Seniors Hear Nutrition Information at Larchmont Library

Intrigued senior citizens of the Larchmont community had the opportunity to receive health advice from a professional Saturday at the Larchmont Public Library.
               
Nutrition for Seniors, a free event, was hosted by nutritionist Bob Blaufarb, who is the owner of fitness business called Integrated Health and Fitness—a Common Sense Approach. 

Blaufarb covered areas of concern for seniors who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle both physically and mentally for as long as possible. He  presented a slideshow that covered areas such as vitamin use, food consumption, exercise and mental clarity to try to get his message across to the listeners.

“The power to live is to be as healthy as you possibly can, but it’s up to you to be consistent with it,” Blaufarb said. “You paid your mortgage and your kids are grown. This is your time.”

The 45-minute slideshow started with Blaufarb’s background and physical attributes and then quickly progressed into slides dedicated to the importance of exercising and education of fats in food.

He noted that the misconception that all fat is bad for you is not accurate. He said that the essential fats found in food such as chicken breast are good fats while the saturated fats found in food such as French fries is harmful to the body.

Blaufarb followed up with some helpful safety tips for senior citizens that may prevent them from falling and injuring themselves. Some suggestions he made were to have a night light in your house and to not wear socks while walking on the stairs.

He also told the seniors to keep a checklist of things to remember, such as to turn off the stove, lock the door and turn the night light on.

The end of presentation concentrated on the labels located on the back of food packages and how food companies hide the amount of sugar that is actually in their product. Blaufarb gave examples with sugar cubes and two food products he had present to show his audience how much sugar is actually in the products they were eating.

The lecture had a strong impact on its viewers and their future approach toward their eating habits.

“It made you feel like you need to eat better and start exercising,” said Joan Glennon. 

The goal of this seminar was to show senior citizens that by forming healthy habits you can live a disease free and efficient life for as long as possible.

“You don’t need crazy habits,” Blaufarb said. “Go for a walk or go for a swim. It’s not hard, but does take commitment.”