Improvement of diet quality is part of a public health strategy for health promotion, weight control, and prevention of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers (1).
Social support is associated with physical and mental health, and studies have linked social support to aspects of diet (2-4). Social support can be measured objectively by marital status, contacts with friends and relatives, religious membership and group associations, as well as subjectively through perceived emotional support and feelings of social isolation (5-6).
In 2014, 3 million households with seniors older than the age of 65 years experienced food insecurity, while 1.2 million seniors living alone were food insecure. Food-insecure seniors are at an increased risk for chronic health conditions; they are 60% more likely to experience depression, 53% more likely to report a heart attack, and 40% more likely to report an experience of congestive heart failure (7). These numbers will only get worse as the population ages; by 2025, the number of food-insecure seniors is projected to increase by 50% (8).
DeliverLean was born with a passion for health and with the intention of making eating healthy easy! Today, we are known for providing the best meal plans in the industry, while always keeping food safety and quality top of mind. And that’s the reason why our meals are fresh and never frozen!
Our latest development is our new Senior Meal Plan division. These nutritionally tailored meals are made to support the nutrition needed by older adults in an easy and convenient way. Your parents and/or older relatives no longer need to go grocery shopping or cook. With DeliverLean Care, healthy living is now accessible for everyone, whether they have been recently discharged from the hospital or simply needing an easy option and food security, we are always there for you, to lend a helpful hand when you can’t physically be there.
Count on DeliverLean Care meals to support the nutritional needs for your loved ones to regain health, maintain independence, and improve health outcomes while feeling socially supportive. Our 6 different meal plans, including general wellness, diabetic, low-sodium, vegetarian, pureed and kosher are just a few clicks away. Order your meals today at deliverleancare.com
Lina Marquez, RDN, LDN
1. US Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th ed. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/. Published December 2015. Accessed February 21, 2017.
2. Berkman LF, Glass T, Brissette I, Seeman TE. From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium. Soc Sci Med. 2000;51(6):843-857.
3. Conklin AI, Forouhi NG, Surtees P, Khaw KT, Wareham NJ, Monsivais P. Social relationships and healthful dietary behaviour: Evidence from over-50s in the EPIC cohort, UK. Soc Sci Med. 2014;100:167-175.
4. 5. Ferranti EP, Dunbar SB, Higgins M, et al. Psychosocial factors associated with diet quality in a working adult population. Res Nursing Health. 2013;36(3):242-256.
5. Berkman LF, Syme SL. Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: A nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. Am J Epidemiol. 1979;109(2):186-204.
6. Cho HJ, Seeman TE, Kiefe CI, Lauderdale DS, Irwin MR. Sleep disturbance and longitudinal risk of inflammation: Moderating influences of social integration and social isolation in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Brain Behav Immun. 2015; 56:319-326.
7. Building a Connection between Senior Hunger and Health Outcomes. Rinehart, Stefanie Winston et al. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Volume 116, Issue 5, 759 – 760.
8. Feeding America. Hunger in America 2014. http://www.feedingamerica.org/ hunger-in-america/our-research/hungerin-america/. Accessed January 23, 2016.