Saturday, May 22, 2010

responding to questions in comments on yesterday's post



I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom ... I want to be remembered as one who tried.

~ Dorothy Height~

considered a founding matriarch of the American civil rights movement

Carrie, CEUs = continuing education units.

Susan, yes. That sounds like a fun idea. We'd need to have enough people and I'd have to think about how to proceed. Shall we talk more?

Deb, the coolest thing I learned is not really "cool" at all--what is cool is that I learned it:

Many of the issues facing older people today are due to malnutrition. That's right. Right here in the land of plenty, people are dying of malnutrition--not due (in some cases) to quantity, but quality and also to the ability to use the nutrition available.

Digestion is one of the biggest issues for older folks and I am coming to understand that the inability to digest food leading to malnutrition of the elderly starts in middle age--where I am right now. [sigh]

And! Get this...

"Using Canada's Food Guide or the United States Food Pyramid results in malnutrition in older adults."

Why? Because the largest proportion of the pyramid is grains. Older adults cannot digest grains and get the minerals that they need from them.

I wonder when mainstream medicine and those who care for the aging are going to learn this. Our presenter thinks that the baby boomers will drive that movement. I hope so.

Wanna join me?

3 comments:

Deb Shucka said...

Wow, that's amazing to know. Us Baby Boomers have driven so much change throughout our lives. It makes sense that we'd be changing how old age is done as well.

Is there an answer out there yet for how an older person might get the proper nutrition?

Susan O'Neil said...

Would love to participate in a web class. I've been dealing with my digestion issues and see signs of it in lots of people i know, especially my parents who are both in their 70's. I also can't help but wonder how much of my being overweight is due to the cells being starved of real nutrition and so they're screaming at me to EAT!

graceonline said...

Man, I'm gone a few days, and I miss fabulous posts! Fascinating information. I googled "Older adults cannot digest grains and get the minerals that they need from them," in hopes of finding out more about this, but found nothing helpful on first glance.

Do you have a couple of sources from which to start? I love fresh, whole (then cooked) grains and can't imagine my diet without them. It would be like giving up fresh fruit or crunchy veggies!

We buy sprouted corn and wheat tortillas. I understand that whole foods and freshly sprouted seeds may carry the enzymes we need for digestive ease. Have you heard that too?