Food provides the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy. Nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water.
Studies show that a good diet in your later years reduces your risk of osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers. As you age, you might need less energy. But you still need just as many of the nutrients in food. To get them
- Choose a variety of healthy foods
- Avoid empty calories, which are foods with lots of calories but few nutrients, such as chips, cookies, soda and alcohol
- Pick foods that are low in cholesterol and fat, especially saturated and trans fats
Saturated fats are usually fats that come from animals. Look for trans fat on the labels of processed foods, margarines and shortenings.
National Institute on Aging
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Eating Well as We Age
(Food and Drug Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.fda.gov/opacom/lowlit/eatage.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.fda.gov/opacom/lowlit/seatage.html -
Eating Well As You Get Older
(National Institute on Aging) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/eatingwellasyougetolder/toc.html
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Good Nutrition: It's a Way of Life(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/nutrition.asp
- Growing Older, Eating Better(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/296_old.html
- Calorie Restriction: Is This Anti-Aging Diet Worth a Try?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/anti-aging/HQ00233/METHOD=print
- Malnutrition and Seniors: When a Relative Doesn't Eat Enough(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/senior-health/HA00066/METHOD=print
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Seniors Need Wisdom on Food Safety(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Seniors_Need_Wisdom_on_Food_Safety/index.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.fsis.usda.gov/En_Espanol/Personas_Majores/index.asp
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Young at Heart: Tips for Older Adults(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/young_heart.htm
Also available in Spanish http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/personas_mayors.htm
- MyPyramid.gov: Steps to a Healthier You(Dept. of Agriculture) - http://www.mypyramid.gov/
- Food Stamp Special Rules for the Elderly or Disabled(Food and Nutrition Service) - http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/rules/Elderly_Disabled.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutrition for Seniors(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/term=(nutrition+elderly)+%5BALL-FIELDS%5D+AND+senior+%5BAGE-GROUP%5D
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Hot tea and juk: the institutional meaning of food for... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19024429&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Adequacy of nutrient intake among elderly persons receiving home care. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18928191&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: A possible application of monosodium glutamate to nutritional care for... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18827342&tool=MedlinePlus
- Nutrition for Seniors -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(nutritional+status[mh]+OR+nutritional+physiology+phenomena[mh]+OR+nutrition+assessment[mh]+OR+nutritional+requirements[mh]+OR+food+habits[mh]+OR+diet[mh])+AND+aged[majr]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Find a Nutrition Professional(American Dietetic Association) - http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_4874_ENU_HTML.htm
- Meals on Wheels: Find a Meal(Meals on Wheels Association of America) - http://www.mowaa.org/Page.aspx?pid=253
- Food and Nutrition Service - http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/
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National Institute on Aging - http://www.nia.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/Espanol/
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Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program(Food and Nutrition Service) - http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/SeniorFMNP/SeniorFMNPoverview.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/SeniorFMNP/sp-SeniorFMNPoverview.htm
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Healthy Eating Index Scores Among Adults, 60 Years of Age and Over(National Center for Health Statistics) - Large PDF file - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad395.pdf
- Seniors' Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniorshealth.html
- Food and Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodandnutrition.html
- Seniors - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniors.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Nutrition for Seniors is the National Institute on Aging - http://www.nia.nih.gov/