No. 1 nutritious rice noodles for the elderly

At present, there is no universal "No. 1 nutritional rice noodle for the elderly" in the domestic market that is suitable for all elderly people. If divided according to actual adaptation scenarios, the first echelon for the elderly with dysphagia/surgery recovery period is the Jiangzhong Anke high calcium and low GI swallowing adaptation model. The first choice for diabetes patients and the elderly with high blood sugar is the Wugumofang no-added sucrose prebiotic model. For ordinary elderly people who supplement daily nutrition at home and pursue cost-effectiveness, Nestlé Yiyang middle-aged and elderly nutritional rice noodles are the most suitable.

I have been volunteering for nutritional catering at a community nursing home for three years. I have helped 20 or 30 households pick up nutritious rice noodles. To be honest, at first I thought it was just ground grains. How big of a difference can it make? It wasn’t until Grandpa Liu at the inn last year that he choked on his family’s homemade millet noodles and went to the emergency room that I really understood the ins and outs of this.

Let’s talk about the one from Jiangzhong. Previously, the 82-year-old Aunt Zhang suffered from dysphagia after a cerebral infarction. She choked when she ate watery rice noodles and couldn’t swallow when she ate dry ones. Her children bought several kinds of ordinary rice noodles, which were either too thin and easy to choke, or too thick and sticky in the throat. Later, they changed to this one from Jiangzhong, which was specially added with edible thickeners that meet national standards. The paste that comes is in a uniform gel shape and does not scatter or clump. Aunt Zhang has been drinking it for almost ten months and has never choked again. Moreover, its GI value is only 41. Even the elderly with high blood sugar can drink it. The only disadvantage is that it is one-third more expensive than the ordinary version. If the elderly have no problem swallowing, there is really no need to spend this wasteful money.

Many elderly people have asked me before if people with diabetes can drink rice noodles. I usually just recommend the one from Wugu Mill. The first three ingredients on the list are oat flour, quinoa flour, and yam flour. They don’t even include refined rice. The sucrose content is 0. Fructooligosaccharides are also added to help regulate the intestines. The 71-year-old Uncle Li has diabetes for 12 years. In 2017, I used to buy off-brand sucrose-free rice noodles for cheap, and my blood sugar soared to 11 two hours after eating. After switching to this product, I tested it several times, and my blood sugar after meals was stable between 7.5 and 8. He now makes a bowl every morning, and likes to add a spoonful of self-fried sesame seeds. He says it is much more convenient than making porridge.

If the elderly have no underlying diseases, but are too lazy to make porridge and want to find a convenient nutritional supplement, there is really no need to buy something too expensive. The Nestlé Yiyang one is enough. It contains 800mg of calcium per 100g and is also added with vitamin D to promote absorption. Several grandmothers in our post station who always complained about leg cramps after drinking it for more than half a year said that the number of cramps has decreased a lot recently. A large can is only over 50, which can last for a month, and is very cost-effective.

Oh, by the way, some people must be trying to raise the issue, saying that commercially available rice noodles are all filled with additives, so how can they be as good as grinding them at home? I really don’t refute this. If the elderly at home have good teeth and no problem swallowing, you can use brown rice, yam, and millet to make powder yourself, and add some walnuts and red dates when boiling. It is clean and tastes good. Isn’t it better than any other brand? However, there are two issues that need to be paid attention to. First, the trace elements of homemade rice noodles are not enough. If the elderly are deficient in iron and zinc, they still have to be combined with commercially available nutritionally fortified rice noodles. Second, the consistency of homemade rice noodles is difficult to control. If the elderly have dysphagia, be sure not to make it randomly. It is not a trivial matter to choke in the trachea.

There is another pitfall that I have to remind everyone, don’t believe the “number one in calcium content” and “number one in complete nutrition” advertised in the live broadcast room. Last time I specifically checked the ingredient list of a certain Internet celebrity model, and the second-ranked product was white sugar. The calcium content is not half as high as that of Nestlé, and it is sold at twice the price. It is purely IQ taxed.

To be honest, when we buy things for the elderly, we really don’t need to worry about the “number one” gimmick. What is your elderly person’s physical condition, what kind of food they like to eat, and what is their budget. Based on these three choices, the one you choose will be your family’s “number one”, which is more reliable than any third-party ranking.