We need to cover food appreciation during this month because this Mental Health Awareness Month and it’s on the calendar for today. One of the really important subjects connected to this is to also raise awareness about frailty in older adults A recently published Australian study about frailty in seniors found that we need to tackle every older person we can catch (which is all of them because they’re generally pretty slow) and force feed them beets, kale, and apple cider vinegar in large quantities.
Of course not! Actually, the study is a comprehensive consensus statement about the need for clear recommendations for preventing and managing frailty in community-dwelling old farts:
S.Chopra, I.Tornvall, N.Reid, et al., “Australian Consensus Statement on the Prevention and Management of Frailty Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Modified Delphi Study,” Medical Journal of Australia224, no. 5 (2026): e70182, https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.70182.
Seriously (for a moment anyway) the main recommendations are below with the dietary factors in bold-face type:
“Main Recommendations
- A lifelong approach to health promotion for frailty prevention should focus on raising awareness, annual screening (65+ years) and personalised counselling around accessible health behaviours to manage chronic comorbidities.
- An individualised, balanced, protein-rich diet is likely to be effective in delaying the onset of frailty. Protein–energy malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies should be identified and treated. A nutrition care plan that considers the relaxation of dietary restrictions aligned with goals of care should be planned for older adults with severe frailty.
- Progressive, individualised and ongoing exercise should be a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise, and balance and functional training tailored to frailty level and supervised by professionals.
- Social prescribing for older adults should be co-designed with a link worker to support meaningful, accessible and culturally appropriate activities that foster social engagement, with plans customised to the individual’s frailty level.
- A comprehensive, multidisciplinary medication review tailored to the older adult’s health status, preferences and frailty degree helps optimise medication use, minimise harm and support functional independence across all stages of frailty.
- Older adults with severe frailty need a regularly reviewed, personalised care plan, which involves carers in decision-making, supports advance care planning and ensures high-quality end-of-life care.”
It makes sense to make a strong effort to delay the onset of frailty in every way possible. Where dietary factors come in is to do your level best to avoid eating only Slim Jims and M&Ms. Bigfoot is not a role model.
You have to choose your foods carefully. There are all kinds of people out there who’ll tell you that sugar snap pea pods are edible. Don’t bet your life on it, as the scientific video below will prove. I guess you could prevent jaw muscle frailty by trying to chew them.
There are some who recommend slowing down your eating. I was born the slowest eater in the world (in fact that’s what one person called me a long time ago). The paradoxical thing in my case is that when I found out I’d gained 20 pounds after I retired 6 years ago, we started eating a lot less. Before that, Sena was always done eating way before I was. But after we started eating smaller and healthier meals, I caught up with her and I’ll sometimes be finished eating before she is. Figure that one out.
Anyhow, it’s my privilege to pass along to you the definitive guide to cooking by the chief chef himself, Red Green. Here’s to healthy eating!
Go Retire Psychiatrist 