If your elderly family member hasn’t been too excited about meals and food in general lately, you might have to shake things up a little bit. These tips can help you to land on a healthy meal plan that is also appealing for your senior.
Choose Foods from the Main Food Groups
When you’re helping your senior to plan meals, look for foods and recipes that pull from all of the major food groups. This is going to help your senior to eat as balanced a diet as possible. Fruits and vegetables should make up the bulk of what she’s eating, but lean protein is important for maintaining muscle mass. Foods like poultry and fatty fish are excellent choices. Don’t forget whole grains, too, like whole wheat and brown rice.
Add Variety as Much as You Can
As you’re choosing foods from different food groups, look for other types of variety, too. Eating “from the rainbow” is a great way to eat a lot of different types of produce, which means a variety of different nutrients, too. Also, keep in mind the textures that appeal to your senior most in her food as you’re planning her meals.
Try to Include Favorite Foods When You Can
Some of your senior’s favorite meals and snacks might not be great for everyday consumption. That doesn’t mean that she can’t ever have them, though. Eating these types of foods in moderation might be an option. Another option, especially when a specific cooking method is completely off the table, is to find something that is a little closer to the flavor. This is one of the reasons that air frying has gotten so popular, for example. It gives the same crispy texture, but without the food being immersed in oil and grease.
Make Eating Aesthetically and Socially Pleasing
When your senior looks forward to eating, that’s a wonderful thing. Do what you can to make the experience visually appealing to her. Choose plates and table settings that she enjoys. Find kitchenware that she likes seeing used. If you’re not able to have meals with her, consider hiring elder care providers to offer mealtime companionship.
It can be tough for your senior to adopt new ways of eating, especially if she feels she’s being forced to do so. Talk with her about the reasons behind some of the choices and decisions she’s having to make right now. She may feel better about some of them as she starts to see big results.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Elder Care in Palm Beach County, FL please contact the caring staff at Elite Senior Home Care today. (561) 570-6613
