National Nutrition Month: Go Further with Food
Whether it was via a pyramid or plate diagram, most of us were taught that we should “eat the rainbow” every day in order to get the recommended daily amounts of vitamins, minerals and health benefits from our food. And most of us take for granted that we have easy access to fresh produce and balanced meals. We have options. We don’t think twice about the food choices at our fingertips.
Now imagine if you were living on just a few dollars a day. Would fresh produce or balanced meals be at the top of your list of concerns? Probably not. You’d likely be more worried about paying rent, affording medications, maybe getting to and from work or appointments. That’s the reality that many of our senior clients are living. Many of them can’t afford fresh foods or balanced meals with most of them living on less than $1,200 per month.
Access and Affordability
According to the Elder Index, 37% of San Diego’s seniors lack the income to cover their most basic needs, including food. Many seniors skip meals, run out of groceries, or are forced to settle for cheaper options that lack the vital nutrients they need to stay healthy. Research shows that congregate and home-delivered meal programs effectively improve malnutrition and poor health outcomes for low-income seniors. In the most recent survey of Older Americans Act nutrition program participants, 74% of participants indicated their health had improved because of the meals and 80% reported the program kept them independent.
Helping Seniors Stay Healthy, One Meal at a Time
Fortunately, many of the chronic diseases older adults face are preventable through healthy eating. Since its founding in 1970, Serving Seniors has served more than 17 million nutritious meals, developed in partnership with a registered nutritionist and optimized for the nutritional needs of older adults, and has seen first-hand the beneficial effects of reliable access to healthy food. Between congregate dining sites and home-delivered meals, we serve over 1.1 million meals a year.
The meals we serve accommodate a variety of dietary needs, including low-sodium and low-fat diets, and are often the only source of food for San Diego seniors who would otherwise go hungry. And the benefits of a healthy diet are profound: increased mental acuteness, resistance to illness and disease, faster recuperation after illness and medical procedures, higher energy levels and more.
So Much More Than Meals
Serving Seniors’ nutrition program provides much more than food and senior-specific nutrition education – it brings seniors, most of whom live alone, together for camaraderie. This socialization is invaluable to our clients. In almost every case, our seniors tell us that they keep coming to our Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center for the companionship as much as the meals, and that the combination of friendship and healthy food has helped them remain healthy, active and independent. They join walking and hobby groups, take fitness classes, attend cooking demonstrations, play games, learn how to use computers and much more.
You (and Your Taxes) Benefit From Healthy Senior Neighbors, Too
Healthy people use fewer expensive public resources, such as ambulance transport and emergency room care. When nutritious food has been proven to be as important as medicine, especially for older adults, it makes financial sense to help our elder neighbors stay healthy in the first place. After all, as a supremely wise man once said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
In honor of National Nutrition Month, please consider supporting Serving Seniors’ Nutrition Program.
