December 23, 2024
It’s that time of the year again. The holidays are in full swing, families are coming together to celebrate, and cold weather has arrived. Most find that spending quality time with loved ones during the holidays is their number one priority. However, for the seniors in your life, boosting their immunity and preventing illness may be on their minds.
As we age, our bodies change how they respond to getting sick. Because of this, it is important to understand ways to boost immunity and prevent seasonal illnesses.
Tips to Boost Immunity
Boosting immunity starts with a balanced diet full of nutrients. While it’s always good to check that your senior takes supplements as their doctor recommends, ensuring that your family’s diet is filled with vitamin-rich foods will guarantee that everyone, especially your senior family members, is eating well this holiday. There are five vitamins found in food that can make a difference, and they’re most likely already in foods that are on your grocery list this season.
Zinc
It is crucial to eat foods rich in zinc. This vitamin is a building block for immune cells working well together. Add the following foods to your meals this December to increase zinc levels.
- Nuts like cashews, almonds, and pine nuts
- Meat like turkey breast and lean cuts of red meat like lamb
- Seafood like shrimp, oysters, and sardines
- Pumpkin seeds
- Legumes like lentils and chickpeas, even in small doses
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is probably the most well-known immune-boosting vitamin because of how beneficial oranges and other citrus fruits can be to learning. However, plenty of other fruits and vegetables are filled with Vitamin C. We recommend:
- Vegetables like green and red bell peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts
- Leafy greens like kale and spinach
- Citrus, especially oranges and grapefruit
- Other Fruits like kiwi and strawberries
Vitamin B6
This vitamin is a significant part of supporting your body’s reaction to biochemistry. Vitamin B6 ensures that white blood cells and T-cells can keep up their good work, protecting us from illness. Introducing these foods into a regular diet can boost virus-fighting cells:
- Fortified breakfast cereal
- Chickpeas
- Bananas
- Winter squash
- Meat like chicken and turkey breast, as well as beef liver
Vitamin E
Another great T-cell-boosting vitamin, Vitamin E, is a strong antioxidant. It should be noted that Vitamin E is best consumed in food rather than in supplements, as it can be harmful in some cases. The following foods are rich in vitamin E and would greatly enhance your holiday meal planning.
- Avocados
- Sunflower seeds
- Nuts, specifically almonds and peanuts
- Leafy greens like Swiss chard and spinach
- Other vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, and raw spinach
- Durum wheat pasta
Selenium
Finally, there is Selenium. This supplement is an effective balancer, assuring your immune system knows when to activate and when to calm down. Selenium is great for protecting your body from inflammation and chronic autoimmune diseases. What foods from the list below will you consider adding?
- Tofu
- Seafood like tuna, halibut, mussels, and salmon
- Brazil nuts, beans, and whole grains
- Mushrooms, specifically shiitake.
- Leafy greens
Hydration for Seniors
Additionally, confirm that your senior family member drinks plenty of water and avoids or limits their alcohol consumption this holiday season. The CDC recommends limiting adults to one drink per day for women and two per day for men. If possible, avoiding alcohol altogether is recommended.
What about Illness Prevention?
After all that groundwork on boosting the immune system, it’s time to prevent those nasty winter-time illnesses. Since the holidays bring families together, it’s crucial to take steps to keep your senior safe during big gatherings. There are a few quick ways to prevent illness while ensuring the whole family can celebrate together safely.
It’s Flu Season!
The first step to preventing illness is confirming that your senior is current on vaccinations. The CDC reported that during the 2019-2020 flu season, around 7 million people did not get the flu that year due to the flu shot. It’s not just influenza that vaccines can prevent; please consider COVID-19, pneumonia, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines to help prevent respiratory illnesses. The National Institute on Aging also recommends vaccines for shingles, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis for all seniors over the age of 50. Here are five other tips for flu prevention to consider.
Exercising for Seniors
Another step to preventing illness during the cold winter months is to find creative ways to stay active. It’s recommended that adults older than 65 get around 150 minutes of activity a week. Consider scheduling a daily walk around the block with your senior or inviting them to join the grandkids in their after-lunch game of hide-and-seek. Keeping active can get the blood moving and boost the immune system, and always keep in mind one thing: some activity is better than none.
Senior Mental Health
It’s also essential to take care of your mental health. The cold winter months can sometimes lead to isolation and loneliness, especially in seniors who have recently experienced the loss of a loved one or live geographically distant from their family. Help your senior cope with these common causes of holiday blues by encouraging social connection or picking up a new hobby. A great way to do that could be to help them find a book club or knitting circle to keep their mind as active as their body.
Smoking
Quitting smoking can be challenging, but it may be a key to ensuring a strong immune system that keeps illnesses out. After quitting smoking, blood pressure and heart rate begin to regulate and drop, allowing the heart to begin circulating correctly. Considering that many illnesses seniors should actively try to prevent are respiratory infections, improving lung function will make it easier for their body to fight. Additionally, even lifelong smokers can expect a decreased risk for cancer, COPD, and cardiovascular illnesses once they’ve quit smoking.
Whether you overhaul your holiday recipes with nutrient-focused foods, schedule your family for their vaccines, or plan a New Year’s race around the block (or all three!), protecting the health and wellness of the seniors in your life can ensure many more holidays in the future.
Preventing illness and boosting immunity for your senior loved ones is one way that Accessible Home Health Care is committed to ensuring that seniors can experience the holiday season to the fullest. We can also assist in the meal preparation process. Contact us now to learn more!
