In this episode, Jessica gives us some tips when it comes to eating for healthy aging. Eating well can really help us as we age.

Our population is living longer so maintaining our vitality is an important goal in order to have the best quality of life for as long as possible. As we mature, certain circumstances, health issues, and lifestyle factors change that can, in turn, affect our diet and nutritional status.

Here are some of the barriers that older adults need to consider when trying to eat optimally:

Reduced absorption and utilization of nutrients.

Side effects from medications.

Oral problems that affect eating.

Cooking for one is no fun.

Lack of energy due to aging, frailty, and multiple chronic diseases.

Disability can accompany advanced age.

Tighter budgets.

There are plenty of things you can do at any age to help prevent, delay, or treat nutrition-related conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and cognitive decline. But having too many dietary and lifestyle changes to worry about can be overwhelming and discouraging. It helps to know what actions you should prioritize to make sure you are best meeting your nutritional needs. Using the Mediterranean diet as your framework for healthful eating is the best overall approach since it has been shown to have many health benefits. It is a plant-based diet that includes two vegetarian meals a day and uses extra virgin olive oil as the main fat. Pick up my Healthy Living Guide at your local Gelson’s or download my Nutrition Bytes podcast from iTunes to learn more about the Mediterranean Diet.

Here are some practical diet and lifestyle tips to prioritize in addition to the Mediterranean Diet for healthy aging:

• Eat less sodium and more potassium to keep your blood pressure under control.

• Drink enough fluids.

• Pick convenient produce.

• Eat nutrient-dense foods.

• Be active.

Shrimp & Melon Salad

Lentil Pasta

One-Dish Chicken Brassica & Butternut Squash

What are some Ideas for simple meals?

What Foods should older adults try to include every day?

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program.

Jessica takes us into her kitchen and tells us about her five favorite kitchen tools! There are some gadgets that can make cooking faster, easier, and more fun. 

1. Panini Press

She uses this press to make panini for school lunches for her children. 

She developed two recipes: 

A Caprese sandwich with pesto, sliced mozzarella, heirloom tomato, and parmesan cheese. 

Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin with muenster cheese and sliced apple.

Try cooking egg plant on a panini press! Brush it with olive oil and grill it for a few minutes. 

2. OXO Salad Spinner

It helps her to bring her kids into the kitchen to help her. Getting them interacting with preparing the food means they’ll be more likely to eat more of the food they help to prepare.

3. Digital Thermometer

Keeping your food safe by making sure it reached a good internal temperature. 

References Food Safety Episode. Having digital thermometer as opposed to an analog one takes the guesswork out of whether the food is cooked well enough through.

4. Small Cutting Board

They’re much easier to use, clean and store than the larger cutting boards. She doesn’t only use it for cutting food, but also for making sandwiches. 

5. OXO mini measuring cups

These are designed in such a way that you don’t have to look at the side to see how much food is in the cup, you can see from looking down from the top. 

Bonus: Her Microwave!

She uses it for heating up food that’s already been cooked. It fits well into her and her family’s busy life. 

Questions Addressed

What are some safe ways to use the microwave? 

Don’t microwave plastic, only use glass or ceramic containers. Don’t use it to cook food, only heat things up since microwaves don’t heat evenly. 

What are your favorite kitchen-cleaning tools?

Small bar towels for cleaning dishes and surfaces instead of sponges. 

Parchment paper. She uses it to line pans so it makes cleaning easier. 

Contact

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Disclaimer

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program. 

How to feed your kids optimally when they go back to school.

It’s the most important meal of the day and you should not skip this meal. 

Don’t feed them the sugary cereals, rather go with minimally processed foods, protein and healthy fat and food carbohydrates. This helps to set them up for the day. 

Some examples:

Kind Cinnamon Oat Cluster Granola with Organic Valley Whole Grass Milk. 

Ezekiel Food for Life sprouted grain breads with organic peanut butter. 

Avocado Toast.

Quaker Organic Instant Oat Meal and add Cinnamon & Raisins.

Having a good breakfast is really worth the effort and doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful. 

Jessica makes breakfast a family meal. 

Don’t pack lunch in the morning, but do it the night before as you’re cleaning up for dinner so you can include any leftovers like cut up fruit or roasted & steamed vegetables.

Things to consider when planning lunch:

Incorporate different colors and textures because you “eat with your eyes” as well as your mouth. 

Modify foods to reduce choking hazards. 

Think ahead so as not to “double up” on any foods. If you’re going to have pizza for dinner, don’t feed them cheese sandwiches for lunch. 

Some examples:

Cheese sandwiches

Egg salad sandwiches

Hummus wraps

Salad with beans 

Tip: If you offer two vegetables, your kids will eat more vegetables than they would if you only offer them one.

Beverages should be water. Try freezing the water bottle and keeping it in the lunch box to keep the lunch cold. 

Favorite ingredients for packing lunches:

Ezekiel Food for Life Sprouted Grain Breads, English Muffins, and Tortillas

Rudi’s Organic Whole Wheat Bread

Applegate Organic Sliced Cheeses

Gelson’s Finest Organic Omega 3 Eggs

Follow Your Heart Vegenaise

Yellow Mustard

Cibo Naturals Pesto (Contains Nuts)

Organic Valley Pasture Butter, Maisie Jane’s Almond Butter, Santa Cruz Organic Peanut Butter

Various Fruits & Vegetables

Jessica’s August Nutrition Notes 

Contains school lunch recipes and a sample two-week lunch plan.

Panini Maker: Jessica makes panini the night before and refrigerate it overnight for the next day. 

Making the lunches fun by having multiple matching themed lunch boxes, water bottles, and napkins like with Frozen or Dora the Explorer adds something special to their lunches. 

Sistema BPA Free plastic containers. 

What if my child attends a nut-free school?

Are your lunch menus good for adults or just kids?

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program. 

Sugars are easy to eat but are not easy for our bodies to process. The average person eats about 23 added teaspoons of sugar per person per day and this is a conservative estimate. 

Natural sugars found in plant foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains are not the harmful sugars but are actually helpful in controlling blood sugar when eaten in moderation and in combination with protein and fat.  

There are natural forms of added sugar like honey, molasses, juices, and maple syrup. 

There are also processed forms of added sugars like table sugar, brown sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. 

Sugar isn’t just a problem for people with diabetes but for everyone. 

Sugar can accelerate aging and give you more wrinkles. 

The best time to break the sugar craving cycle is early in the morning. You want to reduce your preference for sweet flavors and the amount of sweetened foods that you’re eating.  

Learn where the sugars are. Look at the food labels and read the ingredients. 

Look for the words “sugar free,”, “no sugar added,” or “diet” could tip off the fact that there are artificial sweeteners. 

Any kind of sweet foods can increase your craving for other sweet foods. 

Think of sweets as treats, not a staple in your regular diet. Structure it at 2 or three times per week. 

Enjoy more interesting flavors like: salty, bitter, sour, and umami (savory).  In fact of you have a sew craving, try having something salty or bitter that can act as an interrupt. 

Eat like you have diabetes in order to prevent diabetes and other chronic conditions. 

Eat real foods and minimally processed foods. 

Eat to control your blood sugar. 

Begin with breakfast. 

Choose the right carbs. 

Stall sweets until later. 

Eat within one hour of waking up. 

Replace your sweet drinks out with water or tea. Don’t add any sweetener to coffee or tea. 

If you have something sweet, have it as part of a meal instead of on it’s own.

Look for easy ways where you can cut back and make incremental changes. 

Practice portion control. 

Total avoidance of sweets is not a good idea. 

Strive for moderation, not virtue.

What kind of sweets do you eat when you indulge? She ends her meals with fruit. She also eats dark chocolate. 

When choosing fruits, are there some that are better to eat? Berries and cherries have the lowest sugar. Tropical fruits and grapes have the highest sugar content and the lowest water content.

Mediterranean Scramble

Avocado Toast

Cherry Almond Vanilla Oatmeal

Weekday Almond Oatmeal

Better Blood Sugar Shopping List

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program. 

Health risks associated with grilling. 

High-heat cooking can be carcinogenic.

Grilling Tips:

Clean your grill and heat sources thoroughly before each use. 

Don’t use lighter fluid or fire starters.

Use low heat and indirect heat. 

Limit the amount of animal flesh that you grill.

Marinades and some spices can help to reduce the risk of carcinogens.

Cook indoors on the stove first and then finish it on the grill.

Try not to char the meat and if you do, cut off the charred area.

Try cooking vegetables and fruits on the grill (which carcinogens don’t form on these when you grill them).

You can’t always trust your thirst to know when you need to drink something. 

How to tell if you’re getting dehydrated.

Food accounts to about 20% of your fluid intake.

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

What should you drink? Water, plain tea, coffee, or coconut water. Water should be your number one though. 

If you drink alcoholic beverages, those will dehydrate you so you should alternate an alcoholic drink with water.

How much water should I drink? Short answer is at least 8 cups per day. 

If you start a fitness plan during the summer, pay special attention to your water intake.

First off: Avoid the sun, wear good clothing and sunblock. 

Following a plant-based diet can help to reduce risk of skin cancers. 

Eat several servings per day of fruits and vegetables like celery root, leafy greens, onions, tomatoes, orange sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, etc.

Fresh fruits and fruit juices can help too. 

Omega 3 Fats can also lower skin cancer risks when eaten a couple times per week.

Coffee and hot green tea will help too. 

What are important food safety practices to consider when eating outside?

Listen to the food safety episode 6.

Use separate plated for raw meats vs. cooked meats.

Refrigeration is very important. 

Don’t eat food thats been left out in the heat for a long time. 

Use a cooler to keep food cold. Use 25% ice and 75% food in the cooler. 

If someone needs to drink a lot more fluids, how can they go about incorporating a more healthful drinking habit?

Create a schedule of what you’ll drink through your day. 

Sample beverage schedule.

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program. 

Bones mineralize up until about age 30 and start to lose bone density around 35. 

• Previous bone fracture after age 20

• Parent with a bone fracture after age 20

• Steroid use

• Smoking

• Drinking more than two servings of alcohol a day

• Poor Vision 

• Being Tall 

• Losing or even just  maintaining the same weight since age 20

• Being Unable to get up out of a chair without using your hands or arms to assist you

• Having Rheumatoid arthritis

• Advanced age

• Being sedentary 

May be more important than dies when it comes to bone health.

Gives suggestions for some exercises that can stimulate your bones. Even walking four hours per week can decrease hip fracture risk by up to 41%!

Exercises that promote balance help a lot in reducing bone fracture risk factors. 

Stay away from highly-processed, empty-calorie foods, soft drinks, and sodium-rich foods. 

Bone-friendly vitamins and minerals can be found primarily in wholesome, minimally processed foods such as vegetables and fruits, whole grains, beans, dairy foods, nuts, seeds and fish.  Certain types of foods have been shown to strengthen bones and prevent bone loss.

Calcium isn’t the only “big player” in promoting bone health. Soy foods, hot green tea, (non-red meat) protein, and omega-3 fatty acids can be beneficial as well. 

If you’re eating a healthy diet high in produce, moderate grains, and adequate protein you may only need 700 mg of calcium per day from all sources. If you’re diet is less than optimal, you may need up to 1,000–1,200 mg of sodium. 

Some people may need to supplement their diets with calcium. This is something to be discussed with your doctor to address you specific needs. 

Vitamin D aids in calcium absorption.

If you’re under 30, you should concentrate on building the strongest, densest bones possible. For those over 30, you should work to minimize bone loss. 

What are some particularly great bone-building foods?

Yogurt, milk and cheese (especially harder cheeses)

Almonds and walnuts

Sesame seeds and poppy seeds

Dark green leafy vegetables

Onions and garlic

Citrus fruit

Figs (fresh or dried)

Tofu, edamame, soy nuts and soy milk

Canned salmon and sardines with bones

Fish

White beans and black-eyed peas

Blackstrap molasses

Calcium-fortified juices 

Green tea (hot, not iced)

Whole grains

How can parents make sure that their kids are eating enough nutritious foods?

Jessica talks about having family meals and finding a balance of feeding good wholesome foods and including treats here and there. 

Sesame Mushroom, Edamame, and Asparagus Sauté

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program. 

Sustainable eating is eating in a way that doesn't damage our current or future environmental resources.

1. Eat more produce. It takes less energy to grow produce than it does to raise livestock. 

2. Eat more minimally processed foods and also foods with less packaging. They take less energy to produce. 

3. Try not to waste food. When food is wasted, all the energy that went into producing it is wasted too. Consider composting uneaten food or freezing leftovers.

4. Eat sustainably and locally. It's less costly and doesn't have to travel far. 

5. Buy Organically. Organic foods are better for the environment and can often be more nutritious. 

What would you say to the person that thinks it's too expensive to eat sustainably?

Where can I find out when certain fruits and vegetables are in season?

Could you give some examples of proteins that are more flexitarian?

With California being in such a big drought, what are some things we can do to cut back on water usage?

Jessica's Healthy Shopping List with Seasonal Buying Guide

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program. 

Wash your hands. 

Wash and sanitize surfaces. 

Get rid of your sponge! Use a dish rag instead.

Wash your produce but not your meat.

Cook to the right temperature. 165º F for poultreym or 160º F for ground beef.

Stay out of the Danger Zone! 40º–140º F is where bacteria multiplies the fastest. 

Pay attention to the temperatures in your refrigerator and freezer. The fridge should be 40º F or below, while the freezer should be at 0º F or below. 

Thaw food in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.

Pay atention to cross contamination.

Why not use antibacterial soap to wash your hands?

Is it better to store food in plastic or glass containers?

Does the dishwasher do a good enough job of cleaning?

Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program. 

Top ten sodium contributors in our diets

1. Bread

2. Chicken dishes

3. Pizza

4. Pasta dishes

5. Cold cuts

6. Condiments

7. Mexican dishes

8. Sausages, franks, bacon and ribs

9. Cheese

10. Desserts

• How high-sodium foods can quickly add up to a lot. 

• The Government recommends no more than 2,300 mg per day for people aged 50 or younger, and no more than 1,500 mg per day for people aged 51 and older, people with high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, or are African American. 

• Reasons to control your sodium intake.

• 1 in 6 kids already have high blood pressure.

• Eating fewer processed foods.

1. Avoid fast foods.

2. Read nutrition labels on foods and get items with less sodium.

3. Cook more of your own foods.

4. Eat more fruits and veggies. 

5. Eat less processed foods. 

• Reducing the amount of high sodium foods.

• Open-faced sandwiches. 

• Rince canned beans and vegetables. 

What are some quick practical things I can do to reduce sodium?

How do I know whether to go with the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet?

Is it wise to take a supplement as a way to get more potassium in your diet?

Very Low Sodium Shopping List 

Super 4 Kids Shopping List 

Gelson's Healthy Living

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program. 

Parent's role:

• You do the meal planning, prepare the meal, and set it out. That's it.

• Creating positive eating experiences. 

• Don't have food fights. 

• Don't short order cook.

• Menu planning and using the Mediterranean Diet as a framework.

• Giving your kids opportunities to try new foods.

• Being family friendly in meal planning. 

• If you put at least two kinds of vegetables at the table, kids are more likely to eat more vegetables.

• Have a schedule of meals and snacks. (Every 2–3 hours.)

Child's role:

• They choose what and how much to eat of what you set out on the table.

• Eat family-style. 

• Don't pressure or be manipulative.

• Don't do "no-thank-you bites."

Try to have family meals as much as possible. 

Have fun with family meals and realize that not everything is going to be perfect. That's okay! Your goal is to help your kids learn how to enjoy food and eating, becoming competent eaters. 

What is the biggest mistake parents make when trying to get their kids to eat more healthfully?

What are "no-thank-you-bites?"

How do you handle treats in the division of responsibility?

How do you keep structure with different schedules and people in different places?

When do you start to shift the division of responsibility more to the kids as they get older?

What do I do if my child is a picky eater?

Jessica's Healthy Family Blog

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program.