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Senior Nutrition – How to Make Sure Your Elder Loved One Is Eating and Enjoying Healthy Meals (Infographic)

Thursday, September 10, 2020 - by Giovana
Senior Nutrition - How to Make Sure Your Elder Loved One Is Eating and Enjoying Healthy Meals featured image

As we age, the process of grocery shopping, cooking food, eating alone, and then cleaning up the kitchen can seem overwhelming. In addition to that, our appetites naturally decline as we get older and mealtimes may become more of a chore than a pleasure.

Senior Nutrition - How to Make Sure Your Elder Loved One Is Eating and Enjoying Healthy Meals-01 homecare4u infographic

Signs That a Senior Is Not Eating Well

  • Changes in Weight – Most people associate poor senior nutrition with weight loss, but it is important to understand that a person can be overweight and still be malnourished. Some fluctuations in an older adult’s weight are to be expected, but rapid and/or unintentional weight loss is a cause for concern.
  • New or Worsening Health Issues – Changes in health due to undernutrition is often subtle, look for symptoms like low energy levels, increased falls, inability to stay warm, confusion, slow wound healing, digestive issues, and problems with chewing or swallowing.
  • Poor Food Choices or Insufficient Food Supply – A senior may have plenty of food in their kitchen, but the type and quality of items they consume are important. An excess of processed foods is a cause for concern.

Many find that their aging loved one does not care much about food anymore and they are almost apathetic about what is served for dinner each night. However, proper nutrition is crucial for good health, encouraging a loved one to participate in and enjoy meals comes down to combining three basic rules and a few quality ingredients.

 

3 Strategies for Helping a Senior Gain and Keep a Healthy Weight

  1. Find foods that are easy to eat and digest.
  2. Make sure these foods are nutritious and high in calories and hydrating.
  3. Prepare and serve these foods so that your loved one will look forward to every meal.

 

Eating healthily does not need to be an arduous task. Curating a collection of reliable recipes, ingredients, and simple cooking tips can take some time and practice, but these things can also empower you to make healthy choices every day. To make it easier here is a list of ingredients to revolve your recipes around:

 

5 Healthy Foods That Promote a Healthy Weight

  • Nut Butters
  • High Water Content Fruits and Vegetables
  • Full-fat and Low-sugar Dairy Products
  • Potatoes and Whole-grain Starches
  • Rolled oats (plain oats allow for more control over sugar and calorie content)

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