Weight Loss Diet And Exercise: Eat Well to Recover From Illness

Recovery From Illness: How to Help Someone Who’s Been Sick Eat Right webmd.cookie.set('tpcwrld_intro',true); Skip to content

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Active After 60: Expert Nutrition & Exercise Tips Email a Friend Print Article Active After 60: Expert Nutrition & Exercise Tips Brought to you by

This content is selected and controlled by WebMD's editorial staff and is brought to you by Boost®.Food to Table Better Brain Power Over 60 and Cooking Cooking for One 10 Foods for Grandkids and You Power-Packed Recipes Have Your Meals Delivered 10 Tips to Help Your Loved One Eat Helping Someone Eat After an Illness Signs a Loved One Isn't Eating Enough What to Do if You're Not Hungry Meet the Experts Good Nutrition is Essential SponsoredStaying Active Fitness Tips for Fatigue Myths About Exercise as You Age Strong and Agile Keep Your Heart Healthy Eat for a Long Life Exercise, Belly Fat and Your Health Tips to Keep Your Bones Strong Lower Blood Sugar With Exercise Nutrition You Need Eat for Strength When Sick How to Get the Protein You Need Top Nutrients You May Be Missing How to Stimulate An Older Appetite Eat for Digestive Health Avoiding Problem Foods Best Nutrients for Your Eyes Help With Eating Problems Eating to Control Blood Sugar Fiber & Whole Grains: Diabetes Power FoodsFalse Help a Loved One Eat Right to Recover From Illness WebMD Feature

Reviewed By Laura J. Martin, MD

When a senior is sick or recovering from an injury, it's important for them to eat a healthy diet. Getting enough calories from nutritious foods can help their recovery. It will help their bodies heal and give them the mental and physical energy they need.

"The most important thing is to ensure that their immune system is working at its best," says Madeleine Glick, MS, RD, a dietitian at Greenwich Woods, a long-term care facility in Greenwich, Conn.

6 Tips to Help Your Senior as She Heals

1. Don’t assume she’ll eat when hungry. Even when they're feeling well, many seniors don't have a great appetite. As we get older, we lose taste buds, making some foods taste blander. Sometimes dental problems can also limit what we can chew.

When sick or recovering, many seniors are even less likely to eat. Many illnesses cause our bodies to lose appetite, says Mary Fennell Lyles, MD. She teaches gerontology and geriatric medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Some prescription medications can further squash the urge to eat.

2. Count her calories. How many calories should she be eating? Dietitians figure out how many calories an older adult needs by converting her weight in pounds to kilograms (divide weight in pounds by 2.2), then planning on 25 to 35 calories per kilogram.

For example, a 130-pound person recovering from a broken hip might need about 2,068 calories a day. (Divide 130 by 2.2 to get their weight in kilograms. Then multiply that by 35 calories to get the calories in a day.)

A person who is overweight or has diabetes needs closer to 25 calories per kilogram. For seniors who are ill or recovering, dietitians commonly recommend 35 calories per kilogram. Getting too few calories can slow healing and leave an ill senior without the energy to work on physical therapy or get moving.

Talk to your senior’s doctor or dietitian for guidance on how many calories your senior needs.

3. Work with her favorites. Glick finds out which foods the people she works with like best so she can tailor meals to their tastes. You’re more likely to get your senior to eat by serving their favorites, she says.

"If someone just wants to eat pudding all day, it may not be what you think they should be eating, but maybe you can work with that," she says.

Glick often fortifies favorite foods to improve nutrition. She’ll add whole milk or protein powder to the pudding, for example.

Offering nutrition supplement drinks as snacks between meals can also help you meet her calorie needs. However, the drinks should be used as supplements, not meal replacements.

4. Focus on healing nutrients. When feeding your loved one, choose foods with nutrients that help healing. Foods rich in vitamin C and zinc are particularly helpful for seniors recovering from any type of skin wound, Glick says.

Vitamin C. Because supermarket juices can lose their vitamin C content, she recommends whole citrus fruits. Try tangerines, juice squeezed at home, or homemade smoothies that include vitamin C-rich fruits such as strawberries.

Zinc. This mineral is found in fortified breakfast cereal, beef, crab and other shellfish, and chicken.

Vitamin D. Found in milk, salmon, and tuna, vitamin D may also help seniors as they recover. According to studies, having enough vitamin D can mean a lower risk of falls and fractures with falls. It may be a good idea to give your senior vitamin and mineral supplements. Talk to her doctor. 1 2

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