How should the elderly eat well in winter?

1. Ensure the supply of heat energy

The cold climate in winter affects the human body's endocrine system, increasing the body's secretion of thyroxine, adrenaline, etc., thereby promoting and accelerating the decomposition of the three major types of heat source nutrients, protein, fat, and carbohydrates, to increase the body's ability to withstand the cold, thus causing the body to lose too much heat.

Therefore, winter nutrition should focus on increasing heat energy, and you can appropriately consume more foods rich in carbohydrates and fats. For elderly people, fat intake should not be too much, so as not to induce other diseases in the elderly, but sufficient protein should be consumed, because protein catabolism and metabolism are enhanced, and the human body is prone to negative nitrogen balance.

The amount of protein supplied should account for 15% to 17% of the total calories. The protein supplied should be mainly high-quality protein, such as lean meat, eggs, fish, dairy, beans and their products. The protein contained in these foods is not only easy for the human body to digest and absorb, but is also rich in essential amino acids and has high nutritional value, which can increase the body's cold tolerance and disease resistance.

2. Appropriate vitamin supplements

Winter is the off-season for vegetables. The number of vegetables is small and the varieties are monotonous. This phenomenon is more prominent especially in northern my country. Therefore, after a winter, the human body often develops vitamin deficiencies, such as lack of vitamin C, which causes many elderly people to develop symptoms such as oral ulcers, tooth root swelling and pain, bleeding, and constipation.

The prevention method should first expand food sources. Green leafy vegetables are relatively reduced in winter. You can eat some potatoes, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc. appropriately. They are rich in vitamin C, vitamin B, and vitamin A. Red sweet potatoes also contain more carotene. Eating more potatoes can not only supplement vitamins, but also clear away internal heat and remove plague toxins. In addition, among the main vegetables on the market in winter, in addition to Chinese cabbage, you should also choose cabbage, Xinlimei radish, white radish, carrot, soybean sprouts, mung bean sprouts, rapeseed, etc.

These vegetables are rich in vitamins. As long as you change the varieties frequently and mix them appropriately, you can still supplement your body's vitamin needs. The cold in winter can also affect the body's nutritional metabolism, causing the consumption of various nutrients to increase to varying degrees. Due to the influence of digestion and absorption and metabolic factors in the body, the elderly often lack potassium, calcium, sodium, iron and other elements. In addition, the amount of urine in the human body increases in winter, so the amount of the above-mentioned inorganic salts excreted in the urine also increases. Therefore, they should be supplemented in time. You can eat more foods rich in calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, etc., such as dried shrimps, dried shrimps, sesame paste, pork liver, bananas, etc. If you have low sodium and the taste is a little salty when cooking, you can supplement it.