Healthy Eating for Seniors

Healthy Eating for Seniors is a new handbook on nutrition for older adults. It has been developed to be an interesting, informative and useful resource for seniors age 65 and over from across British Columbia and Canada.

It includes information about what to pay attention to when it comes to food and supplements, gives tips on how to eat to prevent or manage common chronic diseases, and provides advice on simple ways to eat with less salt and fat, how to read labels and how to keep a healthy body weight, and many other topics on healthy eating of interest to seniors. Seniors and dietitians from across B.C. provided ideas, recipes, knowledge and stories.

Nutrition surveys find that seniors would benefit from eating more vegetables and fruits, more protein and less fat, and from engaging in moderate activity more often.

Healthy Eating for Seniors provides information that will help seniors make decisions about healthy eating so they can stay as active and independent as possible.

Download the Healthy Eating for Seniors Guide:

To view or print the Healthy Eating for Seniors guide, click the following chapter links. Each chapter is also available in MP3 audio format. To save the MP3 files to your computer use your mouse to right-click on the "MP3" link (CTRL and click on a Mac), and "Save Link As".

Translated Versions:

• In Punjabi (PDF 4 MB)
• In Chinese (PDF 6 MB)

To order a printed copy of Healthy Eating for Seniors:

Healthy Eating for Seniors is available for purchase from organizations in other jurisdictions. To find out more, contact the Queen’s Printer at 1-800-663-6105 or by visiting www.crownpub.bc.ca.

As we get older, we tend to eat less. And that can be a problem. Because, even though we don’t need as many calories, we need more of certain nutrients than young people. For example, past the age of 50, we need to eat well to help keep our minds sharp, and more calcium and vitamin D to help keep our bones strong.

Eating well can make us feel a lot better. It gives us more energy – and it can actually help slow down the aging process.

For more information, tips and advice on healthy eating, click the links below. And look forward to seeing the difference a few small, simple changes can make in your quality of life.

Links:

Eating Well With Canada's Food Guide: In addition to following Canada’s Food Guide, everyone over the age of 50 should take a daily vitamin D supplement of 10 ug (400 IU).

Dietitian Services @ Healthlink BC

The Senior Chef: Cooking for One or Two (PDF)

Dietitians of Canada