What do old people without teeth eat?

As the physical functions of the elderly decline, the gum tissue will gradually atrophy, and the teeth will gradually fall out. This has a great impact on the health of the elderly, because the chewing ability gradually deteriorates, which often easily causes gastrointestinal indigestion. Therefore, for elderly people without teeth, they must pay attention to eating more easily digestible foods, pay attention to timely supplementation of vitamins and proteins, and supplement calcium and iron.

What do toothless old people eat?

1. Pay attention to vitamin supplementation

The main part of oral soft tissue that bears the bite force is collagen fiber. Many elderly people experience varying degrees of gum tenderness when eating, which is mostly caused by vitamin deficiency. Vitamin C is essential for the formation of collagen fibers. If the body is severely deficient in vitamin C, it will cause scurvy, the main manifestation of which is bleeding gums. Although a small lack of vitamin C will not cause bleeding, it will affect the formation and repair of collagen tissue, causing atrophy or inflammation of the gum tissue in the toothless area. In addition, the lack of vitamin C weakens the oral tissue's ability to adapt to rough and hard foods, and excessive bite force can also cause certain damage to the soft tissue. Vitamin B deficiency can easily lead to atrophic glossitis and cheilitis.

2. Consume a certain amount of protein every day

The elderly need to consume a certain amount of protein every day. 75 grams for men and 65 grams for women are appropriate. Pay attention to choosing protein products that are easy to chew and digest, such as milk, eggs, broth, soft fish, etc., to promote metabolism in the body and improve the endurance of oral supporting tissues. The ease with which the protein in food can be digested and utilized by the human body varies from food to food. For example, the protein in oats is more difficult to digest than that in eggs. In general, since the amino acid composition of protein is close to that of the human body, the amino acids in animal protein are the easiest to digest and absorb, and its utilization rate can reach more than 90%. Legume protein is second (about 80%), and the absorption and utilization rate of cereals and other plant proteins is lower.

3. Enhance the absorption of iron and calcium

Eating more green vegetables, kelp, sesame paste, etc. which are high in iron can increase the hemoglobin in the blood and improve the common anemia symptoms in the elderly. Drinking more milk, soy milk, and pork rib soup, and taking a certain amount of vitamin D or cod liver oil can supplement the calcium needed by the human body and avoid symptoms such as bone decalcification and osteoporosis. A big part of the reason why the elderly have bad teeth is that they do not absorb calcium well and suffer from severe calcium loss, so they need to supplement a certain amount of calcium.

4. Eat more nutritious and easy-to-chew foods

Elderly people without teeth should eat foods that are easy to chew, easy to digest and nutritious. They can eat more broth, dairy products, eggs, soft fish and fruits. This not only allows the elderly to eat easily, but also prevents them from taking in insufficient nutrients due to lack of teeth to chew, thus causing malnutrition.

5. Chew slowly

The elderly have poor absorption ability, so they should chew their meals slowly. But what if the old man has no teeth? Elderly people who have lost their teeth should have their teeth filled, have dentures or have dentures installed as much as possible to improve their oral chewing function. Chew more when eating to increase saliva, use saliva to increase taste, use taste to increase appetite and promote digestion.