As people age, eating healthily becomes increasingly important. Good nutrition can increase life expectancy and contribute to mental alertness. Seniors who need home care have often cultivated unhealthy tendencies based on years of bad eating habits. Even if a caregiver is not a nutritional expert, there are a few ways they can help encourage healthy eating.
Meal preparation
Home care services are able to encourage healthy consumption of whole foods by preparing meals and purchasing the freshest groceries. They will avoid processed foods and replace them with healthy, whole ingredients. Preservatives contain excess levels of sodium and are not good for managing illnesses such as high blood pressure. Unhealthy, greasy snacks can be replaced with fresh yoghurt and lightly salted nuts. Caregivers will gently guide your loved one away from unhealthy alternatives and build good eating habits.
Awareness Of Doctor's Recommendations
Seniors can be notoriously stubborn when it comes to carrying out doctor’s recommendations. A caregiver will be aware of the nutritional consequences and remind them not to eat certain foods. Sugar and salt are both difficult substances to give up if you have been consuming them your entire life, but a caregiver will provide alternatives to make the change easier.
Understanding The Metabolism
As a person ages, their metabolism slows down. This causes many weight-related problems, such as obesity and diabetes. A common culprit is excess visceral fat around organs - a direct result of unhealthy eating. Home carers take changing metabolisms into consideration when seasoning foods and suggesting healthier alternatives.
Regular Eating Schedule
As mentioned above, your metabolism slows down with age. The elderly are less inclined to eat regular meals as they do not feel hungry. Loneliness can further add to this aversion to eating. A caregiver will provide social companionship during meal times, encouraging regular, healthy meals.
Adaptation Of Preparation
Some seniors have difficulty chewing and avoid certain food types entirely. This can have a severe impact on their health, - in particular, the ingestion of fibre. Caregivers will be able to adjust the way they prepare food groups to suit a particular taste. For example, if vegetables containing roughage are difficult to chew, they could be blended into a healthy green smoothie.
Diversity
No one likes the idea of sticking to the same meal plan for the rest of their life. Home carers will diversify their menu daily, creating customized plans and thinking out of the box to keep it healthy and delicious.