Independent Living Archive

These heavily marketed liquid meals and nutrition shakes aren't always the best option for your health. Here's what you need to look for.

Supplemental nutrition shakes and drinks can be helpful for people who struggle with a loss of appetite, have difficulty chewing, have trouble preparing balanced meals, or are recovering from surgery or an illness. But these nutrition shakes aren't magic bullets for nutrition. "The danger is that people see a lot of minerals and vitamins and think more is better," says geriatrician Dr. Suzanne Salamon, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. "If you use the drinks as meal substitutes that might be okay. It's not okay to eat a full meal and then drink a supplement, unless the goal is to gain weight or stop weight loss. It's too many calories."

The nutrition drinks

Supplemental nutrition drinks provide a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrate, and fat. There are hundreds of varieties that fall into two general categories.

Having your sleep interrupted by the need to urinate (the medical term is nocturia) is a common cause of sleep loss, especially among older adults. Nearly two-thirds of adults ages 55 to 84 deal with this problem at least a few nights per week.

People with mild cases may wake two times a night; in severe cases, it may be as many as five or six times. The result can be significant sleep loss and daytime fatigue.

Fear can be a helpful signal; it can bring your attention to problems—such as a balance disorder, reduced vision, or muscle weakness—that keep you from moving confidently. But fear can also undermine you. Persistent worrying about a fall, if it's unwarranted, may cause you to limit your range of motion unnecessarily and avoid activities that you're capable of. It's estimated that one-third to one-half of older adults are concerned enough about potential falls that they have begun to restrict or avoid activities that would be beneficial for their health.

How can you build your confidence? If you don't trust yourself when walking, it's important to talk with your doctor to understand the cause of the fear. Is it a sign of a health problem — perhaps a vision problem or arthritis pain — that you need to address? Do you need a hip replacement or a new pair of glasses? Or are you worried about your sense of balance?

Make the most of your skin barrier to ward off certain types of disease. Hint: It pays to moisturize.

Picture it: You're the body's military commander, and you're reviewing your protective forces. Immune system? Check. Stomach acid? Check. Beneficial gut bacteria? Check.

Don't forget to include your skin: it's one of the most important bastions in the fight against disease, keeping harmful organisms and substances from getting inside the body.