Released May 19, 2009
MADISON, Wis. - Older adults often fall short of getting the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, potassium, B-12, vitamin D, calcium and fiber. At the same time, their diets tend to have too much sodium and saturated fat. Those are the main findings of a recent collaborative study led by the University of Georgia.
“As we age, changes in our bodies affect our ability to sense thirst and to absorb nutrients, such as vitamin B-12. Some older adults develop lactose intolerance, while many others have problems chewing” says Mallory Koenings, a nutritional sciences graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
With these issues in mind, Cooperative Extension nutrition educators are working with community partners to plan education programs for older adults in their communities. According to Teresa Curtis, a nutrition education specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension, older adults who attend these programs will learn about possible strategies and develop personal goals to improve the overall quality of their diets, as recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Extension nutrition education programs can help older adults make affordable changes to improve the quality of meals, snacks and beverage choices. Other topics that may be covered include beverage choices, cutting down on high-calorie snack foods, being physically active in all kinds of weather, food safety, finding the most useful information on food labels, and making wise use of limited money for food.
For more information on the nutritional needs of older adults, contact your county Extension office. General information on healthy eating is available in a Dietary Guidelines brochure called “Finding Your Way to a Healthier You” available online: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/brochure.htm.
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http://www.uwex.edu/ces/news/cenews.cfm?ID=3362
Contact: Teresa Curtis, 608-262-3427, curtis@nutrisci.wisc.edu
