Human Services News

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

Tufts University researchers have updated their Food Guide Pyramid for Older Adults to correspond with the USDA food pyramid, now known as MyPyramid.

The Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults continues to emphasize nutrient-dense food choices and the importance of fluid balance, but has added additional guidance about forms of foods that could best meet the unique needs of older adults and about the importance of regular physical activity.

"Adults over the age of 70 have unique dietary needs," says first author Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc., director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts (USDA HNRCA).

"Older adults tend to need fewer calories as they age because they are not as physically active as they once were and their metabolic rates slow down.

Lichtenstein and colleagues were concerned about computer use among older adults and the adaptability of MyPyramid to print form.

Government statistics indicate that obesity in adults 70 years and older has been increasing, physical activity is one way to avoid weight gain in later years and its adverse consequences," says Lichtenstein, also the Stanley N. Gershoff Professor at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Emphasized in the Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults are icons depicting packaged fruits and vegetables in addition to fresh examples, forms that for a number of reasons may be more appropriate for older adults.

These include, for example, bags of frozen pre-cut vegetables that can be resealed or single-serve portions of canned fruit.

"Fresh, frozen, canned and dried fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of fiber, as well as a whole host of other nutrients.

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