Eat a healthy diet

Some people will experience problems with chewing, swallowing and digestion. You may need to start eating softer, easily-digestible foods. Your sense of taste and smell may decline. Many people find they don’t tolerate meat particularly well. Meat is still an important food because it supplies protein, zinc and many vitamins and minerals. Good substitutes need to be included if meat intake decreases. Try tender cuts of meat, cutting it finely or even mincing meat.

Vitamin D levels in the body are frequently low as you get older and this can affect bone strength. Only small amounts of Vitamin D are supplied by your diet mostly through oily fish. Vitamin D is naturally produced in the skin from exposure to sunlight. Try to sit in the gentle morning sun or go for a morning walk with you arms or legs exposed to the sun for about 20mins a day

Make sure all food is nutritious. Some nutrient dense foods include eggs, lean meats, fish, liver, low fat dairy foods, nuts and seeds, legumes, wholegrain breads and cereals. Bowel problems are common, but they can easily be prevented by including plenty of fibre in your diet such as:

• Bran-type breakfast cereals
• Wholemeal bread
• Fruit and vegetables
• Drink plenty of water

Content Updated June 18, 2009