As you care for your elderly loved one, like a parent, there are many aspects of her life you are now assisting in, from helping pay the bills, managing the housecleaning, running errands, and more. If you are also helping her stay as healthy as possible, you are probably encouraging her to stay active and eat well.
Older adults usually need fewer calories, but more nutrients, which makes it essential to eat nutrient-dense foods. That means staying away from “empty” calories, those foods that might taste great, but really don’t do a body well. To help your parent make healthier food choices, it all begins in the shopping process.
If your parent shops alone or has a home care assistance provider that helps her shop, starting with a list is a great way to ensure she gets foods that will benefit her health. To eat nutrient-dense foods across all food groups, your parent may need to make some changes in her food and beverage choices. Here are just a few suggestions.
- When looking for snack foods at the market, look toward snacks that are nutrient-dense, not calorie filled. That may mean scratching off that bag of chips from the shopping list, and replacing it with fresh veggies. Your home care assistance team can prep and clean fresh veggies to keep in the fridge for snacking, so it’s easy for your parent to grab some carrots and celery instead of opening another bag of chips.
- When wanting something sweet, your parent should try to stay away from fruit products with added sugar (like fig bars or sweetened yogurt). Instead, fresh fruit will be her best bet to have a sweet snack on hand. Try something new, like mangoes or Kiwis, if your parent is tired of apples, pears, and peaches.
- If your parent needs some bread, having her switch to whole-grain bread will give her more nutrients than white bread. Sometimes it can be helpful to have a home care assistance provider come along on shopping trips. They can read labels so your parent can discern what the truly healthy options are.
- For quenching her thirst, encourage your parent to shift away from sugary sodas and sweet teas. Instead, look for flavored waters, or even make her own flavored water at home. A home care assistance provider can slice up some fruit, like lemons or oranges. After that, put them in a nice cold pitcher of water in the fridge for your parent.
- Finally, try to stay away from fatty meats. Instead, add white meat, chicken, and fish to the shopping list for her proteins.
Small changes can make a big difference, so if you don’t have a total shopping list overhaul, it’s okay. Just change up one or two things and see how your parent tolerates it. Then move on to others once she realizes how much better she feels.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Home Care Assistance in Gilbert, AZ, or anywhere in the East Valley, please contact the caring staff at Legacy Home Care.
Call (480) 777-0070
Legacy Home Care has been serving the valley since 2007. We are family owned and operated with over 75 caregivers. We offer a customized care plan that includes services such as: Hourly Senior Home Care, 24-Hour Home Care, Dementia Care, Personal Care and Companion Care. Also ask us about our Veterans' Home Care program.
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