A recent AARP article got me thinking about three older friends, all over 85, two of whom - the oldest - boasted fitness levels far & above their younger compadre. All three lived in nice homes, basically on their own; all were financially stable; all had pretty decent social lives, seeing others every day, enjoying strong relations with their immediate family. Where did they differ? The older two, both of whom were in vastly superior shape compared with third, had much better eating habits.
When we went out to dinner together, as we occasionally did, the two fitter friends would order & eat a salad, a healthy entree (usually beef for the one, fish or chicken for the other), one vegetable, one starch & both typically drank a full glass of water with their meal. The third always ordered the same thing - mashed potatoes & chicken croquettes. No salad, no vegetables and she balked at drinking her water.
It was frustrating. The family had brought me on board to make sure their older loved one ate dinner at least four nights a week, but it didn't seem to do much good, since I had no clout in getting her to change her sorry diet. It tore me up - twice she ended up in the hospital for weeks on end with dehydration that turned into pneumonia.
Diet matters. Getting enough liquids - especially clear ones - matters. I remember one time when I was out with one of the fit friends - out of the blue, she became furious with me for no reason, then I realized she seemed immobile. Having experienced something similar with another older client years before, I hightailed it back to her senior residence, which included a full-service medical center. Sure enough, she was low on electrolytes due to dehydration. The medical center sent us back to her apartment with a bottle of electrolyte-infused water (still don't know why they didn't have her drink it there & then - this normally docile, kind grannie chewed me out the whole way); the difference as she drank it was jaw dropping.
If having that strong a reaction happened to someone who typically did drink enough water through a day, imagine the dire consequences on someone who didn't.
Food is another source of liquid. Salad, soup, veggies? Yes! Mashed potatoes & chicken croquettes? NO!
The AARP article that got me thinking about my older friends spotlights the top 15 superfoods for folks over 50. It didn't surprise me that many of my fit friends' favorite foods made the cut - broccoli, apples, asparagus, old-fashioned or steel cut oatmeal, blueberries, dark chocolate, olive oil, beans (one only), yogurt (same one only), pears, even coffee.
Today is a deliciously grey, misty day here in SE Pennsylvania, with temperatures hanging in the mid 70 degrees fahrenheit. A welcome reprieve after almost a full week of hot (up in the 90s), hideously humid weather.
Hot, humid weather - that's the time to keep make sure you & others are eating well-balanced meals, getting lots of clear liquids. The problem with humidity is that it can actually depress appetite - we feel too sluggish to care about eating. EAT! DRINK! Not a burger & a cola, but lightly cooked vegetables, dark leafy greens, moderate portions of entrees, coffee or other non-soda pop liquids. Especially if you're over 70 - the older you are, the more your body needs proper food & liquids.
Ancients, fitness & food. The best way to ensure that you eat & drink wisely & well as you get up there in years is to make it a habit when you're young. If you already top 70 & know that your eating/drinking habits leave something to be desired, start making better choices today.
I had three older friends who enjoyed going out to meals together. Two of them had the strength & energy to do other fun things with me, the third did not. One of them spent incredibly long stretches of time in the hospital, while the other two did not. Two of them are still with us - guess which one is not?
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