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Why is it especially important for people over sixty to pay attention to their diet? As people age, the body’s metabolism gradually slows down, and various chronic diseases emerge quietly; therefore, choosing appropriate foods becomes particularly important.
However, in everyday life, many elderly individuals may have many doubts about what they should and should not eat.
To help everyone better grasp this knowledge and to make the content more vivid and interesting, I will illustrate with a clinical case.
Today, Lao Zhang plans to walk his dog in the park and then accompany his wife to visit his mother-in-law, who has just been hospitalized. The morning breeze in the park carries a hint of coolness, and Lao Zhang walks while enjoying the rare tranquility. His dog is a lively Border Collie, always excitedly running ahead and occasionally stopping to wait for Lao Zhang.
At that moment, he unintentionally overhears two elderly people discussing the impact of food on health, one of them says: “I’ve heard that after turning sixty, it’s better to just drink plain water and eat vegetables at home than to eat those three things.”
Lao Zhang’s heart stirred; he suddenly realized that this might be related to his mother-in-law’s situation. His mother-in-law has recently been hospitalized due to stomach issues, and she is already over sixty, with diet being a major concern in the family.
Not long after, he and his wife arrived at the hospital. In his mother-in-law’s ward, the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and she lay on the bed, looking a little pale.
Seeing family members visiting, she forced a faint smile, while Lao Zhang and his wife sat by the bed, listening to her talk about her condition, all the while reflecting on the words he heard that day in the park.
At that moment, the attending physician, Dr. Sun, entered the room, having just finished his morning rounds. Dr. Sun is an experienced doctor with in-depth research on dietary management for elderly diseases.
Seeing Lao Zhang and his wife, Dr. Sun smiled and asked, “Is there anything I can help you with?” Lao Zhang seized the opportunity to relay the words he heard in the park to Dr. Sun, hoping to receive some professional advice.
After listening, Dr. Sun nodded gently and began to explain: “Indeed, middle-aged and elderly individuals over sixty should avoid certain foods. This is primarily because those in this age group are more susceptible to certain chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes.”
“There are indeed three types of food that we usually recommend those over sixty to eat as little as possible or to avoid.” Dr. Sun elaborated on the reasons for each type of food while providing relevant data to support his points.
The first type is high-salt foods, as they can worsen blood pressure issues; the second type is fried foods, which not only can lead to obesity but may also increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases; the third type is high-sugar foods, which are particularly detrimental to diabetic patients.
