Elderlies and their food

(We have received requests from some elderlies for providing them information about food intakes. Hence this write-up)

Age expectancy has undoubtedly increased everywhere during the recent decades. In India people used to previously live up to only 60/70 years. Over the last two decades life expectancy has increased, and now quite a number of people continue living upto 80s and 90s. This has been due to changes in lifestyle, food intake and various developments in pharmaceutical field and living habits. Some scientists say that future generations may see further increase in life expectancy and that it can even go upto 120 years. 

It is of course of fundamental importance that a person living long life should remain in reasonably good health. One important factor, in fact the most important, is the quality of food that people eat. It is essential that food should contain all the elements,proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and other essential requirements for maintenance of healthy body and avoidance of any disabilities.

Coronary heart disease is reported to be a leading problem in most Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, China and India. Experts in the field of Heart diseases state that there is direct relationship between blood cholesterol concentration and coronary heart disease. Dietary habit, including in particular the use of dietary fibre, including soluble fibre, helps to lower the blood cholesterol and can help to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Another disease that is stated to be avoidable by dietary fibre is colorectal cancer, which is one of the most common forms of cancer in Asian countries. Research has shown that a low fat and high fibre diet can reduce the risk of this type of cancer.Case studies by doctors have established the role of dietary fibre in colorectal cancer, and these have led to the general belief that there is reduced risk with higher consumption of fibre in the diet. In any case, overall benefits of dietary fibre have been very widely accepted and dietary fibre has become an important part of the diet for healthy lifestyle.

Dietary fibre is found only in plants. There are two types of fibre: one soluble, and the other insoluble. Reference is whether the fibre is soluble in water or not. It helps to explain the different actions of two types of fibre in the body. Largest amount of fibre in our diet is insoluble. This type of fibre provides texture to fruits, vegetables and cereals.
11-Insoluble fibre helps to blind water in the intestines and increase volume of waste materials. The end result is more appropriate and softer bowel motions and less risk of constipation.

Soluble fibre is found in fruits, cereals (such as oats and barley) and in legumes (dried peas, beans and lentils).This fibre acts as a natural thickening agent in foods. For example, if you add lentils or beans to a curry, they help to thicken the curry. When a person eats soluble fibre, it traps fatty substances in the intestines, thereby helping to prevent their absorption by the body. This is considered to be the reason that soluble fibre helps to lower blood cholesterol levels. Soluble fibre also has beneficial effects on blood glucose levels.

Combined actions of soluble and insoluble fibre are important in helping to maintain a healthy population of bacteria in our large intestines. Fibre in large intestines acts as source of energy for these bacteria to use. Fermentation of fibre in the large intestines helps to promote growth of more lactic-acid producing bacteria. Predominance of such lactic acid producing bacteria helps to prevent the accumulation of toxic and pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria.

Most health specialists agree that adults should consume at least 20 to 35 grams of dietary fibre in a day. People in the Asian countries generally fail to reach this amount.Average fibre intake is normally only 15 grams a day and even less. People need to be convinced that if fibre intake is substantially increased it will undoubtedly lead to better health, avoidance of cancer of the colon, high blood cholesterol, diabetes and constipation.

Before going into further details, particularly on the subject of constipation, which inevitably leads to development of various ailments, one might have a rapid glance at the dietary fibre contents of our food. Total dietary fibre per 100 grams of vegetables is I: 3.3 grams in boiled carrots, 2.2 grams in spinach, peas (4.6), raw tomatoes (1.1), boiled cabbage (1.7) and cauliflower (2.2). In starchy vegetables; boiled and peeled potatoes (1.8) and sweet corn/cooked (2.8). In nuts and seeds the dietary fibre content per 100 grams: salted almonds (8.8), dry & roasted peanuts (8.0), Peanut butter (5.9). Other important elements of food: cooked white rice (0.4), White bread (2.3), Whole wheat (6.9). Breakfast cereals: Bran cereals (16.3), Wheat flake biscuits (13.1), Fruits: raw apples with skin (2.7), Papaya (2.5), Pineapple (1.7), Dried Prunes (7.1), Watermelon (0.4).

Constipation, which has been described to be the major source of development of serious problems, is a condition in which bowels open seldom or incompletely. Patient passes infrequent and hard, dry stools. There is desire to void the stools but one is unable to do so. 

Constipation has become a common complaint and a large number of persons, particularly the elderlies, depend on laxatives and purgatives to clear their bowels. It leads to many other symptoms, like heaviness and heartache, lethargy, loss of appetite, and insomania. If the body is unable to expel waste matter after digestive organs have taken out the essential elements necessary for the sustenance of the human body, it
leads to further putrefaction and gases harmful for the body functioning. 

After the food has been digested it passes into the colon and that part of the body has great capacity for absorption of liquid. If it loses its tone i.e., if its muscles become weak or inactive, stools have the tendency to adhere to it and continue to putrefy, leading to flatulence and other symptoms. Reduction of stools can lead to poisoning of the whole system.

When a purgative or laxative is taken, it passes to the digestive system and produces, by chemical reaction, the new liquids which flush the colon and the stools adhering to it are pushed forward in liquid form. Purgatives and laxatives become necessary and a chronic patient needs harder and more effective purgatives as time passes.


Constipation is an unnatural and abnormal condition. Nature has endowed the intestines with capacity to get rid of waste matter that remains after food has been digested. It is necessary, therefore, that foods should be taken in their natural form. Unfortunately this is normally not done. Wheat is passed through sieve ,and rice is polished. Milk is over-boiled and sometimes turned into solid without its natural moisture.Foods are cooked with spices and condiments, substances which body does not need at all.

Treatment of constipation should start in the kitchen. The best one can do is to use wheat flour without passing through the sieve. Rice is best when it is unpolished and unmilled. Food taken by the body should normally contain two parts fruits and vegetables, and one part cereals. Milk should be boiled only once; it should not be thickened by overboiling. Adoption of such procedures will give the food roughage it needs and help the atonic muscles to get rid of waste water.

In case of chronic constipation, which elderlies often experience, it is best to eat more raw cucumber, carrot, spinach and cabbage. Intake of these should be minimumof 250 grams during the day. They can be eaten solid, seasoning with spice of salt and juice of a lemon to make the food palatable.

Some people suffer from constipation because their intake of water or liquids is very insufficient. Water intake should be 3 to 4 litres in summer and one to two litres in , winter..A glass of water taken in the morning after waking up, normally helps to overcome
constipation.

The intestines, 8.5 to 9 metres long, are in the form of one tube suspended in loops in the abdominal cavity. At the lower end is the large intestine through which the stools pass via the rectum. When muscles of large intestines lose their tone or strength, stools tend to adhere to its walls. Atony of intestine can be cured by exercises. Walk in the morning or evening, and jogging where possible, greatly helps. It takes 14 to 18 hours for waste matter, which is left over after absorption of food in the system, to leave the body. Churning of stomach and the resultant actives of intestines, when food is being digested, helps to relieve constipation.

It is best to be aware that appendicities, rheumatism, arthritis, high blood pressure, and cancer are only a few of the diseases which are caused by chronic constipation. Faulty diets and style of living are major causes of constipation. One should avoid the intake of refined and rich foods which lack vitamins and minerals, consumption of meat in large quantities, excessive use of strong tea and coffee, insufficient chewing, over- eating and wrong combination of foods, irregular habits of eating and drinking, because these contribute to adversely affect the bowels functioning.


It will be appropriate to mention foods that help to overcome constipation: 

PEARS:Pears are beneficial. Patient suffering from chronic constipation should continue to use this fruit for some days; in ordinary cases a medium-sized pear taken after dinner or breakfast has useful effect.

GUAVA: Guava is another effective remedy for constipation. When eating with seeds it provides roughage to the diet and helps in normal evacuation of bowels. One or two guavas should be taken every day.

GRAPES: Grapes are beneficial in overcoming constipation. Combination of cellulose sugar and organic acid in grapes make them a laxative food. When fresh grapes are not available, raisins, soaked in water for about 24 hours, can be used. They should preferably be eaten early in the morning.

ORANGES: Orange is beneficial in treatment of constipation. Taking one or two oranges at bed time and again in the morning is good for stimulating the bowels.

PAPAYA AND FIGS: Other fruits specific for constipation are Papaya and Figs. Half of medium-size Papaya should be eaten at breakfast; this acts as laxative. Dried figs can be soaked overnight in water and eaten in the morning.

SPINACH: Among the vegetables spinach is considered vital food for the entire digestive track. Raw spinach contains the finest organic material for cleaning of intestinal track. Soup of spinach can also be taken to cure the aggravation of constipation.

Most important fact in overcoming constipation is natural and simple fibrous diet. This should consist of unrefined foods such as whole-grain cereals, bran, honey, lintles,green and leafy vegetables, fresh and dried fruits, and milk products. Besides the emphasis on diet it is necessary that the food should be properly chewed. Hurried meals, taken at odd times, should be avoided. Sugar and sugary foods also should be curtailed. White flour, rice, bread, pulses, cakes, pastries, biscuits, cheese, hard-boiled eggs generally lead to constipation.

As mentioned above, besides the regulation of intake of food it is desirable that body should be exposed to fresh air, outdoor games, walking, swimming and exercise wherever possible.