As the leading provider of elderly home care in Nashville and the surrounding areas, we realize that it’s challenging to make the right choices for a heart-healthy senior diet when guidelines appear to constantly change. We had been told that saturated fats from options such as butter, red meat and fried food were detrimental and might affect a person’s possibilities of developing heart complications, but later studies suggested there isn’t enough substantiation that those who gave up these foods improved their heart health – and therefore, we went back to our previous ways, opting instead for butter over margarine.
And yet, as outlined in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, analysts clarify that the lack of evident results in limiting fatty foods is likely linked to equally poor dietary choices selected in place of those fats – including refined carbs. In the study, it was noted that those who exchanged fatty foods in their diet with more healthy options, including olive oil (a polyunsaturated fat) and whole grains did lower their heart disease risk up to 25%.
According to Adela Hruby, one of many scientists in this study, “We know that people don’t just drop 10% of their calories…and not replace them with other things. What they’re adding in to replace what they’re not eating is really important.”
The research, led by Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was incredibly comprehensive, tracking the results of almost 130,000 participants of both genders over thirty years. Keeping track of dietary choices and any heart-related conditions, it was concluded that both women and men who consumed carbohydrates in place of fatty foods were attaining a nearly equal risk of cardiovascular disease – a statistic missed in previous studies that had determined there clearly was no benefit to reducing the level of saturated fat in a dietary plan.
So what may be the takeaway from this report? Better heart health may be achieved by not simply decreasing the total amount of saturated fat in a dietary plan, but also by selecting healthier items instead of foods with an abundance of sugar or processed flour-based foods.
Stay Home Care is always on hand to plan and prepare heart-healthy meals that are not just nutritious, but tasty, helping older adults decrease their risk for heart attacks and disease. We are able to also assist aging adults with:
- Making wise dietary choices, and grocery shopping so that fresh, healthy foods are always available
- Medication reminders
- Providing encouragement to engage in doctor-approved exercise programs
- Safe accompaniment to medical appointments as well as other outings
- And more
Contact us at 615-964-7726 to learn more about our elderly home care in Nashville and the surrounding areas, and see our full service area to find out if our caregivers are able to help a senior loved one in your neighborhood.