As middle-aged and elderly people age, their digestive function will gradually decline, and they will have indigestion and food accumulation. The causes of indigestion in the elderly are varied:
Physiological changes: With age, the gastrointestinal function gradually weakens, the secretion of gastric acid decreases, and the gastrointestinal peristalsis slows down, resulting in a decline in digestive function.
Drug effects: Older people often need to take drugs for a long time, and some drugs may have adverse effects on the gastrointestinal tract, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, etc.
Dietary Xi: Older people may have an unreasonable diet, lack of dietary fiber, and consume too much oil and sugar, leading to indigestion.
The symptoms of dyspepsia in the elderly are varied:
Upset stomach: Older adults may experience stomach flatulence, fullness, pain, or discomfort.
Indigestion: Older adults may experience symptoms of indigestion such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, belching, etc.
Diarrhea or constipation: Intestinal motility slows down in older people, which can lead to diarrhea or constipation.
Weight loss: Older people may experience weight loss due to poor food absorption due to indigestion.
If middle-aged and elderly people want to improve their indigestion, they must do the following 5 points.
1.Be mindful of what you eat.
Eating more foods that are good for the stomach of the elderly will help the elderly maintain good gastrointestinal health
High-fiber foods.
Fruits: apples, pears, peaches, blueberries, etc.
Vegetables: spinach, carrots, cauliflower, peas, etc.
Whole grains: oats, whole wheat bread, brown rice, etc.
Fermented foods. Rich in probiotics, it helps maintain the balance of intestinal flora and promotes digestion and absorption.
Yogurt: Yogurt with probiotics helps increase the number of probiotics in the gut.
Sauerkraut: such as kimchi, pickled cucumber, etc., rich in probiotics.
Easily digestible food.
Older people may have weaker digestive functions, so mild and easily digestible foods are easier for them to absorb and digest.
Cooked vegetables: such as carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, etc.
Cooked lean meats: such as chicken, fish, etc.
Cooked rice or noodles.
Plenty of hydration.
Older people need to maintain adequate water intake to prevent constipation and dehydration. It is recommended that the elderly drink enough water every day, and can drink juice, tea or soup in moderation.
2.Do not eat fruit and drink tea after meals.
If you eat fruit immediately after a meal, the acids in the fruit will mix with stomach acid, which may cause dilution of stomach acid and affect the digestion of food. In addition, the fiber in fruits may also hinder the digestion and absorption of food.
Drinking tea can also affect the digestion of food and nutrient absorption. Substances such as tannin and caffeine in tea may combine with nutrients in food to form substances that are difficult to absorb, reducing the nutritional value of food.
The caffeine in tea may also stimulate the secretion of stomach acid, increasing the concentration of stomach acid, which in turn affects the digestion of food.
In order to ensure the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients, it is advisable to wait for a while after a meal before eating fruits and drinking tea. You can choose to eat fruit 30 minutes to 1 hour after a meal to allow the stomach to complete the digestion of the staple food first. As for drinking tea, it is best to drink it 1 hour after a meal so as not to affect the digestion of food and nutrient absorption.
3.Limit food intake.
Many elderly people feel that the more nutrients they have, the better, and the more food they eat, the better, but in fact, eating too much will bring excessive burden to the stomach and digestive system, which will lead to indigestion, stomach bloating, acid reflux and other problems.
Being too full also increases the risk of obesity because you eat more energy than your body needs, and the excess energy is stored as fat.
Therefore, as long as you are seven or eight minutes full, it is beneficial to the stomach of the elderly.
4.Take a walk after a meal.
Sitting or lying down directly after a meal can easily cause indigestion, so exercise is very important.
After eating, you should take a walk, and you can rub your abdomen while walking, so as to promote the peristalsis of the stomach and intestines and improve the speed of digestion.
5.Repair teeth.
The teeth of middle-aged and elderly people are generally not good, there are loose or lost teeth, and they cannot chew food sufficiently, which affects the digestion process.
Therefore, if the middle-aged and elderly people have bad teeth, it is best to repair the teeth, chew slowly during the meal, and enough saliva can help digest the food in the stomach and avoid indigestion.