Proper Nutrition Can Provide Energy, Help Stave off Chronic
Conditions
While some seniors spend their retirement years fulfilling lifelong
dreams, others struggle just to get the nutrition they need.
Proper nutrition is critical as people age. According to the National
Institute on Aging, eating well can increase energy and may reduce the
risk of certain conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2
diabetes, bone loss, some kinds of cancer and anemia. Lack of nutrition,
in contrast, can cause an increased risk of infections, and lead to poor
wound healing or falls resulting from muscle weakness.
Yet, more than 5 million seniors — 11.4 percent of all seniors —
experience some form of food insecurity, meaning they lack access to
essential nutrition.i That number is expected to grow as Baby
Boomers continue to age.
“We tend to lump all Baby Boomers all together, but they are actually a
very diverse group,” said Dr. Catherine MacLean, vice president of
clinical quality for WellPoint, one of the nation’s largest insurers.
“Like any other group, some are doing quite well, while others could
benefit from a helping hand.”
Lack of nutrition among seniors can be attributed to a number of
factors, including lack of money, education and mobility. Additionally,
people find that their tastes often change as they age, affecting their
appetite. Others have health issues that can lead to decreased appetite
or trouble eating, such as chronic illness, use of certain medications,
difficulty swallowing or absorbing nutrients, or trouble chewing due to
dental issues.
WellPoint, which serves thousands of seniors through its affiliated
Medicare plans, provides the following tips for eating properly while
aging.
Planning meals. Write a grocery list and don’t forget it. Before
going to the store, shoppers should check their stock of staples, like
flour, rice and cereal, as well as canned and frozen foods, to make sure
they don’t duplicate purchases. When putting together the list, make
sure to include a variety of foods from each food group.
Stretching dollars. In 2010, 3.6 million people age 65 and older
lived below the poverty line.ii Fortunately, there are ways
for seniors to save on their grocery bill, including using coupons,
signing up for a store shopping card, buying during sales and
substituting generic or store brands for brand-name goods. And check
those expiration dates. It’s a good idea to freeze leftovers to use them
later. Throwing food away can be costly. Finally, when eating out, don’t
forget to ask for senior discounts.
Eating healthy. For some seniors, getting food isn’t as
challenging as getting the right food. A good start toward eating
healthy is buying fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Some people
even grow their own vegetables, which saves money and adds exercise.
Other tips for healthy eating include eating whole wheat or whole grain
bread, pasta and cereal, trying low-fat cheese, yogurt or cottage
cheese, drinking skim or 2 percent milk, replacing white rice with brown
rice, and avoiding snacks and desserts. Some healthier snacks include
fresh fruits, animal crackers, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, popcorn or
pretzels. When eating at restaurants, choose steamed, broiled, baked,
grilled or roasted foods. Don’t overeat and take the leftovers home.
Getting help. Medicare provides nutrition counseling to those
with certain chronic conditions. A Medicare Advantage (MA) plan may
cover similar services or even food delivery, under certain
circumstances. Finally, there are community programs designed to help
people secure healthy food. Unfortunately, these services are
underutilized. WellPoint helps sponsor a website that connects people
with these programs. Visit Benefitscheckup.org
to learn about these programs and check eligibility.
This information is intended for educational purposes only and should
not be interpreted as medical advice. Please consult your health care
provider for advice about treatments that may affect your health.
WellPoint affiliated plans are health plans with a Medicare contract.
About WellPoint, Inc.
At WellPoint, we believe there is an important connection between our
members’ health and well-being—and the value we bring our customers and
shareholders. So each day we work to improve the health of our members
and their communities. And, we can make a real difference since we have
more than 36 million people in our affiliated health plans, and nearly
67 million people served through our subsidiaries. As an independent
licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves
members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and
Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana,
Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City
area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield
licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and
as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate
counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs
of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. In a majority of these service
areas, WellPoint’s plans do business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue
Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia and Empire
Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Empire Blue Cross (in the New York service
areas). WellPoint also serves customers throughout the country as
UniCare and in certain markets through our Amerigroup and CareMore
subsidiaries. Our 1-800 CONTACTS, Inc. subsidiary offers customers
online sales of contact lenses, eyeglasses and other ocular products.
Additional information about WellPoint is available at www.wellpoint.com.
iSenior Hunger in the United States: Differences across
States and Rural and Urban Areas, 2009.
ii DeNavas-Walt, Carmen, B.D. Proctor, J. Smith. U.S. Census
Bureau. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United
States: 2010. September 2011.
