A complete recipe of nutritional porridge for the elderly

The core production and selection principles of nutritional porridge for the elderly are "low glycemic, easy to chew, controlled sodium and less added, high-quality protein + soluble dietary fiber first". There is no universal formula, and it must be adjusted according to the elderly's underlying diseases, chewing ability, and taste preferences. I have taken care of my 82-year-old mother who has type 2 diabetes and mild periodontal problems for five years. I have tried nearly 30 formulas. I will put the most practical ones in front of me. Later I will talk about the adjustment ideas for different situations and the pitfalls I have encountered.

Let’s talk about what the elderly with no underlying diseases and good teeth can drink casually. Before my family was diagnosed with diabetes, I had to cook it three or four times a week: 50g of millet, 30g of peeled iron rod yam cut into small cubes, 10g of cored lotus seeds soaked for 2 hours in advance, add 1000ml of water and throw it into the rice cooker and choose the ordinary porridge setting. The cooked porridge has the sweet taste of yam, and the lotus seeds melt when you sip it. It is delicious without adding extra sugar. Oh, yes, I heard an old man say to add barley to remove dampness. I tried it twice. My mother had a hard time chewing it and had a stomachache for two days. After asking the doctor, I found out that barley is hard in texture and not cooked until it is completely soft.

Someone must be asking, isn’t it said that diabetics can’t drink porridge? In fact, both schools of thought here have merit: One school believes that porridge has a high degree of gelatinization and raises blood sugar quickly, and it is not recommended for people with diabetes to eat it. ； The other group believes that as long as they choose the right ingredients and control the degree of gelatinization, porridge is easier to digest than hard rice, and is more suitable for elderly people with diabetes who have weak stomachs. The compromise plan I have tried for more than half a year is to make mixed bean and multigrain porridge without adding refined rice and flour at all: 20g adzuki beans, 15g chickpeas, 15g oats, and 10g quinoa. Soak for 4 hours in advance, add 1200ml of water and cook until the beans just bloom and are still slightly chewy, then turn off the heat. Don't simmer for too long. My mother drinks half a bowl each time, and her blood sugar level is 2 points lower than when she eats white rice 2 hours after the meal, which is totally fine. If your teeth are really bad, you can use a breaker to grind the mixed beans into coarse powder before cooking. The rate of raising sugar will be much lower than that of white porridge.

Elderly people who have just been discharged from the hospital and are weak and have no appetite should not eat too much porridge. Ginseng porridge and velvet antler porridge may easily make them weak and not tonic. After my mother had a cholecystectomy last year, I cooked carrot and chicken porridge for two weeks. I used old hen soup that had been simmered for 2 hours. It was skimmed clean and there was no oil star at all. Take 800ml of clear soup, add 30g of rice that had been soaked for an hour in advance, cook until half-cooked, add 20g of very finely shredded chicken, and 15g of shredded carrots. Cook until the rice grains are completely dissolved, and only add less than 1g of salt to enhance the taste. She could only drink half a bowl in the first two days, but on the third day she could drink a full bowl. Her appetite was whetted faster than taking any supplements. By the way, don’t pair it with tofu with pickles and sauce at this time. The hidden sodium content is terrifyingly high. If you really want to pair it with it, just cut a little cucumber or boil a soft-boiled egg.

If the elderly at home have habitual constipation, don’t add those cold laxative ingredients indiscriminately. Try Tremella black sesame oatmeal porridge: soak 10g of dried Tremella in advance and tear it into small florets, add 20g of oats, 5g of crushed black sesame seeds that have been fried in advance, add 1000ml of water and simmer until the Tremella is gelatinous and then turn off the heat. No need to add sugar. The aroma of black sesame is mixed with the glutinousness of Tremella, and the taste is particularly good. My 76-year-old Aunt Zhang downstairs had constipation for half a year. After drinking it for two weeks, she said it was much smoother and more effective than the hundreds of yuan enzyme she bought before. If the elderly have high blood sugar, they can replace the oatmeal with raw oatmeal and shorten the cooking time to avoid making it too sticky.

Finally, let’s talk about some real pitfalls that I have encountered. Previously, I read on the Internet that the porridge for the elderly should be as soft as possible. After asking a nutritionist, I found out that if the porridge is too soft and the gelatinization is full, it is not a problem if there is no underlying disease. The blood sugar of the elderly with diabetes will increase very quickly after drinking it. As long as the elderly can chew it, it is better to leave it with a slightly grainy texture. Some people also say that you should add various health-preserving ingredients, such as wolfberry, red dates, longan, etc. If you are an elderly person with high blood sugar, don't touch it. The sugar content of three red dates is much higher than you think. If you really want to improve the taste, add a little zero-calorie sugar. Don't make fun of the health of the elderly. A relative once gave the elderly at home a meal of boiled preserved egg and lean meat porridge as a nutritional supplement. In fact, the high sodium content of preserved eggs carries the risk of heavy metals. It is okay to eat it once in a while to satisfy the craving. However, avoid eating it frequently, especially the elderly with high blood pressure.

In fact, all "encyclopedias" are false, and the ones that are most suitable for the elderly in your family are the best. I have bought dozens of ingredients to try. My mother doesn't like the taste of quinoa, so I won't let it go no matter how nutritious it is. After all, it is only useful if you eat it, right? If you are really not sure whether the formula is suitable, you can go to the nutrition department of the community hospital and ask. It only costs a few dollars and is much more reliable than the folk remedies you read online.