Community Corner

Huntley Seniors Learn About Nutrition

Dietitian helps seniors make healthy choices.

Seniors often say things don’t taste the same.

It is not their imagination. Taste buds change as we age, leaving seniors tasting bitter, sour or sweet only. It is a reason seniors often get a sweet tooth, said Pat Schwartz, a registered dietitian.

A sweet tooth, though, doesn’t mean seniors can indulge, she said.

Find out what's happening in Huntleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Seniors need to watch their calorie intake, since they are not as active as they use to be, Schwartz told Huntley-area seniors Tuesday.

Heritage Woods Huntley invited Schwartz to speak at the Grafton Township Bingo and its residence facility on Regency Parkway.

Find out what's happening in Huntleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Renee Swanson, of Heritage Woods, started offering lectures at the Huntley Area Public Library recently on senior health. The lectures were a success, so she branched out, holding lectures at the Grafton Township Bingo and Heritage Woods.

Heritage Woods provided waffles with sweet toppings at the Grafton Township Bingo. While the toppings, like chocolate and whipped cream, weren’t necessarily nutritious, Schwartz said it is OK to indulge occasionally.

 Schwartz gave seniors advice on everything from salt intake to not eating citrus with cholesterol medications.

The key to staying healthy late in life is cutting down on calories because seniors are less active, she said. Seniors also have to deal with chronic conditions and may take multiple medications.

What seniors do need is more calcium, especially women.

Schwartz is a consultant with Health Technologies and works with six other Heritage Woods communities.

She is a firm believer in not denying seniors food. It is all about moderation and making good food choices, she said. “None of us live that way (following a strict diet). If you eat right most of the time, you can enjoy a day like today and can put all kinds of toppings on waffles.”

Other tips she offered:

  • Eat two servings of fresh fruit each day
  • Eat more vegetables, whether frozen, canned or steamed.
  • Eat dairy products to help bones and ward off fractures
  • Think about portion size
  • Exercise daily.

Taste buds fade as we age, Schwartz said.  Seniors end up being able to taste bitter, sour and sweet things but nothing else, she said.

“As we tend to age, we are on a variety of medications which can make a difference in how we taste. Medications can make a bitter taste come out stronger than before. Sometimes we get a little metallic taste in our mouth.”

Seniors had questions about salt and managing diabetes, she said.

Salt is an acquired taste, she said. The more you taste, the more you eat, the more you want, she said. If seniors are worried about salt intake, cut down on items like processed foods and ice cream, which is one of the saltiest items around, she said.

Substitute salt is fine but not a good idea if a senior is on blood pressure medication, Schwartz said. The potassium can counter the medication, she said.

 “You need to make sure, you talk to your doctor and your pharmacist” before trying substitute salt, she said.

Swanson hopes to create a senior health lecture series that explores other topics.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here