Food fortification is the process of adding nutrients to a food that the food would not naturally have.
For example, a banana is a good source of nutrients but it is not a source of protein. However, blend it with milk and the banana smoothie now has protein!
Food fortification can be helpful in older age. We know that older adults often have a small appetite. A small appetite increases the risk of not getting enough nutrients and therefore becoming deficient. By fortifying foods, you can increase the nutrition of each bite, without having to eat large amounts.
Simple steps such as adding milk powder to creamy soups and mashed potato and adding nuts on breakfast cereals and pasta are both cheap and effective. Another idea is to use milk instead of water when making soups and pasta sauces.
There are more suggestions on fortifying food in the resource “Food fortification – making every mouthful count”
