'Tea and Toast Syndrome' leads to loss of wellness and muscle in seniors

Food Nutrition & ScienceMar 1 2011

Elderly people who live on their own that don't prepare whole meals or don't know how tend to dwindle their intake to "tea and toast" at the expense of vital nutrients and their health, according to an article published in the February issue of Food Nutrition & Science.  

According to Nutritionist Ellie Wilson, MS, RD of Price Chopper Supermarkets, "Tea and Toast Syndrome" leads to reduced calories and a gradual loss of wellness and muscle due to poor protein intake.  Wilson says research is showing that snacking may be a great way for seniors to meet their needs.

"As the Baby Boomers continue to age, we need to provide them with counseling and resources on easy foods with a higher nutritional value such as bananas, cheese sticks or low-fat flavored yogurt," says Phil Lempert, founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com.  "This provides an opportunity for supermarkets and retailers to work directly with their customers to help them navigate the market to find easy, affordable and healthful solutions."

Also in the February edition of Food Nutrition & Science, a recent report from Pulse Canada found that food companies are working toward a more consistent measurement technique for sustainability and that primary agriculture has a role to play in finding these solutions; an update on the use of pesticides in food and the health effects on farm workers and their children; and an article on how Heinz, a $10.5 billion global company that employs approximately 32,500 people is implementing a global sustainability initiative.

"With the continued increase in oil prices and food costs and the environmental issues that directly affect food supplies, it's imperative that all farmers and food companies work to create sustainable models that will help remedy these situations," says Lempert. He adds, "We continue to examine and write about sustainability because it's imperative to our future."

February's Food Nutrition & Science also contains an interview with Tim Zweber, co-owner and operator of Zweber Farms, a fourth generation dairy farm that transitioned to organic certification in 2007 and shipped their first load of certified organic milk under the Organic Valley label in 2008. Zweber Farms also direct markets grass-fed beef, natural pork and pasture raised chickens.

Also Chef Eric Greenspan, who opened The Foundry on Melrose in Los Angeles to rave reviews, discusses the importance of "humanizing" the fine dining experience.