How should the elderly eat fruit safer?

Respecting the elderly is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and caring for the elderly is our unshirkable responsibility
.
Caring for the elderly around us, we can start
with daily dietary nutrition.
Fruit for
all ages.
However, compared to young people, the elderly have weaker digestion and absorption capacity, and may also suffer from a variety of chronic diseases, in these special physical situations, how should the elderly eat fruits to better promote health? This article will focus on the topic
of the elderly eating fruit.

Think of fruit as just a snack

It is not correct to eat or not to eat

Fruits are an important source of vitamins and minerals for
the human body.
The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends that adults need to eat 200-350g of fruit every day, about half a catty, which is an important part of
a healthy diet.
However, the fruit intake of many elderly people is far from this standard
.
The digestive function of the elderly is weakened, and some elderly people "have stomachs" as soon as they eat fruits, so they choose not to eat fruits, feel that fruits are not essentials, can be eaten, can not eat, this view is wrong, or even if you want to eat, you can only look at the fruit and dare not eat, afraid of adverse reactions
in the body.

Recommended in warm water

Soak for 5-10 minutes before serving

For this case, we must ensure the freshness of the fruit, do not eat overnight or partially moldy fruits after cutting, if you want to eat even the skin, you also need to carefully clean the surface to avoid microorganisms or pesticide residues on the stomach and intestines
.
Fruits taken out of the refrigerator can be soaked in warm water for 5-10 minutes before eating, avoiding low temperature irritation
.
You can also try supplementing with some probiotics to regulate the digestive function of the gastrointestinal tract
.

In addition, some elderly people have poor chewing function and are less and less fond of fruit, in this case you can choose to drink juice, it is best to use the juice method that retains the pomace, such as a wall breaker, to retain more dietary fiber and some active substances
in the fruit.

Elderly people with different chronic diseases

Avoid different fruits

In addition to reduced digestive function, the elderly often suffer from one or more chronic diseases, and the choice of fruit may be limited and require special attention
.

1.
Most of the citrus fruits such as grapefruit and blood orange contain furanocoumarin, which will slow down the metabolism rate of antihypertensive drugs in the liver and may lead to hypotension, so hypertensive patients who take hypotensive drugs for a long time need to eat citrus fruits with caution;

2.
Elderly people with heart disease and edema should eat less watermelon, coconut and other fruits with more water content to avoid aggravating the burden on the heart and edema;

3.
Elderly people with diabetes should give preference to fruits with low glycemic index, such as oranges, grapefruit, plums, peaches, pears, apples, etc.
, and at the same time strictly control the intake of each fruit, and pay attention to the reduction of staple foods and monitor blood sugar
.

In general, the elderly cannot skip fruits, and they can eat less, but more varied
.
According to your own physical health, choose the fruit variety
that suits you.
You can't only choose a certain soft and glutinous fruit for convenience, and the juicing method is also a good choice
for the elderly.

Text / Song Shuang (Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention)