Food is not only the fuel for the body, but the building material as well. This is the reason why nutrition is so important. You wouldn’t want something that you bought to be made of substandard materials. This concern should be even greater when it comes to your body. Foods basically break down into three things: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Despite some claims, calories from fat and calories from carbohydrates are exactly the same once the body assimilates the food, either as energy or storage as fat.
The Stages of Life
All living creatures change a great deal from the beginning of life onward. We can generally break the human lifespan into infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Each of these stages has different requirements for the three basic macronutrients and for calories in general. Women also have different nutritional requirements during pregnancy. Infants need nutrients that promote the development of the brain and growth of the body. The first year of life sees more growth than any other period in a human’s life.
Things like growth and activity levels change the need for nutrients as life goes on. At some point during adulthood, around what is commonly middle age, the metabolism usually slows down, which means that most people have to change their diets to avoid gaining weight. Even when maintaining the same activity level, many people of this age will have to reduce calorie intake to maintain their weight. This is the age when a liquid protein supplement will really start to show its benefits. They provide plenty of nutrients without adding too many calories.
Older adults need proper nutrition just as much as any other age group. A proper balance of fat, carbohydrates and proteins is necessary to remain healthy, but the amount of calories needed will be somewhat lower. It is important to remember that the older you get, the slower your metabolism becomes.
Nutritional Requirements for the Older Adult
From about the age of twenty onward, the calories needed to maintain an optimal weight start to decline about five to ten percent every decade. When a woman gets to the age of menopause, she’ll only need about two-thirds the calories that she needed when she was twenty years old.
A woman may need fewer calories, but she will still need the same amounts of calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B. Profect, from Protica, is a liquid protein supplement that not only provides you with a burst of protein, also has half of the entire B complex vitamins that you’ll need for the day. It also provides the complete daily recommended amount of vitamin C. Older adults need good nutrition as much or more than any age group to prevent certain diseases that were once considered inevitable. There’s no need for older adults to end up wrinkled, hunched over or in a wheelchair. Good health care and good nutrition will allow older adults to remain active and vital for years to come. Nutrition plays an important role in keeping you healthy and functioning at peak levels.
The Role of Protein
Protein is one of the three main nutrients that are necessary for health and survival. The body uses protein to build and to heal your lean muscle mass. Muscles are necessary for movement, but that isn’t their only function. There are muscles in your body that do more than push, pull or lift. Your diaphragm is a muscle that is necessary for breathing. Your heart, one of the most important organs in the body, is also a muscle.
Protein serves more roles than mere muscle construction. Every cell in your body requires protein. Many vital enzymes are manufactured from the protein that you consume, which perform necessary biochemical reactions.
Nutrition for Older Adults
Sometimes the problem for older adults is not too many calories, but too few. If you are taking in too few calories, it’s very likely that you aren’t getting the nutrients you need either. There are many reasons for a lack of calories for older adults, like:
– Not enough money for good food
– No ability to shop for food
– Dentures that don’t fit well
– Psychological factors that suppress appetite
– Dementia, which can also interfere with appetite or even the ability to eat
– Physical disorders which can impede the assimilation of certain nutrients
Many older adults stop eating meat, which just happens to be a major source of protein in many diets. They may abstain from meat for any of the above reasons or because tastes can change as age progresses. The foods you enjoyed when younger may no longer be as enjoyable when you are an older adult.
Those who suffer from dementia often just forget to eat, to the point of even starting a meal, walking away and never returning. They may also eat food that they shouldn’t eat anymore, which can cause allergic reactions or food poisoning. It is a difficult task to keep an older adult with dementia in good health, because they will sometimes have trouble sitting down and eating a full meal. A liquid protein supplement may be an important factor in keeping such a person healthy.
The liquid protein supplement from Protica, called Profect, is quick to drink and comes in enough flavors that one is sure to appeal to anyone. The small size means that it can be carried anywhere, making it convenient as well as nutritious.
Profect can be found in a number of great fruit flavors, including Cool Melon Splash, Citrus Berry, Blue Raspberry and Grapefruit-Mango. It is a mere 2.9 fluid ounces per serving. Compared to other protein supplements that are often ten ounces or more and have 180 calories per serving, Profect is more desirable with only 100 calories. The other drinks also have fewer flavors to choose from and have to be served cold from a bulky can.
Old age does not have to mean a reduced quality of life. More and more people remain healthy and energetic for decades thanks to proper nutrition.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein drinks for immunodeficiency patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright