Do you also have older relatives about to reach or pass their senior age who have been prescribed to drink Ensure? I do and most of the time it is already when older adults get sick when they start minding their nutritional gaps and start drinking Ensure. I had no idea why this was prescribed to my sick relatives then until I took a closer research about it – this time, for my mother and aunt who are still enjoying life in their 60’s and 50’s.
Nutrition Gap in Older Adults
Nutrition gap not just happens with age and I will bet that many of us have serious nutrition gaps. This is because of unhealthy lifestyle and wrong eating habits. Older adults 40 and above are also likely to have these nutrition gaps i.e. not meeting daily caloric needs and more importantly, not eating the right amount of nutritious foods.
I have experienced family members saying no to healthy food and insisting on drinking soda, eating empty carbs, or not eating at the right time i.e. skipping breakfast or eating too much. It gets harder to change these habits when our loved ones have gotten used to them.
Some older adults also experience loss of taste and not enjoy eating anymore. I have read somewhere that tastebuds do get fewer when we age.
Regardless of age, nutrition gaps have serious effects on our well-being. However, for older adults nutrition becomes even more important as the body start to lose lean body mass aka muscle mass.
Low Muscle Mass = Less Power & Strength
Loss of strength is closely linked to the loss of muscle mass. Did you know that when we reach the age 40and whether we like it or not, our muscle mass will decrease by 8%. If my research is correct, this is 8% loss per year and when we reach 70 – the loss is increased to 15% muscle mass loss. It is by age 35 we reach our peak muscle mass so good job if you are below this age and have started building more muscles.
Loss of power and strength are also one of the main factors why many older adults start showing signs of depression.
Ensure as Nutritional Supplement
In a perfect world, I would feed my mother and aunt with vegetables, complex carbs, whole grains, and other super foods. Note though that we live in the province so we do get plenty of greens but I am sure it’s not enough. I will also get them to enjoy life more by trying new hobbies to develop an even more positive outlook in life. However, I realize that we are in the reality and each has developed their own “health behaviors” and personal lifestyles.
Ensure as a nutritional supplement comes in powder form. The components contain Amino Acids and Protein – very similar to my own post-workout protein shake. Ensure is also a science-based nutrition that is most recommended by doctors. However, I don’t want to wait for my loved ones to get too weak or sick before supplementing them with the nutrition they badly need to improve and maintain good quality of life.
How to Prepare & Drink Ensure
My mother just started drinking Ensure Gold and I am very happy to support her RIGHT decision. I prepare her Ensure as follows: Mix 6 level scoops of Ensure with 1 cup or 250ml water. Note that Ensure comes with its own scooper inside.
My mother finds it very tasty so she asks me to put 500ml water instead which I think is okay. I always insist using the right amount (6 scoops) to get the optimum nutrition, sometimes drinkers will insists only using 3 scoops because of taste preference or to prolong the life of their Ensure can.
Ensure is available in supermarkets but it is important to consult your doctor if your loved ones have medical conditions such as diabetes, history of stroke, etc.
I am below 35 but already, I know and have experienced how strength and power can affect the quality of our lives. This is when I started strength training and gained more power, energy to do my day-to-day responsibilities including the things I love doing. It is the same for older adults – the less strength they have, the less vigor they have to live their life to the fullest and chase their dreams. This is the science and reality of strength and nutrition. Let’s all stay healthy for a very long, happy, and healthy life!
Mommy Lace is a blogger from the Philippines. She started this blog to share information on pregnancy, breastfeeding, childcare, family, and health.
