Nutrition Tips for Seniors and Their Caregivers
By Brenda Enright
Owner of Home Instead Kitchener-Waterloo
Our bodies need healthy diets at all stages of life. Seniors citizens in particular, benefit from consuming nutrient-dense foods that support their bones and muscles. It gives them the energy to stay active and sleep better at night. Healthy eating also helps aging adults maintain a healthy weight while preventing or lowering the risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Caregivers also benefit from eating healthy to keep up with their super-busy lives. Sometimes in all the madness of caring for your loved one, a professional home care worker can step in and ease the stress for both of you, ensuring healthy eating continues as it should.
Steps to Stay Healthy for Seniors and Caregivers
It is easy to overlook eating a balanced diet when food doesn’t have the same appeal, or you are constantly busy and hardly have time to relax at a meal:
- Focus on Nutritional Balance: Having the right amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, and minerals aid your body in maintaining its health and energy. Utilizing recommendations from Canada's Food Guide is an excellent place to start. They recommend eating certain foods regularly, such as quinoa, whole grain pasta, apples, carrots, legumes, and lean meats. When you set a plate before your senior, the goal is for it to be one-half vegetables and fruits, one-quarter proteins, and one-quarter whole grain foods.
- Include Essential Vitamins and Minerals: Our bodies need more of certain minerals and vitamins as we age. It’s vital that your senior, and even yourself, aim for the correct levels to keep your immune systems and bones strong:
- Vitamin B6 boosts the immune system and can be found in beans, meat, chicken, fish, and potatoes.
- Vitamin B12 is found in meat, chicken, fish, and milk products.
- Vitamin D is obtained through supplements and foods like cod liver oil, salmon, tuna, sardines, dairy, and plant milk fortified with it.
- Calcium strengthens bones and is found in dairy products, dark green, leafy vegetables, salmon, and figs.
- Iron helps provide oxygen to muscles and can be consumed from poultry, beans, leafy greens, and fortified breakfast cereals.
- Take Care of Yourself, Too: When establishing good eating habits for your aging loved one, don’t forget that you deserve to eat well, too. Meal planning will be your ace, as well as having some smoothies and snacks available. You also need nutrient-dense foods that will give you the energy to keep up with your busy schedule.
Focus on Health with Help from Elder Care Professionals
Ensure your senior eats well when you can’t be there. Hire the services of trained caregivers from Home Instead Kitchener-Waterloo, ON. Our team is well-trained to support you and your loved one. We tailor our home care services to your needs. Look to us for cooking, light housekeeping, personal care, and even Alzheimer's support. Contact us today and let us develop a personalized care plan for your aging adults.
Call us at (519) 571-1665 to schedule a no-obligation, in-home consultation. Learn more about the compassionate, quality senior care we deliver every day, to families in Kitchener-Waterloo, Breslau, Conestogo, Elmira, St Jacobs, and surrounding areas.