Protein shakes don't count: Why older adults should eat real food
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Older adults need to eat more protein-rich foods when they’re trying to lose weight, dealing with a chronic or acute illness, or facing a hospitalization, according to a growing consensus among scientists.
During these stressful periods, aging bodies process protein less efficiently and need more of it to maintain muscle mass and strength, bone health and other essential physiological functions.
Even healthy seniors need more protein than when they were younger to help preserve muscle mass, experts suggest. Yet up to one-third of older adults don’t eat an adequate amount due to reduced appetite, dental issues, impaired taste, swallowing problems and limited financial resources. Combined with a tendency to become more sedentary, this puts them at risk of deteriorating muscles, compromised mobility, slower recovery from bouts of illness and the loss of independence.
Impact on functioning. Recent research suggests that older adults who consume more protein are less likely to lose “functioning”: the ability to dress themselves, get out of bed, walk up a flight of stairs and more. In a 2018 study that followed more than 2,900 seniors over 23 years, researchers found that those who ate the most protein were 30 percent less likely to become functionally impaired than those who ate the least amount.
While not conclusive (older adults who eat more protein may be healthier to begin with), “our work suggests that older adults who consume more protein have better outcomes,” said Paul Jacques, co-author of the study and director of the nutritional epidemiology program at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.
In another study, which was published in 2017 and followed nearly 2,000 older adults over six years, people who consumed the least amount of protein were almost twice as likely to have difficulty walking or climbing steps as those who ate the most, after adjusting for health behaviors, chronic conditions and other factors.
“While eating an adequate amount of protein is not going to prevent age-associated loss of muscle altogether, not eating enough protein can be an exacerbating factor that causes older adults to lose muscle faster,” said Wayne Campbell, a professor of nutrition science at Purdue University.
Recommended intake. So, how much protein should seniors eat? The most commonly cited standard is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight per day.
For a 150-pound woman, that translates into eating 55 grams of protein a day; for a 180-pound man, it calls for eating 65 grams.
To put that into perspective, a 6-ounce serving of Greek yogurt has 18 grams; a half-cup of cottage cheese, 14 grams; a 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken, 28 grams; a half-cup of lentils, 9 grams; and a cup of milk, 8 grams. (To check the protein content of other common foods, click here .)
Older adults were rarely included in studies used to establish the RDAs, however, and experts caution that this standard might not adequately address health needs in the older population.
After reviewing additional evidence, an international group of physicians and nutrition experts in 2013 recommended that healthy older adults consume 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily — a 25 to 50 percent increase over the RDA. (That’s 69 to 81 grams for a 150-pound woman, and 81 to 98 grams for a 180-pound man.) Its recommendations were subsequently embraced by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism .
When illness is an issue. For seniors with acute or chronic diseases, the group suggested protein intake of 1.2 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight while noting that the precise amount needed “depends on the disease, its severity” and other factors. (At the 1.5 grams-per-kilogram level, a 150-pound woman would need to eat 102 grams of protein daily, while a 180-pound man would need to eat 123 grams.) Even higher levels, up to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight, could be needed, it noted, for older adults who are severely ill or malnourished.
(These recommendations don’t apply to seniors with kidney disease, who should not increase their protein intake unless they’re on dialysis, experts said.)
“Protein becomes much more important during events in an older adult’s life that force them into a situation of muscle disuse — a hip or knee replacement, for instance,” said Stuart Phillips, director of McMaster University’s Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Health Research in Canada.
“Higher amounts of protein have value when something in an older adult’s body is changing,” Campbell agreed. He co-authored a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine that did not find benefits from raising protein intake for older men. This could be because the intervention period, six months, wasn’t long enough. Or it could have been because the study’s participants had adjusted to their diets and weren’t exposed to additional stress from illness, exercise or weight loss, Campbell said.
Per-meal amounts. Another recommendation calls for older adults to spread protein consumption evenly throughout the day. This arises from research showing that seniors are less efficient at processing protein in their diet and may need a larger “per-meal dose.”
“The total dose that you eat may not matter as much as the dose you eat at a given meal,” said Dr. Elena Volpi, a professor of geriatrics and cell biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. “If I eat too little protein during a meal, I may not adequately stimulate the uptake of amino acids into skeletal muscle. If I eat too much, say from a large T-bone steak, I won’t be able to store all of it away.”
Based on her research, Volpi suggests that older adults eat 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal. Practically, that means rethinking what people eat at breakfast, when protein intake tends to be lowest. “Oatmeal or cereal with milk isn’t enough; people should think of adding a Greek yogurt, an egg or a turkey sausage,” Volpi said.
Protein in all forms is fine. Animal protein contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies need; plant protein doesn’t. If you’re a vegetarian, “it just takes more work to balance all the amino acids in your diet” by eating a variety of foods, said Denise Houston, associate professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina. Otherwise, “I would typically recommend having some animal protein in your diet.” As long as red meat is lean and you don’t eat it too often, “that’s OK,” Houston said.
Supplements. What about powdered or liquid protein supplements? “There’s generally no need for supplements unless someone is malnourished, sick or hospitalized,” Volpi said.
In a new study, not yet published, she examined the feasibility of supplementing the diets of older adults discharged from the hospital with extra protein for a month. Preliminary data, yet to be confirmed in a larger clinical trial, shows that “this can improve recovery from a hospitalization,” Volpi said.
“The first line of defense should always be real food,” said Samantha Gallo, assistant director of clinical nutrition at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. “But if someone isn’t able to consume a turkey sandwich and would rather sip a protein shake during the day, we’ll try that.”
However, older adults should not routinely drink protein shakes instead of meals, Gallo cautioned, adding: “That’s a bad idea that can actually result in reduced protein and calorie intake over the long term.”
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It seems that we are hearing more and more that protein and not carbs is the way to go. Then why do carbs taste so good, LOL!
I've been wondering about that all meat diet....
I actually have been on a high protein diet/ no carbs and I dropped 22 lbs so far. It's interesting to know that we need more protein as we get older.
Good job!
My problem is I have a love affair with bread
Me 'three'!
I am desperately wanting to learn how to make my own breads. Not because the ones I buy are not delicious they are. It is that I "heart" so much of it the last two years since they have gotten full of seeds and grains. I "heart" cornbread too and make my own. But I wonder if I take the time to use the food processor (breadmaker) to fashion my own blends if I can make them healthier. This year, y'all wish me well to get the processor out of mothballs and kick this off!
Same to you; y'all! Good bread!
I have heard about this too. However, I have enjoyed eating less and less lately, but because of bread and carbs I maintain steady at 200 lbs. I may wobble a tab up or down but always spend the year round at 200 pounds! See men don't mind sharing weight! HA!
OTOHand, I sleep lousy and I hate it. No matter what I try. Pills come with side-effects the next day or so and weird nightmares to wean. I am not happy with my sleep pattern.
When the kids were at home I used to use my bread maker a lot. We don't go thru as much bread and milk like we used to.
One of my family's favorites was a honey wheat bread I would make
Share please! Unless family secret recipe. (Smile.)
LOL! It's in my bread maker recipe book which I don't have handy
But it calls for whole wheat flour and honey
I tried to be a vegetarian a few years ago and actually gained weight. I eat less when I eat a higher percentage of lean protein.
If you read the clickbait articles on the side or bottom of the page you will learn that almost everything you eat or drink and virtually everything you like is a danger to your health.
I do, too. But I got to the point that I had to figure out if a moment on the lips was worth forever on the hips.
Yet ya done got married anyway....
Some men like a women with a little meat on her bones
Tell me about it! I have often said I think toast is possibly the single greatest achievement in the history of human cuisine. We used to have some form of bread with dinner every night. And I can embarrass myself with some rice.
However, over the last few months, I have cut a lot of that out of my diet. I have also tried to simply consume less. I often don't eat at all until well into the afternoon or even evening. When I do eat, I try to make it salad or protein and fats. Consequently, I've lost a fair amount of weight - about 55 lbs over the last 3 months.
Wow that is amazing. You guys drop weight so much easier than us gals.
They suck
Not all carbs are bad. It's the empty carbs - like those in white bread, white rice, pasta - that are so bad. But carbs in, say, lima beans are fine.
Really it's about avoiding processed food. If you eat bread, eat whole grain bread with a lot of fiber in it, not white bread. If you eat rice, eat wild rice that doesn't have all the nutrition stripped from it. Those things have a lot more flavor than the white bread or rice, anyway.
On the program that I am on, processed foods are frowned upon and you are right about low glycemic items like white bread.
I think white bread is high glycemic.
I was not going to bother asking this on Friday, but now that it is Saturday (HA!), Perrie (anybody really) how are your concerns about red meat and cancer? You good? Seem to me, I remember being glad to get off red meat, and I LARGELY have, because of a cancer linkage of some kind.
Can't speak for anyone else but I am not concerned
I may be an older adult but for sure I'm not "trying sick" although I could lose a few pounds.
I did the Atkins diet years back and it did work. I did lose weight. Any diet that says I can have 2 lb's of bacon with each meal but no bread wasn't all that hard to start.
It didn't last, I found it very difficult to just completely cut carbs out of the diet. I have reduced them and try to eat the "better" ones.
My elderly mom won't eat enough - she just doesn't have a big appetite. I know Ensure isn't as good for her as a meal, but she'll drink a few a day and at least that way she gets protein and calories. I do have her aides add protein powder to her Ensure. And forget trying to get her to eat many veggies! Kind of funny to be trying to get her to GAIN weight when most dietary products are geared toward the opposite.
STEAK is great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seems every decade or so....the Pyramid changes on what's good and bad.
I...personally.....just eat what I like.
Hell, I could die tomorrow for all I know !
To many folks stress about "How Long they will live" ! Even the "FIT" folks die at a young age sometimes !
I've known "Smokers" that have lived into their nineties, and they still report that "Smoking" killed them.
My mother is 87 and still going strong.
Her daily diet for years consist of Coffee ice cream, Werthers, and Gummy Bears.
Sugar "bad"...not for her.
"HIGH FIVE" !
Eat what ya like I say !
We really don't "LIVE twice" ....no matter what the movies tellya !
Mine will be 87 in a week. I tell her aides to give her chocolate ice cream every day (with whipped cream), and let her drink her Pepsi. She's not pre-diabetic and even if she were, at this point she'd rather live for a year less than be miserable by giving up her ice cream and Pepsi. I think once they're 87, they can eat whatever damn thing they want. Too many elderly people don't eat enough.
People tell her to eat a bit more healthy, but she never really has and like you said...at this point why?
No argument from me, but bacon is greater
mmmmmmmm…..BACON !
How about bacon on steak?
mmmmm Filet Mignon, gurgle drool.
With Lots, and lots, and lots of Butter !
If the bacon is crispy. I've had it where the bacon is limp.
Butter, I've never tried it that way. But I will next time.
Lol nope, limp bacon is the best
Then it comes off the steak and gets tossed to the side of the plate
A restaurant called "Ruth's Chris" does it that way in my town. That's how I started doing it. It's to DIE FOR, whether pan seared, broiled or grilled !
"REAL Butter" makes everything GREAT !
Gimme a call next time and I'll come get them
Deal!
My dad always put a pat of butter on the steaks after he grilled them - it makes an incredible difference!
Definitely something I'm gonna try. Though it will have to wait until some snow melts so I can find the bbq and the temperatures get above zero (I know I'm a bbq wuss)
With a bacon wrap?
Maybe, but its flavour has soaked into the steak, or at least coated it.
Always:)
I love it and the diet I am on allows for that to get over a plateau and it works!
I’m back on Keto and I love it. Dropped 9 pounds first week
there are some really good keto bread recipes now for those of us that love bread using almond and/or coconut flour
I made some bread with coconut flour once as a test and it did not turn out well. So I gave it up as strange and unfamiliar. Maybe, I should give it another attempt. Any tips will be appreciated.
If I ever get to the point where I prefer shake to a steak, I might not be worth keeping around anymore.
Eh, I am not a big meat eater. I can't stand fat on meat. I cut it all out. The leaner the better.
I do like turkey though.
But the fat is what has all the flavour in it. At least tell me you cut it out after it has rendered in the cooking process.
Usually. I know people like marbling but I have torn up a steak, torn it apart, trying to cut out fat.
Just like you leave the heads of the shrimp on while you cook them! Same reason.
That would be me, a thick well marbled ribeye grill seared on the outside and medium rare is as near to heaven as I'm ever gonna get. You're likely healthier than me but I will live (pun intended) with that.
Idle curiosity is it for texture, taste or health reasons (or something else) you don't like it?
I would say more the texture. I don't mind a piece of tender meat, just not biting into a piece and then getting a chewy, stringy piece of fat. Or what ever it is.
When I was younger I always got my steaks close to well done. Now I don't like that. A little juicy/pink doesn't bother me. Just not raw and bleeding.
Texture matters, I'm the same way about eggs.
You want the really fine grains of fat like you get in Wagyu cuts. That kind of fat kind of melts into the meat when you cook it. I agree the really thick pieces are not good eats.
I don't care for the fat, either
It gives me indigestion.
OK, you all convinced me to go to the Legion and eat shrimp tonight, but to make sure it is healthy I'll walk (just under a mile each way)
Lol, shrimp doesn't generally take a lot of convincing
To each their own, it's all good
Good theory, but if you are buying and eating store bought fish there's a good chance it came from where the fish are nursery breed and raised in a poop rich environment as well.
LOL IMO: WE really do not want to know !!!!
I'd say we just short of "Soylent Green" food today. No wonder everyones so fat. We eat garbage like pigs do. Just feedin the masses !
Opps, there's the "Ding" Gotta go, dinners ready.
That is true. They are bottom feeders. I guess you don't do crabs or lobster either.
Nope.....
Real Cod, real Halibut, and occasionally Tuna. But then I'm a Long Island Sounder boy at heart...
Don't know if it's true or not but I've always heard our air and water contains a percentage of fecal particulate so arguably everything on this planet that eats will be eating poop
I don't doubt it, after all we are one huge closed system. Everything is recirculated sooner or later it seems. All the reason to be careful. But seldom even thought about.
I give you mankind !
lol
Dear Friend Nowhere Man: Ever try the Southhold Fish Market's Sesame Seared Tuna over Mixed Greens?
64755 Main Road Southold, NY.
E.
Shrimp was good, grazed salad bar 3 times and beer was cold, and I walked down and uphill back.
I'm on a high protein low fat meal, Doc says Steak is the best sided with eggs....
Stay away from the taters or at least minimize them...
Well, let's see. I cooked t-bone steaks last night. At the moment, I have some St. Louis style ribs on the grill. Will that be enough protein for this week?