Your Mom Struggles With Hydration – Serve These Fruits and Vegetables
Dehydration in older men and women is a problem. In a 2017 survey, 56 percent of the seniors who answered the questions said they drink fewer than 6 glasses of water per day. Those people didn’t realize that dehydration can cause confusion, heart failure, or kidney failure.
The daily recommendation for water used to be 64 ounces or eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. That’s changed. Women are now urged to drink 91 ounces of water each day. Some of this can come from the foods you eat. If you eat fruits and vegetables with a lot of water, you cut down on how many glasses of water, tea, juice, soft drinks, or coffee are needed.
Hydration needs in the elderly are slightly different from a younger adult, but they still need to stay hydrated. If your mom isn’t one to drink water or other liquids throughout the day, you can help boost hydration by choosing certain fruits and vegetables.
Fruits With a High Water Content
With a water content of 90 to 92 percent, melons are the best fruit to pick when you’re looking to increase water intake. Watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe are all excellent choices. It’s easy to have them available for snacks, too. Remove them from the rind, take out seeds if necessary, and cut them into cubes. Put those cubes into refrigerator containers for handy snacks.
Strawberries also have a high water content at 92 percent. Grapefruit follow close behind at 91 percent. Stone fruit like peaches, apricots, and plums have plenty of water. Their counts are in the 85 to 87 percent range.
Vegetables With a High Water Content
Moving to vegetables, many have water contents of 90 percent or higher. Cucumbers and iceberg lettuce are highest at 96 percent. Celery, radishes, and zucchini are next at 95 percent.
After those, you move to tomatoes, both red and green, and green cabbage for water contents of 93 percent. Red cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, and bell peppers are next. Finally, spinach and broccoli are good choices with a water content of 91 to 92 percent.
If you’re worried that your mom isn’t staying hydrated, it’s time to research home care. You could have a homecare aide reminding your mom to have a snack, make her a smoothie, or get her to sip a glass of water. Call our homecare agency to talk more about your mom and her care needs as she ages at home.
Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5734130/
http://rrtcadd.org/resources/Advocacy/Water-Amounts-in-Fruits-and-Vegetables—Handout-Week-10.pdf
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Homecare Services in Forsyth GA please contact the caring staff at Angels of Mercy Private Homecare Services, Inc. today at 478-745-5111.
Angels of Mercy Private Homecare has been providing in-home care services since 2002 throughout the Macon and Middle Georgia Area.
Angels of Mercy Private Homecare Services provides in-home care that improves the lives of the clients. Our services help them maintain the highest possible level of independent living. We provide In-home private duty care and care management services for seniors throughout the Middle Georgia area.
Our CNA (certified nursing aides), caregiver, and companion services allow our clients to age in the place where they feel most comfortable and secure - at home. Combine our Home Care Services, with our Geriatric Care Management component, and we provide the most comprehensive assistance for the Middle Georgia areas seniors.
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