What If I'm
Underweight?

Though discussions of diet usually focus on losing weight, some people have trouble maintaining enough weight. This sometimes happens to older people when they find themselves living alone. People who are underweight are often more susceptible to illnesses and don't recover from them as well as others. If you are concerned about weighing too little, try to

• eat three balanced meals every day, with foods from each food group.

• increase portion sizes of the foods you eat at each meal.

⚫ try new foods and ingredients to perk up your appetite.

• eat when you feel hungry. Keep healthy snacks handy for munching and don't skip meals.

• try milk, cocoa, or soup instead of coffee and tea, which have few calories.

• add milk, cheeses, and crumb toppings to casseroles, soups, stews, or side dishes.

Food Choice
Challenges

Some situations pose special challenges for making healthy food choices, especially snacktime, dessert time, and eating out.

Snacking

Americans, in general, are snackers and often substitute snacks for meals because they are quick and easy. Eating too many snacks that are high in sugar, fat, and salt can add calories without giving you important nutrients you need. On the other hand, nutritious snacks can help you get needed nutrients, especially if you find it easier to eat only small amounts of food at meals.

Some Tips for Making Desserts More Nutritious:

TRY

⚫ fruit breads made with whole-wheat flour. • fresh fruit, baked or broiled, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, or mint.

• pudding made with lowfat milk and less

sugar.

⚫ unsweetened fresh fruit topped with lowfat yogurt.

• rolled oat toppings for fruit crisps, instead of flour/sugar/butter crumb toppings.

• cookie recipes with less sugar and fat. ⚫ single-crust pies-try a crust made with 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs and 3 tablespoons of soft margarine.

ice milk, frozen yogurt, sherbets, sorbet, or flavored ices. When you do eat ice cream, try regular varieties rather than the rich super premium types, which are much higher in fat.

Eating Better When
Eating Out

More and more Americans are eating out, and older Americans are no exception. While you can't control the ingredients in the foods you eat in restaurants, you can choose wisely and eat moderate amounts.

The type of restaurant you eat in will determine what choices you can make. For example, cafeterias and buffets offer a variety of foods but no options for ordering foods prepared as you like. And restaurants offering "all-you-can-eat" tempt you to eat too much! Fast-food restaurants also limit your choices because many items are deep-fat fried or contain a lot of sodium. However, many chains now have salad bars, offering a healthful alter

native.

The key strategies to eating healthy in a restaurant are watching serving sizes so you don't overeat, choosing items that are low in fat, and asking for alternatives like lowfat milk and margarine when possible.

DID YOU KNOW???

Sugar means more than just white table sugar. It means all forms of caloric sweeteners, including brown sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, honey, and molasses. All contain calories but relatively few nutrients. It's okay to enjoy a sweet now and then --but if you're trying to cut calories, go easy.