Food for the Aged
Many people at the ages of sixty and seventy still lead an active life, while others retire from activity at forty-five or fifty. Therefore, the food must conform to the person’s mental and physical requirements. If the teeth are poor and the digestive powers are weak, the food should be light, consisting mainly of well cooked cereals, baked potatoes, rice, cooked greens, a small amount of meat, raw fruits and raw greens in combination with fatty foods, as salads, milk and buttermilk, toasted breads and soups. The total fuel requirement depends upon whether the individual leads a quiet or active existence. For a person who lives mainly indoors, and makes little use of the muscles of the arms, shoulders and trunk, 1000 to 1200 calories is sufficient for twenty-four hours. If more food is eaten than the body requires, the excess will manifest itself by the development of chronic ailments and obesity, or feeble-mindedness.
The morning and evening meals should consist of fluid and semi-fluid foods, or of toasted breads and salads. Meats, eggs (except the yolks), cheese, beans, peas and nuts should be eaten only during the middle of the day in small quantities. One can cut down his amount of food greatly by thoroughly chewing each morsel. The demand for protein at this period is small, while the amount of fat should be increased. A few sample bills of fare may be of assistance to those who wish to make a study of food requirements for themselves or for others.
Menus for the Aged
I. Breakfast
Apple salad with lettuce finely chopped, onion and mayonnaise dressing, bacon and crusts.
| Portion of food containing calories | ||
|---|---|---|
| Apple | 1 medium | 72 |
| Lettuce | ¹⁄₈ head | 5 |
| Onion | ¹⁄₄ piece | |
| Oil | 4 tablesps. | 100 |
| Lemon or vinegar | About 2 teasps. | 4 |
| Yolk of egg | 1 | 48 |
| Bacon | 2 ounces | 325 |
| Crusts | 2 | 50 |
| 604 | ||
Dinner
Clear soup with rice and egg. One lamb chop with sprouts, and one triscuit with butter.
| Soup | 1 cup | 100 |
| Rice (measured before soaking) | 2 tablesps. | 100 |
| Yolk of Egg | 1 | 48 |
| Lamb chop | 1 small | 100 |
| Sprouts | ¹⁄₂ cup | 20 |
| Butter sauce | ¹⁄₂ cup | 135 |
| Triscuit | 1 | 35 |
| Butter | 1 teasp. | 35 |
| 573 |
Supper
One large glass of buttermilk, kumyss, peptonized hot milk or Dr. Metchinikoff’s sour milk, with one slice of graham toast.
| Milk | 12 ounces | 247 |
| Graham toast | 1 large slice | 100 |
| 347 |
II. Breakfast
Raw cranberries and celery with olive oil, one slice of graham or whole wheat toast with butter and unsweetened black malt coffee.
| Cranberries | ¹⁄₄ cup | 10 |
| Olive oil | 2 tablesps. | 100 |
| Toast | 1 large slice | 100 |
| Butter | 1 tablesp. | 105 |
| Raw Celery | 2 stalks | 16 |
| 331 |
Dinner
Rice with cream or tomato sauce, eight almonds or one large zwieback with one level tablespoonful of almond butter and raisins.
| Rice | 3 tablesps. | 150 |
| Hot cream | 2 ounces | 115 |
| Almonds | 8 | 80 |
| Raisins (large) | 8 | 80 |
| 425 |
Supper
Calves’-foot and tomato jelly with graham toast or puffed wheat and milk or black malt coffee.
| Jelly | ¹⁄₂ cup | 50 |
| Puffed Wheat | 1 cup | 100 |
| Milk | 8 ounces | 165 |
| 315 |
III. Breakfast
Raspberries or strawberries, plain shredded wheat with cream.
| Raspberries | ¹⁄₂ cup | 30 |
| Shredded wheat | 1 | 100 |
| Cream | 2 ounces | 115 |
| 245 |
Dinner
Potato or apple salad, and lettuce with mayonnaise dressing, fish, black crusts and black coffee.
| Potatoes | 2 medium | 150 |
| Oil | 4 tablesps. | 400 |
| Yolk of egg | 1 | 48 |
| Lemon or vinegar | About 1 tablesp. | 5 |
| Raw onion (finely chopped) | ¹⁄₂ piece | 3 |
| Crusts | 3 | 75 |
| 681 |
Supper
Cook’s flaked rice gruel with hot cream, cream toast or vegetable cream soup.
| Flaked rice | 1 cup | 100 |
| Hot cream | 2 ounces | 115 |
| Hot water | 1 cup | |
| 215 |
IV. Breakfast
Cooked string beans with butter sauce and parsley, fried bacon and triscuit with butter.
| String beans (cut up) | ¹⁄₂ cup | 20 |
| Butter sauce | ¹⁄₂ cup | 135 |
| Fried bacon | 2 ounces | 200 |
| Triscuit | 1 | 35 |
| Butter | 1 teasp. | 35 |
| 425 |
Dinner
Barley soup with crackers, pea puree on toast, stewed prunes with cream.
| Barley | 3 tablesps. | 270 |
| Butter | 1 teasp. | 35 |
| Cracker | 1 | 25 |
| Pea puree | 2 tablesps. | 100 |
| Toast | 1 large | 100 |
| Prunes | 5 | 100 |
| Cream | 2 ounces | 115 |
| 745 |
Supper
Bran tea with cream. A piece of cake or a slice of light egg toast.
| Bran | ¹⁄₂ cup | 110 |
| Cream | 1 ounce | 58 |
| Egg | 1 | 60 |
| Soupstock | ¹⁄₄ cup | 25 |
| Butter for frying | 1 tablesp. | 105 |
| 358 |