Our Boston Caregivers enable seniors to live happy, healthy, and independent lives in their own homes.
Seniors with food allergies need to be especially careful when they eat. A food allergy could trigger a serious and life-threatening reaction. There are different types of food allergies and many people are allergic to more than one. The list below provides some helpful facts on the types of food allergies and how seniors can manage their allergy issues.
1. Food allergies are the most common types of allergies. These could include an allergy to fish and shellfish, eggs, milk, peanuts and tree nuts, soy and wheat. If a senior has an allergy to one of these foods, they need to know how to manage that allergy and how to deal with the possible reaction if they are exposed to it.
2. There are more than 160 foods that are known to cause allergic reactions. However, 90% of all food allergies are to the foods listed above.
3. Wheat, soy and milk allergies are the most difficult to deal with. This is because these ingredients are in almost everything we eat. Those with wheat allergies need to be on a gluten-free diet. Potato bread is a great substitute for other breads that contain wheat. Soy is in most processed foods, so this allergy is especially hard to manage.
4. No matter what the food allergy is, seniors should make sure that everyone is aware of the allergy. This is important when others are preparing food.
With the New Year, most of the older generations want to stay healthy, hoping to live longer lives because of it. Losing weight can be one of the best things a senior can do towards living a longer, more enjoyable life. However, losing weight is easier said than done for seniors. The process can be much more uncomplicated with these simple tips towards a new senior physique in 2010.
• Change Old Eating Habits—Two may be better than one in this instance. Try and eat with your senior, switching out high calorie foods for healthier dinner staples such as salads with vegetables and lean proteins.
• Record What You Eat—Sometimes writing it all down will give seniors or their caregivers some perspective on their eating habits. By recording what you eat, a senior can easily reduce calories just by visualizing those foods causing the most damage to a slim trim.
• Exercise Together—While reducing calories can help lose weight, seniors must go one step farther and exercise to see results. Take long walks daily with your senior, working together to reach fitness goals. If a senior goes it alone, they may be less likely to stick to that daily walk.
• Meditate—As strange as it may seem, negative thoughts about your body and weight can ruin any fitness efforts. Find a quiet place in your home for 5 minutes a day, and just focus on breathing. This simple act will help clear the mind from critical thoughts about your body, allowing for a greater appreciation of the physical self.
Osteoporosis is an unfortunate reality for many older Boston adults, as bone density changes. However, with a healthy diet that includes superfoods for your bones, fractures, breaks and other bone issues can be prevented and improve bone health overtime. Choose low-fat foods rich in calcium and healthy foods which contain phosphorus, magnesium, boron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin K and folate. Great sources of these vitamins and minerals, making them some of the best superfoods for your bones are the following:
• Black pepper (contains 4 anti-osteoporosis compounds)
• Cabbage (source of boron)
• Cod liver oil (source of vitamins A and D)
• Dandelion (source of boron)
• Garlic (source of sulphur)
• Onions (source of sulphur)
• Parsley (source of boron)
• Pigweed (source of calcium)
• Arugula (source of vitamin K)
• Broccoli (source of vitamin K)
• Collards (source of vitamin K)
• Kale (source of vitamins K and C)
• Swiss chard (source of vitamins K and C, magnesium, and calcium)
• Spinach (source of vitamins K and C and magnesium)
While supplements can be used to help enhance bone strength through use of these vitamins and nutrients, the best sources are the superfoods that promote bone health into the senior years.
