Seniors need to pay special attention to their gut health. Ongoing research by doctors shows that gut health can affect overall health in big ways, and seniors often have problems with their guts. Slow moving digestive tracts can create bloating and other problems for seniors. Some seniors also have trouble absorbing the nutrients in the foods they eat because of gut flora imbalance and that can lead to malnutrition. A huge number of seniors are malnourished at any given time because they either aren’t eating enough or their bodies aren’t absorbing the nutrients in the food that the seniors are eating. Home care can make sure seniors are eating nutritious meals, but seniors also need to make sure they have good gut health in order to get those nutrients. Some things seniors can do to improve their gut health are:
Drink More Water
One of the reasons why seniors can experience an imbalance in their gut is dehydration. Seniors need to be drinking water frequently throughout the day to stay hydrated. And when the weather is warm seniors should be drinking water every hour. Home care can help encourage seniors to drink more by making sure seniors have lots of cold fresh water to drink. Adding cucumber to the water makes for a refreshing drink and will help balance electrolytes.
Eat Probiotic Foods
Probiotic foods can kill off bad gut bacteria and cause the good healthy gut bacteria to flourish. Probiotic foods like yogurt or any pickled or fermented foods can dramatically improve a senior’s gut health. Seniors should add some yogurt to their diet for breakfast or a snack. And they should add fermented foods to other meals to help balance out their gut bacteria. Seniors with home care can help shop for probiotic foods to make sure they always have some in the house.
Drink Bone Broth
Bone broth is what broth used to be before it was commercialized. Bone broth comes from the boiled down bones of chickens and cows and it’s used primarily for soup. But it has significant health benefits for seniors including healing leaky gut and helping balance gut bacteria. It also helps strengthen bones and get the digestive tract moving naturally. A cup of bone broth once a day can make a big difference in a senior’s health. Bone broth can be made from scratch with a slow cooker or it can be purchased at any grocery store.
Move More
Moving will also help seniors get their guts functioning properly. Many health problems that impact seniors can be made worse by being sedentary. Moving is one of the best things that seniors can do to improve their health, including their gut health. Just adding a walk around the block or a short 20 minute walk once a day will help seniors improve their mobility, their health, their sleep, and their gut health. Even just walking around the house each day will help. All movement is good movement for seniors.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring home care in San Jose, CA contact the friendly staff at Home Care Professionals today. Call (866)-940-4855
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