If you’re reading this column over breakfast, good for you. Katherine Musgrave would be pleased.

Last week, Musgrave, registered dietitian for the Diabetes and Nutrition Center at St. Joseph Healthcare, emphasized the importance of breakfast for seniors. The body needs glucose in the morning, she said, and if it is not provided by food then it will be drawn out of tissues. This can cause damage to the eyes, brain and central nervous system.

If your breakfast is high in fiber, you are well on your way to better health.

As bodies age, fiber becomes more important because the alimentary track slows down which can lead to digestive problems. Twenty-five to 30 grams of fiber a day are recommended.

Along with eating breakfast and getting enough fiber, seniors need to be concerned with consuming the right amount of vitamins.

“Elderly people are most likely to be deficient in vitamin B12, which helps the nervous system and helps red blood cells carry oxygen to the brain,” said Musgrave.

“In fact, many elderly should probably take B12 as a supplement.”

Always check with your doctor before taking anything new or changing current behavior, she added.

Vitamin B12 can be found in lean and organ meats, milk, eggs and cheese.

Vitamin E can be found in oils and is important because it is an antioxidant. Seniors often do not get enough of this vitamin.

“Many older people are afraid of fat because of all the publicity about how it contributes to heart disease,” said Musgrave.

“However, canola and olive oils are healthful foods and recommended for seniors to provide monounsaturated fatty acids. A little olive oil is perfect to use when frying a piece of fish.”

Vitamin K, which helps in blood clotting, is produced mostly in the human intestine. It is also found in leafy green vegetables and oils. If you are taking an anticoagulant, check with your doctor before changing or adding anything new to your diet.

Many seniors complain of their sense of taste lessening. Zinc can help. Found in shellfish, zinc also aids in wound healing and is important for the proper functioning of immune system.

Malnutrition can be a problem for older persons because of reduced appetites, or an inability or unwillingness to cook nutritious meals.

Meals for Me, a program of Eastern Agency on Aging, can help prevent the elderly from becoming malnourished by providing well-balanced noontime meals daily.

“Meals for Me is a wonderful program,” said Musgrave. “I read the menus in the paper and they are always nutritionally sound. The meals are good for diabetic individuals also, because they are single servings where the portions are controlled, and the ratio between carbohydrates and protein is excellent.”

There are signs that indicate if an older person is becoming malnourished:

. Getting a lot of colds that linger.

. Having cuts that don’t heal well, or don’t heal at all.

. Dropping off to sleep frequently.

. Becoming too thin.

Musgrave recommends that seniors take a multivitamin, but she also warns of added mineral supplements. Iron is stored in the body, therefore can build up with a daily supplemental dose.

“And people don’t eat with their eyes enough. Presentation is important,” she said. “It just sends me when I see people keep everything under the sun on their dining room table. There is no room for the food. Have a real place setting and maybe a vase with flowers. Make it look nice. I have been a dietitian for 60 years, and I firmly believe if you don’t enjoy your food, your body will know.”

If you are not quite up to setting a pretty table, visit a Meals for Me dining room where they will do it for you.

For more information on senior nutrition, call the Diabetes and Nutrition Center at St. Joseph Healthcare at 262-1836.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging in Bangor. For information on EAA services or programs, call Marilyn or Chuck at 941-2865 or log on www.eaaa.org.