Nutritional – Providing Research Help for the Elderly

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Nutritional Needs Of Children, Women And The Elderly

November 6, 2019October 4, 2019
by Glenn Piper

Nutritional Needs of Children

Nutrition and health professionals have long acknowledged the value of setting up healthy nutrition habits during childhood and early adolescence.

This is significant because diet and exercise patterns taken up during these major developmental years lay down the life-long habits that can stand for the difference between health and frailty in later years.

Majority of children grow about two inches and put on about four to seven pounds for every year. Between the ages of six to 12, youngsters will shoot up an average of one to two feet and nearly double in weight. Nutrition recommendations for children are planned to encourage top growth and development

A wide selection of foods loaded in essential nutrients are important for growing bodies and shape the basis of these recommendations. As pointed out in the Food Guide Pyramid, these foods include carbohydrate-rich grains and fruits and vegetables needed to provide minerals, vitamins, fiber and energy fundamental to good health. Sufficient quantities of dairy products, fish, lean meats, eggs, poultry, nuts, and dry beans also offer nutrients that add to proper growth and development.

While children often have specific food likes and dislikes, nutritionists and dietitians advice that parents make accessible a broad variety of foods and support sampling new foods in small amounts without pushing the issue. In this way, children will often come to accept and enjoy new foods.

Shifting Nutritional Needs of Women

Taking a multivitamin supplement is a must for women. This supplement should have folic acid that is required primarily during a woman’s reproductive years. In addition, women should take 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day.

A woman who is planning on having a family must make sure that her body is prepared for a healthy pregnancy. Research recommends that folic acid supplementation in the weeks heading to and following conception may help avert neural tube defects.

Folic acid rich foods include oranges, green leafy vegetables, liver, whole grain bread, and cereals. Women who are somewhat anemic should fortify their iron levels even before planning pregnancy with foods such as lean meats, raisins, and beans. During pregnancy, the daily requirement of iron multiplies from 15 milligrams to 30 milligrams. Potatoes, citrus fruits, and broccoli are also suggested to enhance iron absorption.

Mid-life nutrition for women requires them to reduce their daily calories by 100-200 calories. Calcium intake should be higher—1,000 mg/day for adults ages 19-50. After 51, it’s 1,200 mg/day. And, postmenopausal women who opt for not taking estrogen require 1,500 mg/day.Eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables also gives older women the fiber needed to avoid constipation and diverticulosis in their later years.

Special Nutritional Needs of the Elderly

The young elderly (65-74) and the older elderly (75 and over) may have 10-20 active years ahead of them. The main goal for these years is to promote health in nutrition. Since the elderly are more likely to have chronic illnesses, their nutritional requirements must be jam-packed with vitamins, proteins and minerals distributed in small volumes.

Fiber – Constipation and bowel problems in the elderly are largely due to a decreased gut activity. To aid this, the consumption of fruits, cereal foods, and vegetables should be promoted.
Fat – Saturated fat (animal fats) intake must be lessened if not totally eliminated for cardiovascular health. This is also advised even for elderly people who are fit and well.
Zinc – A must for a healthy immune system and to facilitate wound healing (as in pressure ulcers). Rich sources of zinc: meat, shellfish and wholemeal bread.
Calcium – Sufficient intakes of calcium help to slow down calcium loss from bones, which begins at the age of 30 and speeds up significantly in later years. Calcium-rich foods (milk, dairy foods) should be taken daily.
Iron – The use of certain drugs and loss of blood may cause anemia in this age group. Iron intake must be met by eating red meat as well as non-meat sources (dried fruit, fortified cereals, and green leafy vegetables)

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Nutritional Info & Food Labels

October 23, 2019October 25, 2019
by Glenn Piper

The nutritional facts label is a label required on nearly all pre-packaged foods in North America, United Kingdom and other countries. It is also known as nutrition information panel and various other minor variations.

In the U.S., the nutritional facts label registers the percentage of supplied nutrients needed in one day. In particular cases this label is not yet required by law, so a list of ingredients should be submitted instead. Ingredients are listed from the most common to least common.

The label lists in this order:

1. A standard serving measurement
2. Calories
3. A break down of the constituent elements—Constantly listed are carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Typically, sodium and cholesterol, are also listed, sometimes vitamins and minerals too.

Products that claim to be graded as low fat and high-fiber must reach identical definitions between products of like labels.

Under policies from the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services (and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture), the food label submits a more comprehensive, helpful and accurate nutrition information than ever before.

With food labels, consumers get:

Distinctive, easy-to-read layout that enables them to quickly locate the info they need to make healthy food selections
Information on the quantity per serving of saturated fat, dietary fiber, cholesterol, and other nutrients
Nutrient reference values, depicted as % Daily Values which helps consumers see how a food matches into a general daily diet
Uniform descriptions for terms that express a food’s nutrient content (“light,” “low-fat,” and “high-fiber”) to guarantee that such terminologies mean the same for any product on which they come out
Statements on the connection between a nutrient/food and a disease or health-related condition (fat and cancer, calcium and osteoporosis). These are useful for people who are health-conscious
Standardized serving sizes that facilitate nutritional evaluation of similar products

The Labels on Cereals

Standards for a healthy cereal:

Protein content should be at least three grams per serving
The grains should be whole (e.g. “whole wheat” or “wheat bran,” not only “wheat”).
The zinc content should be 25 to 40 percent of the recommended daily allowance.
The total carbohydrate-to-sugar ratio should not be lesser than four to one. This indicates that if the “Total Carbohydrate” line displays 24 grams, the “sugars” should have a value of 6 grams or less.
Iron content should be 25 to 40 percent of the RDA.
Content of other vitamins and minerals should be 25 to 40 percent of the RDA.

The Labels on Fruit Juices

Standards for a healthy fruit juice:

Get juice labeled “100 percent fruit juice.”
Be wary of words like “drink,” “cocktail,” “beverage” “punch,” and “ade” as these are not 100 percent juice. They are junk fruit beverages with little or no nutritional value.
Check the ingredients. Steer clear of fruit-flavored beverages that have extra fructose corn syrup as they shape a child’s inclination towards sweet cravings.
Confirm if the juice is pasteurized. Commercial juices now are expected to state if it is pasteurized on the label as non-pasteurized juice carry bacteria that are particularly damaging to people with weakened immune systems (children, pregnant women, the elderly).

The FDA also imparts guidelines about the claims and descriptions used in food labeling:

CLAIM	Requirements that must be met before using the claim in food labeling
Low fat	3 grams or less of fat per serving
Cholesterol-Free	Less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving, and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
Low Calorie	40 calories or less per serving
Sugar-Free	Less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving
Low Sodium	140 mg or less per serving
“Less”, “Fewer” or “Reduced”	At least 25% less of a given nutrient or calories than the comparison food
Light (fat)	50% or less of the fat than in the comparison food