Seniors should be eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits like grapefruit. February is National Grapefruit Month which means it’s the ideal time to learn about the many benefits that seniors can get from making grapefruit part of their daily diet. Elder care providers can add it to their daily diet plan. However, before seniors start to eat grapefruit they should ask their doctors if they can have grapefruit with the medications that they are taking. Grapefruit can have a bad interaction with some medications. Seniors should always get a doctor’s ok before eating grapefruit.
Once they have been given the go-ahead to eat it, grapefruit has some wonderful nutritional benefits that elder care providers can incorporate into their diet like:
Weight Loss
Some studies have shown that eating grapefruit can actually help seniors lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Eating grapefruit before a meal can make seniors feel full and eat less. And grapefruit are full of fiber which can also increase feelings of fullness and keep seniors feeling full for hours. An elder care provider can prepare a grapefruit for your senior loved one’s breakfast or give them grapefruit as a snack. Eating grapefruit combined with a healthy diet and lots of exercise can help seniors lose more weight than they would lose with just diet and exercise.
Vitamins and Minerals
Grapefruits are packed with vitamins and minerals that everyone needs, especially seniors. Seniors often don’t get enough Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium, and Magnesium and all of those vitamins and minerals can be found in grapefruit. Grapefruit can help boost a senior’s immune system and help them avoid illnesses like colds and the flu. An elder care provider can make sure that your senior loved one is getting plenty of grapefruit during the winter months to keep your senior loved one’s immune system strong.
Lower Cholesterol
The antioxidants in grapefruit have been shown in studies to help lower high cholesterol in seniors. High cholesterol can be a serious condition for seniors, and it can contribute to other medical conditions too. Your senior loved one may still need medication if they have a high cholesterol but eating grapefruit regularly can help to lower and maintain cholesterol levels.
Healthy Blood Sugar
Obesity is something that millions of seniors struggle with. Food can have huge impact on blood sugar, either positive or negative. Grapefruit has a positive impact on blood sugar. It can help to safely lower blood sugar and it can help seniors maintain their blood sugar for a longer period of time. If your senior loved one is diabetic make sure that you or their elder care provider discuss with your senior loved one’s doctor whether or not it’s ok for your senior loved one to have grapefruit in their diet.
When adding grapefruit to a healthy diet seniors should always eat the actual fruit and not just have grapefruit juice. Bottled grapefruit juice often has sugar or sweeteners added which can dilute the benefits. It’s better for seniors to eat fresh grapefruit instead of having bottled juice.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Elder Care Services in Falls Church VA please contact the caring staff at Apex Classic Home Health Care today. (571) 275-9547
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