Nutrition For Older People

As The Body Age composition changes and the elderly become more vulnerable to infectious diseases and need longer periods for healing. Adequate nutrition is vital to stay mentally alert, fit and healthy, and for a speedy recovery from illness.

Good nutrition through life is an important factor in determining the quality of life a person may expect in later years. life expectancy is the length of life projected for a population of a given age, and the factors involved in increased life expectancy include improved medical care, higher standard of living, and thus improved nutrition. Life expectancy in Indonesia has significantly increased in the past 30 years. From 47.7 years old in 1971, it increased to 65.5 years by 2000 (Indonesian Statistical Data). Live expectancy is now 69 years and is expected to reach 73.7 by 2025 (Bappenas).

Immune System

It is well known that again can cause a breakdown in the immune system resulting in increased incidence of infectious, inflammatory and neoplastic diseases among older persons and prolonged post-illness recovery periods. Their illness patterns reflect both a deterioration of immune function and increased incidence of upper respiratory infections, shingles, tuberculosis and cancer. Important for maintaining the immune system are polyunsaturated fatty acids, Vitamin B6 and E, selenium and zinc, A significant improvement in the immune respone of healthy older persons can be achieved by nutrient supplementation.

Physical Exercise

No group can benefit more than older persons from regularly performed exercise. Aerobic exercise has long been an important recommendation for preventing and treating many chronic and typically age - associated diseases. Including non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), hypertension, heart diseases and osteoporosis. Increasing muscle strength and muscle mass in older persons is realistic strategy for maintaining their functional status and independence. Any exercise program should, of course, always first be discussed with one's health care provider or trained community worker.

Overall elderly people should eat a balanced diet of enjoyable and nutritious food to stay fit and healthy. The should be physically active and regularly practice exercise that strengthen muscles and improve their balance.

Nutrition recommendations for older persons

• Eat healthy traditional vegetable and legume-based dishes. A variety of antioxidants (as fund in vitamins) are able to repair damage caused by free radicals. One aging theory states the continues formation of free radicals is a result of exposure to oxygen, background radiation, and other environmental factors. These highly reactive substances damage cellular components that can lead to aging.
• Limit traditional dishes/foods that are heavily preserved or pickled in salt and encourage the use of herbs and spices. Hypertensions is common in the elderly and mineral intake recommendation may include reducing salt to 2 to 4 g/day and supplementing the diet with magnesium and potassium (banana, orange) for those taking diuretics (in hypertension)
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• Select nutrient - dense foods such as fish, lean meet, liver, eggs, soy products (e.g. tahu and tempe) and low -fat dairy product, yeast based product (e.g spreads), fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, whole grain cereals, nuts and seeds.
• Consume fat from whole foods such as nuts, seeds, beans, olives and fatty fish. Where refined fats are necessary for cooking, select from a variety of liquid oils, including those high in omega-3 and omega-9 fats.
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• Enjoy food and eating in the company of others. Avoid the regular use of celebratory foods e.g ice cream, cakes, confectionery and candies. Excessive amounts of sugar and salt in coffee, tea, fast food snacks, etc should be avoided.
• Eat several (5-6) small non-fatty meals through the day for greater food variety, lower body fat and blood glucose and lipid levels; avoid large meals eaten early in the day.
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• Energy requirements decrease with age. The 1989 RDA calls for a reduction of average energy allowance after 51 years of age of 600 kcal/day for men and 300 kcal/day for women. But, it is important to note that being underweight is associated with as high a mortality rate as moderate obesity, particularly in the elderly.
• Recommendation fat intake is 30 % in sedentary older persons and 35 % for active older persons but us of saturated fats should be minimized and not exceed 8% of energy.
• Calcium : 800 - 1200 mg/day (with adequate vitamin D). Sunshine appears to be an important factor in maintaining appropriate vitamin D status in the elderly. Lack of adequate vitamin D and calcium are associated with osteoporosis and osteomalacia.
• Iron :10 mg/day is sufficient. Anemia at this age is usually related to blood loss, often from gastrointestinal tract and requires medical attention.
• Encourage the consumption of the vitamin C-rich food, they have a role in cataract prevention.
• Consume complex vitamin B-rich foods and folate to confer protection against elevated homocysteine, an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, depression, and certain neurological deficit.
• It is also important to avoid dehydration by regularly eating foods and drinks with high water content many degenerative age-related diseases aggravate the tendency towards dehydration in older persons. In addition, dehydration is a common complication of acute illness in this population group. An adequate water intake consist of 30 to 35 ml/kg ideal body weight.
  

Sources : BAPPENAS,
www.milk.co.uk
http://nutrition.tufts.edu
www.mlive.com
www.hotelsinfethiye.com
www.vitaminsupplementanalyzer.com
www.vitaminshoppe.com
www.antioxidantsandyou.com
www.healthinajiffy.co.uk

The Benefits of Breastfeeding

Appropriate feeding practices are of fundamental importance for infants' health in the first two years of life. Fie essential messages of breastfeeding had been issued by WHO/UNICEF/USAID in 1999 as part of international recomendations, applied in the majority of the world, including Indonesia.

As health workers, we should comunicate theses messages to every woman by the las trimester of fregnancy until the first hours and months of the child's life, in order to help mothers avoid inadequate prectices and ensure children's proper growth and development:

Initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of life.
For the mother the benerits include reduced bleeding and infections after birth; the mani benefit for the child is that the sucking reflex helps to stimulate the mother's milk flow and ensure suffuicient milk immediately after and on of the delivery.

In Indonesia, less than one sixth of mothers do so with some three quarter initiating only after xix hours after delivery thus deleying the formation of sucking riflex and the production of milk.

Exclusively feed all colostrum (first breast milk, yellow in color)
Colostrum contains increased amount of antibodies and proteins essential to baby's early life and immunity. Do not give anything (water, teas, etc) before breastfeeding is started.

Colostrum is often considered harmful in some parts of Indonesia, and for which significant proportion of mothers discards part of it and up to one third do not give any of it.

Exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life reinforce the immunity system preventing the newborn baby form communicable desease infection.

Breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months of life.
Breast milk contains all nutriens the baby needs and is also rich in antibodies to help fighting infections. Early introduction of tother foods (water, teas, bananas, coconut, or other solid foods) is harmful because the baby,s digestive system is not at all prepared to consume them.

Currently in Indonesia, Exclusive breastfeeding is very low and practiced by less than one sixth of women with one third of babies being fed with solid foods as early as one month. In addintion, very few babies are exclusively breastfeeding up to 6 months (less than 10%).

Introduce nutrition complementary food at the age of 6 months.
After 6 months breast milk no longer meets nutrition needs of the infant. Most apprppriate products to ensure the baby's growth are varied and nutritious foods, properly and freshly cooked: fresh and thick creamy porridge made from cereals, rice or millets in water/milk or mixture (do not water down the porridge to preserve energy content). Moreover, to give fruit purees and juices, thick vegetable soups or boiled pureed meats/eggs will contribute greatly to the baby's weight gain and health. On contrary to above, in Indonesia, up to half (!) of mothers consider that most appropriate first solid food for babies are commercial instant baby food, followed by fruits.

Continue breastfeeding up to 2 years of life.
Infants need breast milk for at least two years for optimal growth, health and development. In Indonesia, up to half of all children are weaned between first and second birthday.

Good To Remember : for the baby, there is no better, natural or healthier food than his mother's milk, which is produced to satisfy all his needs! Do not accept or Encourage mothers to give formula milk.


Sources : Nutrition specialis ; Lilia Turcan adn Rufina Pardosi, http://experienceofadventure.blogspot.com

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a condition that develops when the body does not get the proper amount of protein, enery (calories), vitamins, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function: unbalanced or insufficent diet or defective assimilation or utilization of foods.

Although malnutrition occurs in children who are either undernourished or overnoureished, in Indonesia child malnutrition, as measured by the proportion of children who are either undersnourished or overnourished, in Indonesia child malnutrition, as measured bay the proportion of children under five years of age, who are moderately or severely underweigh, reaches 28 % in 2003; meanwhile seer malnutrition equals 8 % in 2002. This last figure would even be one in eight children in tsunami-affected areas of Indonesia, according to a nutrition assessment conducted by UNICEF in January 2005. As protein and energy are indispensable for growth and development, children are more likely to suffer form consequences of malnutrition due to poor eating habits or lack of available food, and thus are more vulnerable to have other diseases.

Symptoms and diagnosis :
The child nutrition status can be measured with :

1. Body weight (BB), body height (TB), and BB/TB to becompared with standard tables.
2. Circle a child's mid-upper arm and measure tha thick of fat triceps fold or sub scapular.

Most sever cases of maltuntrition :
Marasmus: a form of protin-energy malntrition predominatly due to prolonged severe caloric deficit, chiefly occurring the firs year of life, characterized by : growth reterdation and progressive wasting of subcutaneous fat and muscle, but usually with retention of the appetite and mental alertness. often comes with darrhea or constipation and infectious diseases may be procipitating factors. Also called infantile atrophy, athrepsia, and pedatrophia.
Kwashiorkor : a form of protein-energy malnutrition produced by severe protein deficiency; caloric intake may be adequate but is ususally also deficient. it is charactrize by:

• Retarded growth
• Changes in skin and hair pigment
• Edema
• Enlarged abdomen
• Immunodeficiency
• Pathologic changes in the liver, including fatty infiltration, necrosis and fibrosis
• Mental apathy
• Atrophy of the pancreas
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Anemia
• Low serum albumin
• Dermatoses

Marasmic Kwashiorkor : condidition in which there is deficiency both calories and protein with :

• Severe tissue wasting
• Loss of subcutaneous fat,
• Dehydration (usually)

How to treat it ?

• Slight and moderate malnutrition treatment consists in giving nutritional food, balance menu, a large amount of carbohydrate and protein. Neverheless other disease linked with malnutrition which could cause growt disturbance to the child (such as intestinal worm infection, diarrhea, etc) also need to be diagnosed and treated.
• Severe cases of malntrition represent an emergency situation. Hospitalization and appropriate treatment is required.

How to Prevent it?

• A good nutritive diet during pregnancy
• Exclusive brastfeeding (ASI) during the firts 6 months of life and breastfeeding up to 2 years of life.
• Regular check of the baby's growth and development
  
• Immunization of the child to prevent from communicable diseases
• Accurate knowladge about malnutrition symptoms for early diagnosis and complications prevention.

Sources : http://experienceofadventure.blogspot.com

Food for Energy

Do you know anything about this food pyramid? What does It show?

Many profesional sports teams have recently added a new member to their organization - a nutritionist. That's because athletes have become a ware that food affects performance. You don't have skipped breakfast and then tried to clean the house, you know that you need food for energy. Here are some tips about eating to increase your physical performance :

• Eat enough food. Your body needs a certain number of calories each day. If you're too thin, you'll often feel tired and you'll be more likely to get sick.
• Read the labels on food products. This information will tell you how nutritions the foods are.
• Avoid cating foods that are high in simple carbohydrates, that is, sugars. A chocolate bar will first give you energy, but then it will leave you feeling even more tired.
• Eat a balanced diet, one that includes complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Use food pyramid to help you decide how much to eat of each type of food. complex carbohydrates provide the body with "fuel". They are found in fruits and vegetables, and in bread, rice, pasta, and other foods to build muscles, and it uses fat to absorb the vitamins in food. Protein and fat are found in foods like milk, cheese, meat, fish, and eggs. Too much fat, however, can be harmful.

Source : www.healthnode.org,
http://experienceofadventure.blogspot.com