At St. Bernardine Care Providers, we make it our mission to make sure our patients enjoy long, full and healthy lives. Our caregivers work with patients and their families throughout Irvine and the entire Orange County region to provide them with tools and resources to live a healthy life. Senior citizens can benefit from a healthy well-balanced diet, and new research shows that fish might be one of the best meals for your loved one to eat on a regular basis. The following tips will help you incorporate fish into your own diet or that of your loved one’s as it is one of the healthiest meal choices around.
Importance of Eating Fish
Harvard University recently released findings that showed that fish are one of the best meal choices for senior citizens. While everyone has been aware that the Omega-3 fatty acids present in some fish are beneficial and good for the body, this research proved that seniors who enjoy certain fish on a regular basis can live more than 2 years longer than if they made other dietary choices. Good examples of fish meals include albacore, tuna, or salmon.
In particular, a diet that is rich in fish has been found to help improve cardiovascular health. According to the Harvard study, senior citizens who ate more fish and had higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in their body were 35 percent less likely to suffer from heart disease. At the same time, they were 27 percent more likely to live longer. Senior citizens can choose to have tuna sandwiches for lunch to help easily incorporate more Omega-3 fatty acids into their diet, or they could choose to have sardines for a snack.
Other Ways to Incorporate Nutrients
Of course, not every person enjoys seafood. If your loved one doesn’t enjoy the fruit of the sea, than perhaps incorporate other foods into their diet that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Our caregivers recommend using foods such as kale, legumes, and nuts as a supplement for fish if you or your loved one doesn’t want to eat mackerel for dinner.
Diversifying their diet can add spice to their life, and keep things exciting at the same time. Even if, your loved one does enjoy a fish dinner every now and then, you may want to incorporate these other foods in order to keep a variety in their diet. Like any other person, senior citizens who are being cared for do not necessarily want to eat the same foods over and over again.
While it’s no surprise to caregivers and medical professionals that the Omega-3 fatty acids that are found in fish are beneficial, it’s quite shocking to see just how much of an impact these healthy nutrients can have on the human body. Noting that senior citizens can actually live longer if they make an effort to incorporate more of these vitamins and nutrients into their diet, it’s more important than ever to make healthy choices. Our caregivers are available to help anyone create a healthy meal plan and menu for their loved ones.