Dietary resilience as described by older community-dwelling adults from the NuAge study “If there is a will – there is a way!”

Many older adults experience age-related changes that can have negative consequences for food intake. Some older adults continue to eat well despite these challenges showing dietary resilience. We aimed to describe the strategies used by older adults to overcome dietary obstacles and to explore the key themes of dietary resilience. The sample was drawn from the five-year Québec Longitudinal Study “NuAge”. It included 30 participants (80% female) aged 73–87 years; 10 with decreased diet quality and 20 with steady or increased diet quality; all had faced key barriers to eating well. Semi-structured interviews explored how age-related changes affected participants’ experiences with eating. Thematic analysis revealed strategies used to overcome eating, shopping, and meal preparation difficulties. Key themes of dietary resilience were: prioritizing eating well, doing whatever it takes to keep eating well, being able to do it yourself, getting help when you need it. Implications for health professionals are discussed.

► Dietary resilience is a new concept that explains how some older adults eat well despite age-related changes.
► Quantitative longitudinal data were used to identify participants for this exploratory qualitative study.
► Food-related motivation was found to be a key to dietary resilience.
► Availability of formal and informal support and the willingness to draw on supports may contribute to dietary resilience.
► Maintenance of pleasure in eating and food-related activities may help to preserve interest in eating among older adults.