Are you getting enough protein?

Jane as a long time low-carber I reckon I get more than my fair share of protein e.g. today breakfast of eggs, lunch chicken and tonight will be fish pie.

About to read the article.

It’s interesting Riverwalk but it could be the case that older people who are more health conscious & aware of their diets and eat more protein would also exercise more which would have a positive impact on muscle mass.

But I used to work quite a lot with older people many of whom seemed quite frail. Gentle questioning would often reveal that they consumed mainly tea and toast

I reckon I eat/ have plenty of protein to keep going. Thankfully I'm not what you'd call frail and have always kept on the move as much as I can though the last 12 months have proved difficult because of this bloomin' virus.

I've never given fat a chance to settle

It's actually amazing how small a portion of protein is needed to fulfil your daily requirements. So if you're a carnivore and you're eating what is considered a 'normal' amount you probably already are consuming the higher rate older people need.

The daily requirement for and adult (age 16 - 50) is about two ounces.

If you're vegan or vegetarian I assume that you have this all worked out anyway..

I would have thought that these days most people consume way more than the necessary amount of protein unless they are ill or very frail.

Don’t necessarily have to be animal protein, in any case too much puts a strain on the kidneys. Balance is the key word.

My 2 boiled eggs every morning should do it then

Maizie The daily requirement for and adult (age 16 - 50) is about two ounces
Recent thinking is that older adults do need more than this to compensate for loss of muscle mass.

“The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for adults for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Protein tissue accounts for 30% of whole-body protein turnover but that rate declines to 20% or less by age 70. The result of this phenomenon is that older adults require more protein/kilogram body weight than do younger adults. Recently, it has become clear that the requirement for exogenous protein is at least 1.0 gram/kilogram body weight.”
From pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15640517/
2oz is equivalent to 56g & most adults weigh more than 56kg.
Maintaining muscle mass is important in preventing falls in older people - falls being the main reason why people gradually become less able & more frail in later life.

Too much protein (and not enough carbs) is just as bad as not enough!

Maizie The daily requirement for and adult (age 16 - 50) is about two ounces
Recent thinking is that older adults do need more than this to compensate for loss of muscle mass.

The 2 ounces I quoted was a rough conversion from the official RDAs and, it would vary somewhat according to your sex and build.

But, the point I was really making, that you seem to have missed, is that most meat eating people have far more than that in their daily diet (have you seen what 2 ounces of meat looks like?) and that, even if it were double for elderly people, they (i.e. the elderly, aka us) are likely to be consuming that daily in meat alone (and don't forget that protein can be obtained from vegetable sources, too).

Unless they are vegetarian or vegan.

Maizie 2 ounces of meat doesn’t equal 2 ounces of protein.
100 grams of beef has 26grams (slightly less than 1 ounce) of protein.

So to get your 2 ounces of protein from beef, you’d have to eat 200grams of meat, rather more than an average portion.

I'm as you get older ill health comes with it. As people get older there appetite declines . So to get enough calories in them , they should eat what they like .

I have a mother of 93 years. Until very recently, all my efforts to get her to eat a proper diet have been rebuffed. She has lived on squash, toast, jam sandwiches, and cuppa soup. Whatever I said or did made absolutely not one jot of difference. Every Sunday we used to bring her here for roast dinner in the winter, barbecue in the summer. On Saturday we brought her for sandwiches and cake. Then she ate well, often having seconds. The simple truth is she couldn’t be bothered to make a decent sandwich or cook a little meal, even though she was capable of doing so. Since she fell and also contracted a very mild dose of Covid, she has had to have carers in. She had resisted carers before because she thought my husband and I should be her carers. Now we order her shopping and the carers prepare her ready meals and feed her properly, and she is doing really well. She’s always been a stubborn woman and she was determined she wasn’t having carers because we could do it. Our next difficulty will come when after six weeks she has to start to pay for her carers. She has enough money and payment will not be a problem for her but she hates spending a penny if a halfpenny will do.
Some of you may be aware that I was hospitalised with Covid myself and I was very ill. I’m at home now but cannot do anything to help mum. We are not allowed in her sheltered apartment building because we both have had Covid, and in any case, I’m far from well enough to even leave my bedroom, never mind look after mum like I used to. Everything has changed, but I’m not sure if she really has taken it on board.
Really I just wanted to comment on the diet for the elderly. My mother is extremely elderly but also extremely stubborn. In some perverse way, her fall, her contracting mild Covid, and our own illness, contracted from her, has brought about a change that has been overdue for at least a year or longer.

Maddyone - just wanted to wish you well and glad you have carers looking after mum now ?

Maddyone, I am sorry that you have been ill with Covid and hope you soon feel better.
You have done well in looking after your Mum. Amazing that she has survived at all and conquered Covid given her restricted diet.

Not getting much of anything just now. My Friday am online shop was cancelled due to heavy snow and the next available delivery is Monday. Son poorly (not Covid thank goodness) neighbours shielding or not able to manage the icy hill so it’s been soup and beans minus bread and tea with dried milk. I think the delivery driver will get a very warm welcome unless we have more snow

Janeinswoth I thought the same. Just because you are having an 8 oz steak doesn't mean you are benefiting from having 8 oz protein.

My sister is 83, diabetic and is in the early stages of dementia. I know she does not stick to a sensible diet. I am locked in with extremely vulnerable husband. I order Wiltshire Farm Foods dinners for her which my son takes to her every week, in the hope she has at least one good meal a day. However, she doesn't always eat them and sometimes tells me she has ten in the freezer. There's only so much one can do!

My pea and ham home-made soup yesterday would have been full of protein----2 bowls and half a loaf

Also a low carber so eat more healthy fats and protein...do plenty of exercise and keep myself in a healthy weight range....

I am so glad to have read that article. Thank you janeainsworth. As we eat less in lockdown we need to keep up the quantity of protein and let carbs. go. I was having museuilli for breakfast, vegetable soup homemade for lunch and then a small plate in the evening of potatoes, meat and veg. With selection from a fruit bowl on the side. Recently I changed my breakfast to two scrambled eggs. I am pleased I did that.

I’m glad you’re found the article useful Emily.

Maddyone my best wishes to you for a good recovery. I do hope your mother sees sense and continues with her carers and her improved diet will benefit her.

I think part of the problem for older people is living alone. My late mother-in-law turned to microwaveable ready meals to some extent but, with no one to cook for, I think she felt redundant and couldn't be bothered to cook from scratch just for herself.