravy to cook with the chicken.

Water and herbal teas

Hydration is vital for proper digestion, mental function, and energy. Sip water and herbal teas throughout the day. Avoid drinking too much with meals, as this can interfere with proper digestion. You could end up burping or bloated. Little sips are OK, but it’s best to do most of your liquid intake half an hour before you eat.

Foods to avoid

Sugar, refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, white pasta, pastry, etc.) and processed foods can all upset blood-sugar balance, leading to swings of mood and energy and cravings for more. They also contribute to tooth decay and are low in nutrients and fiber, and they are usually high in calories.