NewsInside this issue:> MakingtheMostofMealtimes (M3): Results are in! Page 2

> NutritioninDisguisePage 3

> SuperMenusinLong-Term Care: What’s Next? Page 3

> Exploring Beans for Healthy Aging Page 4

> A-HA takes the Stage at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Page 4

... and more!

Innovative agri-food and nutrition research for healthy aging

2017

New infographics feature Ontario-grown foods and howtheycanbenefithealth as we age

Weallknowhowimportantnutritionisforourhealth,butchoosing healthy foods can be a challenge. Every day new storieshitthemediaaboutthe

latesttrendsinhealthyeating,and it can be hard to know what informationtotrust.Agri-foodfor Healthy Aging (A-HA) has releasedfivenewinfographicstohelpolderadultsmakehealthychoices and add Ontario-grown foods–namelyapples,beans,berries,soybeansandeggs–totheir daily diet.

The infographics were developed byaresearchteamledbyA-HAresearchscientistAlisonDuncan,PhD,RD(Professor,HumanHealthandNutritionalSciences,UniversityofGuelph)andHilaryDunn(ProgramManager,A-HA).Eachinfographicfeaturesadifferentfoodandshares facts about aging and Ontario agriculture. The 1-pagers alsohighlightthenutritionalbenefitsofeachfoodandhowitrelates to health for older adults. Finally,easytipsareprovidedto encourage older adults to consumemoreofthesehealth-friendly foods.

Forexample,dippingappleslicesinnutbutterisagreatwaytogetin1servingoffruit,dietaryfibre,andaddalittleproteintoyourday. Beans are another great source of protein and dietary fibre,andpeopleoftenforgethow easily canned beans can be addedtosalads,soups,pastasoromelettes.Frozenberriesmakeconsumingthesedelicious,antioxidant-richfoodseasyallyear long.

A-HA’sfocusonpromoting ‘food-first’strategiesforhealthyagingismadeeasierwiththeabundance of Ontario-grown foodavailable.Therearesomanywaysolderadultscanbenefitfromthesenutrient-richfoodsandthiscollectionofinfographicshelpstohighlightthem.

The infographics are available online on the A-HA website (www.aha.the-ria.ca) and are formattedforeasyprintingandposting.Tolearnmore,pleasecontactHilaryDunnat hilary.dunn@uwaterloo.ca.

This project is supported by Agri-Food and Rural Link, the hub for knowledge translation and transfer for the OMAFRA-University of Guelph Partnership.

Promoting Ontario Agriculture for Healthy Aging

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Resultsareinfromanationalstudyexploringfoodintakeinlong-termcare

Forthepast2years,aresearchteamledbyA-HAresearchscientistHeatherKeller,PhD,RD,FDC (SchlegelResearchChairinNutrition&Aging,UniversityofWaterloo)hasbeenexploringwhatresidentslivinginlong-termcareeatandwhatfactorspromotebetternutrientintake.Informationwasgatheredfromover600residents,across32homesin4provinces(Alberta,Manitoba,NewBrunswickandOntario),andthekeyfindingsarein!

The research shows that:

• Thedailyfoodandfluidintakeofresidentsin the M3 study was low.

• The10nutrientsmostlikelytobebelow recommendationswere:vitaminD,vitaminE, folate,vitaminB6,vitaminK,vitaminB12, calcium,magnesium,potassium,andzinc.

• Residentswhoatefewercaloriesand proteinweremorelikelytobefemale,atrisk ofmalnutrition,ofolderage,consumedpureed foods,hadanumberofeatingchallengesduring mealtimes(e.g.,troubleholdingfoodinthe mouth,littleornointerestineating),and requiredsomebutnottotalsupportforeating.

• Residentswhoatemorecaloriesandprotein weremorelikelytoliveinamemorycare neighbourhood,needtotaleatingassistance, andreceivedperson-centeredcareatmealtimes (e.g.,theirpreferences,needsandvalueswere respected).

• Residentswhohadbetterproteinintake weremorelikelytoliveinhomeswithmore dietitiantime.

Making the Most of Mealtimes (M3): Results are in!TheA-HAteamisalreadyworkingawaytoaddresssomeofthesekeyfindings.Specifically,theteamistryingtomakemorenutritiousfoodstohelpimprovenutrientintake(seethearticlesonpage3),anddevelopingaprogram(calledCHOICE+)tosupportperson-andrelationship-centredpracticesatmealtimes.CHOICE+usesavarietyofstrategies,includingeducation,coaching,auditandfeedback,andincentives,tohelpteamsinlong-termcaremakemealtimesmoreenjoyableforresidents.

Oneofthekeycomponentsoftheprogramistoencourageself-assessmentofcurrentmealtimepracticesfollowedbydiscussionandgoalsettingtostartmakingchange.Tofacilitatethis,twotoolshavebeencreatedtohelpguideteammembersthroughreflectionandprovidetangiblegoalstowork towards. One tool focuses on the dining environmentincludingthephysicalspace,andtheotherfocusesonperson-centredpracticesandtheexperienceofmealtimes.Bothtoolsareformattedaschecklistswhereteammembersprovideasimpleyesorno,orratehowoften(i.e.,mostofthetime,sometimes,rarely)theythinkthey’veexemplifiedcertainpracticesoverthepastweek.

The tools are freely available on the A-HA website (www.aha.the-ria.ca/resources) for any long-termcareteamtouse.TheCHOICE+programisstillbeingresearchedasawholetoseehowthiscombinationofstrategiescontributestobettermealtimepracticesandultimatelyabetterexperience for residents.

Staytunedasthisexcitingworkcontinues!

The M3 research project was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Nutrition in DisguiseImprovingnutritioninlong-termcareisakeyfocusforA-HA,andateamledbyHeatherKeller,PhD,RD,FDC(SchlegelResearchChairinNutrition&Aging,UniversityofWaterloo)andLisaDuizer,PhD(AssociateProfessor,FoodScience,UniversityofGuelph)isexploringstrategiestoincrease the nutrient content of popular foods.

Theteamisconsideringanumberoflocally-sourced,nutrient-dense ingredients that arefeasibleforlong-termcarehomestopurchaseanduse(e.g.,squash). These ingredients are then incorporated into staple recipestodeterminehowmuchcanbeaddedwithoutaffectingthe sensory appeal and taste of the end product.

Todate,thefollowingrecipeshave been developed: banana ice cream,blackbeanandzucchini

brownies,applebananalentilmuffins,lemonpuddingcakes,andorangecranberrylentilmuffins.Themorepromisingrecipes will undergo nutrient profiling,furtherfeasibilitytestingincludingcostandabilitytoscale-upinalong-termcarekitchen,andofcourse,tastetestingwithresidentsand teammembers!

PreviousA-HAresearchhaslookedintodeveloping‘supermenus’forlong-termcarehomestoboostnutrition.‘Supermenus’containthesamefoodsthatarecommonlypreparedwithinlong-termcare,butcertainingredientswithinrecipeshavebeensubstitutedoraddedtoimprovethenutrientcontent.We’vehadpreliminarysuccessdevelopingrecipes,butthefeasibilityofthisstrategymustbetestedastherearemanystakeholderswhoinfluencemenuplanning(e.g.,foodproducersanddistributors,commercialfoodcompanies).

Thenextphaseofthisprojectwillinvolveinterviewswithkeystakeholderstobetterunderstandtheirattitudestowardthedevelopmentof‘supermenus’includingcurrent strategies and barriers. By understanding what has already worked and what challengesarisewhentryingtoimprovemenus,theteamwilldevelopa‘supermenu’includingacostandnutrientanalysistoensureitisfeasiblewithinthelong-termcareenvironmentandmeetstheneedsofallstakeholders.

This project is supported by OMAFRA Food for Health Research Program.

Thisprojectistakingplacein theResearchKitchenattheCentre of Excellence for InnovationinAginginWaterloo(A-HA’shomebase).Equippedwithtop-of-the-lineappliances,the kitchen enables the A-HA teamtodevelopandtestnovelrecipes tailored to the needs of older adults.

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Super Menus in Long-Term Care: What’s Next?

Like us on Facebook:fb.me/foodhealthaging

Follow us on Twitter:@foodhealthaging

Visit our website:aha.the-ria.ca

Agri-foodforHealthyAging(A-HA)wascreatedin2007throughtheeffortsofMaRSLanding,Schlegel-UWResearchInstituteforAging(RIA),andtheUniversitiesofGuelphandWaterloo.Asacollaborativeresearchandknowledgetranslationgroup,A-HAaimstorealizeopportunitiesforOntario’sagri-foodandhealthsectorstoimprovethehealthandwell-beingofolderadultsthroughtheinnovativeuseoffood.

Recipe Resource for Healthy Aging The Recipe Resource for Healthy Aging features over 50 recipes frombreakfasttosnackstomainsanddesserts.Eachrecipeismadewith Ontario-grown ingredients and includes facts about Ontario agriculture,cookingtips,andthehealthbenefitsastheyrelatetoaging. The resource is available online at no cost (www.aha.the-ria.ca/reciperesource),andhardcopies are available on a cost-recovery basis.

A-HA Takes the Stage at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair A-HAhitthestageatthe2016RoyalAgriculturalWinterFairtoshowcasetheRecipeResourceforHealthyAging.AlisonDuncan,wholedthedevelopmentoftheresource,wasjoinedbyChefCharmaineBroughtontowhipupaSalmonYogurtDip.Therecipe,providedbyDairyFarmersofCanada,iseasytomake,nutrient-packedandisagreatappetizerorsandwichfiller.Theaudiencegottotastetestthefinalproductandit was a hit!

Beansareanutritionpowerhouse,theyarefullofdietaryfibre,protein,anumberofmicronutrients,andarelowinfatandhavealowglycemicindex.Eatingbeansregularlyhasbeenshown to increase overall diet quality and reduce the risk of developinganumberofchronicdiseasesthatmostcommonlyappearinlaterlife(e.g.,heartdisease,diabetes).Theirnutritionprofileandhealthbenefitsmakebeans an easy choice to support healthyaging,yetmanyolderadultsaren’teatingthem.

AresearchprojectledbyAlisonDuncanhopestochangethat.Thestudyaimstofindoutolderadults’perspectivesonbeans–howmuchtheycurrentlyeatandwhatkinds,whatdotheyknow

aboutthemandtheirhealthbenefits,whatdotheystillneedto know and what encourages orpreventsconsumption.Byinterviewing older adults living inthecommunityandhavingthemcompleteanin-depthquestionnaire,we’llhaveabetterunderstanding of what strategies areneededtoimprovebeanconsumption.

Thisprojectwillalsoincludethedevelopmentofresourcesandaknowledgetranslationeventtosharethehealthbenefitsofbeansandstrategiestoeasilyaddthemintodailymeals.Thehopeistoestablishbeansasanutritiousstaple in older adults’ diets.

This project is supported by the OMAFRA

Food for Health Research Program.

Exploring Beans for Healthy Aging

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