Reader (thuyhang130784@...): My mother suffers from hypertension, diabetes, and poor digestion…; she often cooks one meal and eats it all over several meals to save money. Is this practice safe, doctor? What kind of diet is suitable for my mother's health during Tet (Lunar New Year)?
- MSc. TRUONG NHAT KHUE TUONG : The diet and lifestyle of the elderly need careful attention to prevent their condition from worsening after the Tet holiday. The most important thing is that the elderly need to eat on time, with sufficient nutrients, and absolutely never skip meals. They should limit foods high in animal fat and saturated fat (cold cuts, frozen meat, sausages, banh chung, banh tet, etc.), limit salt intake and foods high in salt (pickled meats, pickled vegetables, etc.), as well as sweets and sugary foods.
The digestive system of the elderly is also easily affected by overeating. Therefore, the elderly can divide their meals into several smaller portions instead of three main meals, prioritizing soft, easy-to-chew, and easily digestible foods, and adding vegetables to make digestion easier. Remember to eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and drink 1.5-2 liters of fluids daily (including water, broth, and fruit juice).
Like your mother, many elderly people have a habit of saving leftover food from the Lunar New Year by storing it in the refrigerator, then reheating it and eating it again, sometimes even reheating it multiple times. Reheating leftover food repeatedly is unsafe for health and can easily cause food poisoning. Food easily loses nutrients and deteriorates when cooked for too long or reheated multiple times.
In addition, some types of bacteria can grow at low temperatures, so even if food is stored in the freezer, spoilage can still occur.
Readers with questions about health and disease prevention are welcome to send their inquiries to: Science and Education Department - SGGP Newspaper, 432 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City; telephone: 0916702027 or via email: thanhson@sggp.org.vn.
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