By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Updated: May 9, 2020 2:20:31 pm

Make sure your mother consumes a healthy diet. (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

A mother showers all her love and care for her children and works hard to make sure that all their needs are met. However, once we grow up to become independent, we sometimes fail to notice that our mother is ageing as well.

Have we ever given a thought to what she eats all day? While trying to give us a nutritious meal, has she been able to meet her own requirements? Though age is just a number, it still brings with it several physiological, metabolic and psychological changes in our body, explained Dr Meghana Pasi, nutrition consultant with Arogya World’s MyThali program. Some of these are:

*Decline in physical activity, reduced digestion and metabolism, and decreased immunity.
*Obesity among older adults puts them at the risk of chronic degenerative disorders like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
*Women are more prone to lower bone mass due to pregnancy, childbirth and later menopause, resulting in depletion of bones. The estrogen hormone, (responsible for maintaining bone density) drops considerably leading to a higher risk of osteoporosis.
*Muscles lose size and strength leading to fatigue, weakness and reduced tolerance to exercise.

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Does this remind you of any complaints that your mom has had? Observational studies provide evidence that adopting a healthy lifestyle i.e. a nutritious diet combined with physical activity are associated with a reduced risk of premature death due to degenerative disorders. Help your mom stay healthy by making right food choices and eating a balanced diet. This investment will make a difference in the long term, said Dr Pasi.

Below is a daily food calendar

Put a personal note for your mom, print it out and gift it to her on Mother’s Day!

Make sure your mother has a healthy start to the day. (Source: Getty Images)

*Include all five food groups: cereals/grains/millets, pulses/dals/legumes, egg/meat/fish, milk /milk products, fruits and vegetables in your meals which provide carbs, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibre.

*Do not skip breakfast and have it ideally between 8 am and 9 am. Have idli/dosa, poha, veg parathas, eggs, salad, milk, cereals, fruits etc. These will provide complex carbs, proteins and fibre.

*Mid-morning meal should comprise of a handful of nuts and one fruit at 11 am.

*For lunch at 1 pm, make your thali by including salads, curd, veggies, dal and chapatis/rice. Include green veggies which are seasonally and locally available.

*Munch on a bowl of fruits, roasted chana, and peanuts over cookies, chips or samosas, with tea as evening snack around 5 pm.

*Make your dinner by 8 pm light with bisibele rice with curd, dal rice or khichdi and vegetable or soup with pulao.

*At bedtime, have a glass of warm milk with turmeric. This not only helps you get good sleep but also boosts your immunity.

*Hydrate. Do not forget to have 2-3 litres of water every day. Coconut water, lassi, buttermilk, green tea, lime juice are good options to beat dehydration.

Foods to avoid

*Red meat, refined processed and packed foods, oily and sweet foods, pickles, papads, namkeens.

Foods to include everyday

*Protein-rich foods: Pulses and legumes, milk, and its products, soybean, eggs, lean meat, and nuts.
*Calcium-rich foods: Almonds, milk and milk products, green veggies, legumes, fish, and oil seeds
*Vitamin D: egg yolk, green veggies, fatty fish and seafood, milk, vitamin D supplements

These nutrients help in improving bone health, muscle recovery and increase immunity. Make sure to have:

*1gm protein per kg body weight
*600mg calcium per day
*600-800 IU vitamin D per day

*Exercise, go for walks. Expose yourself to sunlight for sufficient vitamin D.
*Join a yoga class (online for now), play with your grandkids, do strength training 30 minutes everyday.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers who have tirelessly and selflessly worked for building a better generation.

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