Every year, diet trends hit the news. Some get praise, but dietitians find many require adults to eat foods that just aren’t nutritionally sound. In fact, some of the fad diets can increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, and malnutrition.
Here are a few of the diet trends that your aging parent should discuss with a doctor if it’s being considered.
Bulletproof Coffee
Advocates of the Bulletproof Coffee diet boast of the drink’s memory-boosting abilities. It’s supposed to make you more energetic and help with brain health. The diet consists of burning your morning coffee into a calorie-packed beverage that contains medium roast coffee from beans that are grown without the use of chemicals, coconut oil, and butter made from the milk of grass-fed cows.
The official recipe calls for 8 ounces of coffee brewed in a French press, up to 2 tablespoons butter, and up to 2 tablespoons of the company’s coconut oil mix. That’s 1 cup of coffee with up to 1/4 a cup of fat that’s blended until foamy.
Coconut Oil
The Paleo Diet took the world by storm and many started following it. One of the key oils in this diet is coconut oil. In 2017, the American Heart Association came out and said that coconut oil is not a great choice. It’s high in saturated fat and that can increase the risk of heart disease.
If your parent like coconut oil, they should use it sparingly. Instead of using tablespoons to saute meats and vegetables, a coconut oil cooking spray that uses very little is better.
Gluten-Free Foods
Some people have a genuine allergy to gluten. For those people, foods containing gluten can impact overall health. If your parent doesn’t have Celiac’s disease, there’s no reason to switch to gluten-free foods. In fact, dietitians state that switching to a gluten-free diet can create nutritional deficiencies in B vitamins, fiber, and even iron.
Dropping unhealthy foods like cookies and cupcakes is a great idea, but it’s not as good to avoid foods that give you essential nutrients to prevent constipation, certain cancers, and brain health.
Senior Care Services
Your parent struggles to create healthy meals. Arthritis, gout, difficulties with balance, or joint pain make it hard to stand up for longer amounts of time. When they cook meals, they want to get in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. When this happens, look into senior care services.
With a caregiver’s help, your mom or dad can discuss and plan a healthy menu, join the caregiver at the grocery store, and have the caregiver come home and cook nutritious meals. Learn more about meal preparation and transportation services by calling a senior care agency.
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring Elderly Care in Chula Vista, CA, or the surrounding area, please contact the caring staff at Love 2 Live Care. Call Today 1-619-291-4663
