The unfortunate truth is that most seniors start having health issues after the age of sixty. It could be back aches, insomnia, diabetes or one of the many diseases just waiting to take root in our bodies the moment our immune systems are weak and compromised.
If you’re down with an illness and healing at home, there’s a lot that you can do to speed up the healing process. In this article, we’ll look at the diet aspects and how you can tailor your diet to strengthen your body and help with the healing process.
Table of Contents
1) Stay Hydrated
While water may not be considered as a dietary change, it’s crucial that you stay hydrated to help your body heal. You may also consume freshly squeezed fruit/vegetable juices to get more nutrients into your body.
2) Start Slow
When recovering from sickness, you may find that you have no appetite and your body can’t handle too much food. As mentioned earlier, vegetable and fruit juices are great for providing your body with micro-nutrients and fiber that it needs.
Avoid oily and fatty food in the beginning. Some foods that are very beneficial are eggs which is high in protein and vitamin B. Yoghurt can also help to provide your body with the protein it needs, and it will also soothe your gut.
3) Get Fiber
While you do not want to overdo it since you’re recovering, you still need to get some fiber in your diet to prevent constipation. You can eat bananas and cooked spinach which are rich in fiber. Bananas are rich in potassium, while spinach contains zinc, iron and anti-inflammatory properties that will work wonders for your body.
4) Vitamin D
This is an essential vitamin that the body needs during the healing process. If you’re able to sit out in the morning sun for 15 to 20 minutes, you will get a healthy dose of vitamin D.
However, if you can’t go out yet, you can either take a vitamin D supplement or you can eat foods like eggs, cheese, fatty fish etc.
5) Vitamin C, Iron & Zinc
These 3 vitamins are just as important too. Vitamin C will boost your immune system and prevent infections, flu and other viruses from affecting you while you’re healing. Seniors who are recovering usually have poor appetite. Zinc can help improve appetite while foods rich in iron will replenish iron levels.
Foods rich in zinc and iron are: spinach, pumpkin seeds, oats, peas, etc.
6) Bone Broth/Chicken Soup
When your appetite is poor, eating meat becomes a chore. Over and above that, seniors generally can’t digest meat too well because of sluggish gut function. Things are tougher when you’re convalescent.
However, you can always drink a bowl of bone broth easily. This broth is nutritious and will help to improve your health. The same applies to chicken soup which is an old housewives remedy for helping to cure the common cold. Give both soups a try and get all the nutrients without having to digest the meat.
As long as you get sufficient rest and consume foods rich in nutrients, your body will heal itself naturally.
