You need more protein from the age of 55
Many people don't realize that they need more protein and more vitamin D as they get older. Nofima scientists have investigated how to prevent malnutrition in the elderly.
The protein requirement increases many years before you start to feel old. Protein is essential for maintaining muscle mass.
“We get enough protein in our diet in Norway. But as you get older, there are several factors that make you eat less. For example, you feel full faster. We have seen what people over the age of 70 eat, and what it takes to increase the content of protein and vitamin D in their diet,” says Senior Scientist Øydis Ueland at Nofima.
Scientists want to prevent malnutrition in the elderly
Together with researchers from several European countries, Øydis Ueland and her Nofima colleagues have investigated what it takes to convince the elderly (over 70 years of age) that they should enrich the food they make at home.
“We want to reach those who are or are at risk of becoming malnourished. The most important thing is that the elderly should not experience that cooking becomes more demanding or very different. This is intended for elderly people who live at home and who cook their own food. Maybe they have slightly reduced opportunities and don’t have the energy to vary so much, so they would like to continue making what they are familiar with,” explains Øydis Ueland.
The researchers have tried simple ways to add more protein to food. Preferably in the dishes that the elderly usually eat, and without making it more difficult, or that the dishes taste different.
“We started by finding ingredients with a high protein content, which we could add to the food. There is a wide selection of protein powders, but these often have flavorings and are therefore not suitable for dishes. Ideally, the protein powders should be able to be added to both cold and hot, and sweet and savoury dishes, and they should not alter the taste of the food. We have tested two neutral protein powders based on milk and soy, respectively,” says Øydis Ueland.
Popular dishes
For the scientists, it became important to find out which dishes are most popular. The participants in the study are over 70 years old, and live in either France, the United Kingdom or Norway. They were asked to write food diaries. These countries have quite different eating habits, so based on the food described in the diaries, a selection was made that is repeated in all three countries: Oatmeal, granola, French toast, pancakes, mashed potatoes, muffins, carrot soup and pasta bolognese.
“Based on these dishes, we got a chef to develop recipes where the protein ingredients were added so that we could increase the protein content of the dishes. The participants found it both useful, fun and very educational. They liked the dishes a lot and would continue to cook them. However, most people thought that protein enrichment is probably better suited when they get a little older,” says Øydis Ueland.
The attitude was not unexpected, it is a known phenomenon that you do not experience yourself as older until your health is weakened, but you need a more protein-rich diet long before that, also to prevent.
Skeptical about protein powder
An important insight from the study is that most people are skeptical about using protein powder to enrich their food. They don’t feel like adding an unfamiliar powder to familiar dishes. It’s a bit scary. Many people like to take supplements in tablet form, but having the supplement in the food itself, that’s something else.
“It’s very difficult to get people to understand that they can easily take supplements that they don’t think they need. But this is a better way to maintain a good diet than drinking energy drinks that cost a fortune or getting energy shots at the nursing home. It’s easier to do something about the daily diet,” she says.
Try this at home!
Although the coming generation of older people are used to trying new dishes and eating food from all over the world, there is a limit to what they can do when they reach an age where everything takes more time and effort. Therefore, enriching the food you make yourself in a simple way can be a good opportunity. The recipes from the project will be processed and simplified, but in anticipation of this, Øydis Ueland advises people to try it themselves at home:
“Just think: ‘Can I add protein powder to something I make?’. You can add to sauces, casseroles, or to mashed potatoes from a bag.
Facts about the research
The research has been carried out in the European joint project Fortiphy, part of the EU’s ERANet, and the Norwegian work is funded by the Research Council of Norway.
The project’s goal is to develop solutions for meals and physical activity to prevent malnutrition in the elderly.
Nofima collaborates with INRAE (France), the University of Reading (UK) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium).
Topics
Personalized food
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