Four Tips for Improving Your Senior’s Eating Habits

The nutrients your senior gets from her meals are a crucial part of keeping her as healthy as possible. If you’re starting to notice that she’s not making fantastic food choices, these tips can help quite a bit. Remember to read labels so you can watch for hidden ingredients, like too much sugar and salt.

Home Care Rolling Hills CA – Four Tips for Improving Your Senior’s Eating Habits

Talk to Your Senior’s Doctor

Your first step should be to talk with your senior’s doctor. Her doctor can help you to determine what types of foods are right for her current and possible future health issues. There might be specific foods, like grapefruit, that might interfere with her medications. Her doctor might also recommend working with a nutritionist to get even more detailed assistance.

Fruits and Vegetables Are a Key Component

A variety of fruits and vegetables is always a good option. Your senior gets nutrients like vitamins and minerals from fresh fruits and veggies. But there are also other benefits, like added hydration and fiber content that can be helpful, too. Frozen and canned vegetables and fruits are also good choices, but make sure you look at the ingredients carefully.

Whole Grains Are a Solid Addition

Whole grains are another good idea to add to your senior’s diet. You’re looking for whole grains because these foods are higher in fiber overall and they have more nutritional benefits than foods that aren’t made with whole grains. White bread, for instance, usually has a lot of the nutritional value of the wheat stripped away. Be aware of the difference between food labels, too. Some foods made from grain say that they’re “made with whole grains,” but that means less than it sounds like.

Don’t Completely Count out “Less Healthy” Foods

When you’re looking more closely at your senior’s diet, one mistake you don’t want to make is totally outlawing “bad” or unhealthy foods. If your elderly family member has eaten some of these foods for a long time, they’re likely favorites. Cutting them out entirely might make her feel like you’re punishing her and that’s not the goal of helping her to eat healthier.

One other factor that might be an issue for your senior is that cooking and cleaning up after meals can be a little much for her. If that’s the case, having home care providers taking over those tasks can help her immensely. She might even like her new way of eating.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Rolling Hills CA, please contact the caring staff at 1Heart Care Services today.