How to improve the appetite of the elderly?

Old people do not always enjoy food as much as young people. In addition to gastrointestinal digestive function, reduced appetite in the elderly is also related to nutritional intake, chewing function and oral hygiene.

Nutritional intake status: Some elderly people only eat light vegetarian food, and even do not eat meat, eggs, and milk. This partial eclipse habit does not meet the physiological needs for nutrition, will cause the nutrients to be out of balance, and affect appetite. According to foreign reports, the elderly generally lack the trace element zinc. Zinc is an important component of taste hormones and gastric enzymes. The early manifestation of zinc deficiency is often loss of taste.

Generally speaking, animal foods are rich in zinc, while plant foods are low in zinc. The phytic acid contained in cereals, the fiber contained in vegetables, and the pectin contained in fruits will all affect the absorption of zinc. Therefore, the absorption rate of zinc in the intestine is very low, only 20-25%. People who suffer from gastroenteritis, diarrhea and take certain drugs.

For example, iron-containing blood supplements and high-calcium foods can interfere with zinc absorption. The elderly are prone to diseases and take more drugs, so zinc deficiency is more common, so they always feel that the food they eat does not taste good, their sense of taste is reduced, and they have a loss of appetite. Therefore, the elderly should overcome the habit of partial eclipse in their diet. It is best to mix meat and vegetables and diversify the food, which can not only increase appetite but also be beneficial to health.

Chewing function: In old age, teeth become loose or fall off, which affects the chewing of food, gradually diminishes the sense of taste, and reduces appetite. In order to chew food better, diseased teeth, decayed teeth and residual roots should be extracted as soon as possible, and dentures should be installed 2-3 months after tooth extraction to restore chewing function. The elderly should chew more when eating, because chewing can increase saliva, saliva can enhance taste, and taste can increase appetite.

Oral Hygiene A dirty mouth cannot taste food. The elderly can brush the surface of the tongue when brushing their teeth. Brushing the tongue is not only important to increase the sense of taste, but also can reduce the microorganisms on the back of the tongue, which is also helpful in preventing dental caries. Smoking not only pollutes the mouth, but also affects the sense of taste. Even delicious food will feel bland and tasteless. Therefore, quitting smoking will help increase appetite.

In addition, in order to increase the appetite of the elderly, when cooking meals for the elderly, in addition to paying attention to the tenderness, the food should also be prepared as delicious and palatable as possible. For this reason, adding some condiments appropriately when cooking food or using appropriate condiments when eating can stimulate the taste and increase interest in food.

But be careful not to be too salty. Excessive salt is particularly harmful to people with cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Other condiments should not be excessive. In addition, grape wine can enhance the body's absorption of zinc. Therefore, for the elderly who like to drink some wine, drinking a moderate amount of wine is beneficial to increasing appetite.