7 Recommended Foods Best for Seniors

Introduction: With the aging of society, the proportion of the elderly is increasing, and all aspects of their lives are receiving widespread attention. Especially in terms of diet for the elderly, it plays an increasingly important role in protecting their health. We know that the physiological state of the elderly is generally characterized by a series of symptoms such as decreased digestive function, reduced metabolism, declining kidney function, diminished sensory organ function, and decreased endocrine and immune function. This needs to be regulated through diet, so what is suitable for the elderly to eat?

1. Honey

Honey is a nutritional treasure that is very suitable for the physiological needs of the elderly. Foreign research has long shown that as people age, the body's utilization of glucose decreases significantly, while the utilization of fructose remains largely unchanged. This indicates that fructose and fructose-containing products are the most ideal carbohydrate foods for the elderly. It not only provides energy and nutrients to the body but also provides a carbohydrate that is most suitable for sparing protein, which may be the theoretical basis for many elderly people's fondness for honey. Honey enhances the elderly's resistance and has a preventive and therapeutic effect on age-related diseases. Regular consumption by the elderly can prevent and treat coughs, insomnia, vascular diseases, indigestion, stomach and intestinal ulcers, constipation, and dysentery.

2. Millet

Millet, originally known as millet, is a type of cereal plant and a grass. Millet is highly nutritious, rich in protein, fat, and vitamins. It is not only for food but also used in medicine for effects such as clearing heat, quenching thirst, nourishing yin, tonifying the spleen and kidneys, strengthening the stomach and intestines, promoting urination, and treating watery diarrhea. It can also be used to make wine. The sprouts of millet, like malt, contain a large amount of enzymes and are a traditional Chinese medicine with the effect of strengthening the stomach and aiding digestion. Millet porridge has a calming effect. Millet porridge is a healthy food. It can be boiled alone or with ingredients like jujubes, red beans, sweet potatoes, lotus seeds, and lilies to make nutritious porridges with different flavors. Millet ground into powder can be used to make delicious pastries. Millet porridge is rich in nutritional value and is known as "ginseng soup". Because millet does not need to be refined, it preserves many vitamins and inorganic salts. The vitamin B1 in millet can be several times that of rice; the inorganic salt content in millet is also higher than that of rice.

Millet and Pumpkin Porridge

3. Black Rice

Black rice is known as the "king of rice in the world". Black rice is rich in vitamins B1, B2, and trace elements such as iron, zinc, and selenium. In addition, black rice also contains 16 amino acids needed by the human body, with a content 15.9% higher than that of rice. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that black rice is sweet and neutral in nature, with effects such as nourishing yin and blood, benefiting the liver and improving eyesight, tonifying the kidneys and spleen, soothing the liver and activating blood. It is good for treating liver and kidney yin deficiency, insufficient essence and blood, soreness in the lower back and knees, dizziness and tinnitus, women's deficiency of yin and blood, irregular menstruation, and physical weakness in middle-aged and elderly people. Black rice has anti-cancer effects and can reduce the mortality rate of cerebral thrombosis and rheumatic heart disease. In addition, black rice has good effects on various diseases such as anemia, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and menopausal syndrome in women.

4. Black Sesame

Black sesame is known as "fragrant nourishment". Black sesame contains up to 60% fat oil, most of which are unsaturated fatty acids, and has a relatively high protein content. It is also rich in vitamin B2, vitamin E, and iron, phosphorus, calcium, etc. Vitamin E has an anti-aging effect and has a good effect on improving blood circulation and promoting metabolism. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that black sesame is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, and has the effects of nourishing the liver and kidneys, nourishing blood and promoting body fluids, moistening the intestines and relieving constipation. It is suitable for physical weakness, premature graying of hair, sallow complexion, dry intestines and constipation, etc. It can also lower cholesterol and is very beneficial for patients with arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure, but it is not suitable for those with loose stools.

5. Peanuts

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that peanuts are neutral in nature and sweet in taste, and have multiple effects such as nourishing qi, regulating qi, strengthening the spleen and whetting the appetite, moistening the lungs and resolving phlegm, nourishing blood and promoting lactation. They are used for malnutrition, disharmony of the spleen and stomach, cough and asthma, lack of breast milk, dry intestines and constipation, etc. Modern clinical practice also uses them to prevent and treat high blood pressure, heart disease, memory loss, and various bleeding disorders. Peanuts are rich in protein, about 45%, of which more than 80% are unsaturated fatty acids, which can lower cholesterol and moisturize the skin. Peanuts contain relatively high calcium, with up to 70 mg per 100 grams of peanuts, and can be used as a health food for children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. Because peanuts can inhibit fibrinolysis, promote bone marrow to produce platelets, they not only have good hemostatic effects on various bleeding diseases but also have a certain therapeutic effect on the primary diseases.

Salted Pork Bone and Peanut Porridge

6. Soybeans

Soybeans are comprehensive and rich in nutrition. The protein content in soybeans is 2 times higher than that of pork and 2.5 times higher than that of eggs. The protein content is not only high but also of good quality. The amino acid composition of soy protein is similar to that of animal protein, and the ratio of amino acids is closer to the human body's needs, so it is easily digested and absorbed. If soybeans are eaten with meat and eggs, its nutrition can be compared to or even exceed that of eggs and milk. Soybeans are an important source of high-quality protein, unsaturated fatty acids, calcium, and B vitamins in the diet of Chinese residents. The content of B vitamins such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and niacin in soybeans is several times higher than that in cereals, and it also contains a certain amount of carotene and rich vitamin E.

7. Silkie Chicken

Silkie chicken contains protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, sodium, magnesium, and various vitamins, as well as nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, hyaluronidase, etc. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Silkie chicken is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, and has the effects of nourishing the liver and kidneys, strengthening the body and supporting righteousness, and balancing the body's yin and yang. It can keep the body's life activities in an optimal state. It is suitable for dizziness and blurred vision, tinnitus and hearing loss, postpartum lack of milk, uterine bleeding and leucorrhea, loose stools and edema due to qi and blood deficiency, and various deficiencies and damages. Modern medical research shows that the medicinal value of Silkie chicken is three times that of ordinary chicken. The carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and skin moisturizing factors such as hyaluronidase it contains, as well as active proteins such as peptides, have unexpected effects on human beauty.

Silkie Chicken and Chinese Yam Soup