A complete recipe of nutritional porridge for the elderly

The core production logic of nutritional porridge for the elderly is actually very simple. In summary, it is "low GI, easy to swallow, easy to absorb, control sugar, salt and fat as the basis, and then adjust the ingredients to match the specific physical condition of the elderly." I worked as a cook in a community nursing home canteen for half a year in the past two years, and adjusted the porridge formula hundreds of times with the nutritionist. At least more than 200 elderly people have tried it. The 6 commonly used formulas I compiled basically cover the most common elderly needs such as diabetes, high blood pressure, weak digestion, postoperative recovery, calcium supplementation, and soothing the nerves. Novices with zero threshold can make it successfully in one go.

First of all, the most frequently asked question is whether elderly people with diabetes can drink porridge? In fact, the nutritional community has always had different opinions on this issue. One group believes that the GI value of white porridge (glycemic index, the higher the value, the faster the blood sugar rises) is as high as 83, which is a high GI food. Drinking it can easily cause blood sugar to spike. It is not recommended at all. ； The other group believes that as long as the ratio of ingredients is adjusted, the cooking time is controlled, and the GI value of porridge is reduced to the low GI range below 55, it can be drunk normally. We have tried the three-color quinoa and yam porridge countless times, which is a typical example of the latter. People with sugar can drink it without any problem: soak 15g of quinoa and 15g of oatmeal for 2 hours in advance, add 20g of japonica rice and 30g of diced iron bar yam in the pot with cold water, bring to a boil over high heat and simmer for 35 minutes, then turn off the heat. When drinking, you can sprinkle some dried osmanthus flowers to enhance the flavor, and there is no need to add sugar at all. Uncle Zhang, who lives in Building 7 of the cafeteria, has been suffering from type 2 diabetes for 12 years. He used to dare not touch a mouthful of porridge. Now he drinks this three times a week and his fasting blood sugar has been stable at around 6mmol/L.

Now that we have solved the most troublesome aspect of sugar control, let’s talk about porridge suitable for the elderly with high blood pressure and frequent lower limb edema. Many family members like to add pickles and pickled tofu to enhance the flavor when making porridge for the elderly. In fact, excessive sodium intake will aggravate edema and high blood pressure. Our winter melon, poria, shredded chicken porridge does not need to add additional salt at all. The fresh and sweet taste is enough: 30g of japonica rice and 10g of poria. Ling (grind into powder for better absorption, soak in advance and cut into small cubes if you don't want to trouble) first simmer for 30 minutes, then add 50g of thinly sliced peeled winter melon and cook for 5 minutes, finally add 15g of water, boil till soft and tear into thin shreds of chicken breast, stir it up, take it out of the pot and sprinkle some chopped green onion for flavor. Last month, there was an Aunt Li who was just discharged from hospital. Her legs were so swollen that she couldn't wear cotton-padded shoes. After drinking this porridge for three days, most of the edema disappeared. Of course, she must take medicine according to the doctor's instructions. The porridge is only an auxiliary to conditioning and cannot replace the effect of medicine.

If the elderly at home have bad teeth, weak digestion, and are often constipated, try millet, pumpkin, and white fungus porridge. This is the "popular king" in our canteen, and even toothless elderly people in their 80s can drink it. Be careful not to put too much pumpkin, 20g is enough, otherwise it will be too sweet and high in sugar. After soaking, 5g of dried white fungus should be cut into small pieces. It is almost in a puree state to avoid large pieces getting stuck in the throat. Add 30g of millet and 3 pitted red dates and boil it for 40 minutes. It will be sticky and can be swallowed without chewing. It contains enough dietary fiber and is especially useful for relieving constipation. Grandma Li, who lives in Building No. 3, used to use Kaiselu every week. Now she drinks half a bowl of it every day, and her bowel movements are basically normal.

Elderly people who have just undergone surgery and have low immunity and no appetite should not take ginseng and astragalus as a tonic. If the deficiency is not supplemented, it will easily cause problems. Mild Cordyceps Flower Lean Pork Porridge is just right. Boil 35g of japonica rice for 30 minutes. Chop 15g of lean pork into minced meat and use a little cornstarch to scratch it (it will be more tender and less woody when cooked). Add 5g of cordyceps flowers and 2 slices of ginger and cook for 10 minutes. Before serving, pick out the ginger and add a little salt to enhance the flavor. No other seasonings are needed. It is very fresh and even the elderly with no appetite can drink half a bowl.

There are also many elderly people with osteoporosis and calcium deficiency. Don’t always be forced to take calcium tablets. The calcium absorption rate of dried shrimps and spinach porridge is better than that of calcium tablets, and it tastes good. Note that the shrimp skin should be soaked for 10 minutes in advance to remove excess salt, and the spinach should be blanched for 1 minute to remove oxalic acid to avoid affecting calcium absorption. After 30g of japonica rice is cooked, add 5g of soaked shrimp skin and 20g of chopped spinach and cook for 2 minutes. No need to add additional salt, it will be very fresh.

If the elderly often suffer from insomnia and cannot fall asleep due to tossing and turning in the middle of the night, cooking a small bowl of lily, lotus seeds and millet porridge at night is much milder than sleeping aids and has no side effects. 10g of dried lily, 5g of lotus seeds with the core removed (must remove the core otherwise it will be bitter, the elderly do not like to drink it), add 30g of millet and simmer for 35 minutes. No need to add anything. It has a light rice aroma and is very warm and comfortable to drink.

By the way, there are a few pitfalls that everyone often steps into, so I’ll also mention them to avoid detours. Many people think that when making porridge for the elderly, you have to cook it as rotten as possible. In fact, it depends on the situation: if your teeth are particularly bad, or you have just had surgery and can only eat liquid food, it is okay to cook porridge a little bit. ； However, if the elderly have high blood sugar and healthy teeth, it is best to control the cooking time within 40 minutes, otherwise the degree of starch gelatinization will be too high and the rate of rising sugar will also increase. Don’t just add random supplements to the porridge, such as saffron, velvet antler, etc. Especially for the elderly with underlying diseases, it is best to ask the doctor before adding them. We have encountered family members adding wild ginseng to the porridge for the elderly. As a result, the elderly people’s blood pressure soared to 180 and they were sent to the emergency room. We really need to be careful.

When I prepare porridge for my parents, I always put each ingredient in a small sealed bag according to the portion in advance, one bag at a time. In the morning, I put it in the electric pressure cooker and select the porridge mode. Then I can drink it when I get back from get off work. It saves a lot of trouble. You can also try it. In fact, after all, there is really no "standard formula" for nutritional porridge for the elderly that must be followed. Some elderly people have been drinking white porridge with pickles all their lives and have no problems with their physical indicators. There is no need to be forced to drink multigrain porridge. When it comes to eating, in the final analysis, happiness is the most important thing. As long as the indicators are normal, the elderly can drink whatever they like, which is better than any nutritional formula.