Collin County Living Well Magazine Winter 2013 | Page 17

Smoothies, Senior Health and You

By Eric Lindsey

A

s a senior living provider for
over 15 years, I have seen many
fads come and go. Wonder drugs,
anti-aging tools and healthy “ideas” that
at first glance look promising, but as time
progresses, fall short of producing results.
Our health, or in my case, my residents’
health, is a very important subject and can
be influenced in a variety of ways. In looking at the basics of healthy living, nutrition
and exercise were the key topics. I turned
my focus towards nutrition and common
sense approaches. If we could change the
intake of our foods to healthier options,
then better health was sure to follow. Then,
taking it one step further, if we changed
the intake process and made it taste great, it was more
likely to succeed and be a true change for the long term. So,
smoothies came into focus.
Taking fruits, vegetables, nuts, water, and other “good
for you foods” and blending them all up into a convenient,
portable, great tasting meal. This relates dramatically to
aging and senior health. As you age you are increasingly
subjected to medications that “leach” your system of good

nutrients and hydration. Just read the side
effects.
Additionally, taste buds and appetite
change. This often results in seniors consuming “not so good for you” items in an
effort to offset the decrease in taste enjoyment. Also, remember the “drink eight,
eight ounce glasses of water a day” suggestion? Well, I know very few people who
actually accomplish this and then when
you add medications that increase fluid
excretion, this causes dehydration on the
cellular level.
By drinking smoothies you increase
your absorption of “micro-nutrients” and
essential fluids or water. At Villagio Senior Living, we simply added Café Fresco
Smoothies to our menu twice per day. This supplements our
restaurant style meals with quality nutrition that tastes like
an ice cream dessert or snack. It tastes great, is easy to enjo