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Eating and drinking well

Drinking alcohol

There are many things in your life that can affect how you feel and how healthy you are. Drinking alcohol can not only affect balance and coordination but also the health of your bones. A good, nutritious diet is particularly important for maintaining strong and healthy bones. Also how you are feeling, your mood and level of anxiety, will have an impact on your general wellbeing.

Drinking too much alcohol has a damaging effect on bones and can affect your balance both of which will increase your risk of a trip or fall. The effects of alcohol include:

  • loss of coordination and memory, which can lead to falls and general confusion
  • causing the effects of some drugs to be exaggerated, such as diazepam (Valium)
  • thinning of the bones, which can occur with heavy drinking

Drinking guidelines.

It is best to stay within healthy/safe drinking guidelines. Until recently, women and men had different guidelines, but now this is no longer the case.

  • For under 65s the guidance is to consume no more than 2 to 3 units per day (a maximum of 14 units per week, with at least 2 alcohol free days per week)
  • For over 65s this is 1 to 1.5 units per day

This may be too high for older adults as alcohol can:

  • increase unsteadiness and risk of having a fall
  • disturb sleep patterns
  • impact on coordination and memory, leading to falls and general confusion
  • lower your mood
  • interfere with prescribed medications, causing some drugs to be exaggerated such as diazepam (Valium) and reducing the effectiveness of some others for example tablets to reduce high blood pressure
  • cause thinning of the bones which can occur with heavy drinking

Eating healthily

As you get older, keeping your bones healthy and strong is very important as this can prevent serious injury from a fall.

The most important areas around diet that you need to be aware of, particularly as you get older, are:

  • calcium and vitamin D – both are important for healthy teeth and bones
  • osteoporosis – thinning of the bones
  • malnutrition – where your body lacks essential nutrients

You could be malnourished whether you are over or underweight because you aren’t getting the balance of foods in your diet right. For example, you can be a healthy weight but if you eat a limited range of foods your body may lack essential nutrients.

Eating a healthy, varied and balanced diet is a good way to keep you up and about.

Missing a meal can make you feel dizzy or faint (lightheaded), making you more likely to fall. It is important to eat regular meals and make sure you drink enough water throughout the day.

The ‘eatwell plate’ highlights the different types of food that make up our diet. It also shows the amounts of each food that we should eat to have a well-balanced and healthy diet.

It’s a good idea to try to get this balance right every day, but you don’t need to do it at every meal. And you might find it easier to get the balance right over a longer period of time – you could balance your diet out over a week instead of each day. Try to choose options that are lower in salt when you can.

Tips for eating well

  • Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
  • Base your meals on starchy foods (for example pasta, rice, potatoes, bread)
  • Cut down on saturated fat and sugar (for example cakes, biscuits, fried foods, ice cream)
  • Eat less salt – no more than 6g a day
  • Eat more fish including a portion of oily fish each week
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Be more active and try to be a healthy weight
  • Don’t skip breakfast

Eating well and healthy bones

Eating a well-balanced diet rich in calcium and limiting how much alcohol you drink will help to keep your bones strong.

Top calcium foods include yoghurt, milk and cheese.

To help you eat less fat, choose lower fat versions like semi-skimmed milk, low-fat yoghurt and lower fat cheeses. Aim for 2-3 servings every day for adults. A serving is a small matchbox size piece of cheese or one medium low-fat yoghurt or a glass of milk.

Also:

  • grating cheese for sandwiches rather than slicing makes it go further. Try eating less of a strong cheese rather than more of a milder cheese
  • plain yoghurt contains no sugar – try adding fresh, canned or frozen fruit for a low sugar snack or dessert

Small amounts of calcium are also found in:

  • green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, kale and cabbage
  • soya beans and tofu, or soya drinks with added calcium
  • nuts particularly almonds
  • dried fruit
  • bread and anything made with fortified flour
  • tinned fish with soft bones, such as sardines, salmon and pilchards
  • water

Drinks like tea, coffee, fizzy drinks can hinder calcium absorption.

As well as calcium, we need vitamin D for healthy bones. We get most of our vitamin D from sunlight. Most people in the UK get enough vitamin D by spending 15 minutes in the sun three times a week. Generally, normal levels built up in the summer will be enough to last through the winter. If you can’t get out and about easily, you might be given supplements. Speak to your GP to check that you are getting enough vitamin D.

Reducing the risk of malnutrition

You may be at risk of malnutrition if you are eating or drinking less than usual, or if you are losing weight without trying. There are some important changes you can make to your diet if you think you may be at risk of malnutrition:

  • try and use one pint of full fat a milk a day
  • enrich milk by adding four tablespoons of dried, skimmed milk powder to one pint of full-fat milk. Use this in tea, coffee, milky drinks, cereals and puddings
  • spread butter or margarine thickly and add tomatoes and vegetables
  • add cheese to sauces, vegetables, potatoes, pasta and grate over ready meals
  • eat little and often. Try to include two to three nourishing snacks a day
  • avoid low fat or diet products
  • make sure you take at least six to eight drinks throughout the day. Nourishing drinks include milky tea, coffee, milkshakes, smoothies, hot chocolate or malted milk drinks

If you have diabetes please consult your family doctor (GP), nurse or dietician before making any of these changes. If you continue to struggle with your appetite or are still losing weight after 4 weeks of following this advice speak to your GP, nurse or dietician.