23 Oct Healthy Eating For Seniors
Good nutrition is important at any age but this is especially true for seniors. Eating well helps you feel your best, helps you maintain a healthy weight and helps you stay active and independent.
Our diet requirements change as we get older but variety and balance are always a good idea.
According to Eat Right Ontario, skipping a meal, especially breakfast, will make it hard to get all of the nutrients you need each day. So make sure you start your day right by planning out your breakfast and all of your meals for optimal nutrition. When planning, make sure to aim to eat at regular times every day and remember that meals don’t have to be complex or even require cooking. Try for at least 3 food groups per meal, this will help ensure your diet is balanced while offering you variety every day. Another way to ensure you are getting a variety of different foods is to make it a goal to try something new, however often suits you.
Vegetables and fruit are important, but you already know that! Try to eat at least 7 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This might seem like a lot, but in most cases serving sizes are smaller than you think. For example, one serving could equal one medium-sized fruit like an apple or pear or 1 cup of lettuce. Just imagine how many servings one big green salad would have!
We make many decisions every day about the things we choose to eat and drink but substantial water intake should always be a priority. As older adults, our risk of becoming dehydrated is higher than the average person, so it is important that we stay hydrated by sipping on water throughout the day. It’s calorie free, quenches your thirst and you can spice it up by adding lemon, lime, mint leaves or even cucumber slices.
Here are some other ideas to set yourself up for healthy eating success:
- Make a list and stick to it when shopping at the store
- Prepare all your vegetables by cutting them up into ready to eat or cook sizes – this is handy for a quick salad, stir-fry or snack
- Add a handful of vegetables to every meal – pizza, pasta sauce, omelettes and soup
- Add fresh fruit to your daily yogurt or cereal
- Buy frozen vegetables like peas and spinach for use in a pinch when the fresh supply gets low
- Buy dried beans and lentils – they are affordable and good sources of protein
- Research new recipe ideas or tune into your favourite cooking show for a little inspiration
- Read food labels and look for sneaky additives like salt and sugar
You can read Ontario’s food guide for older adults in its entirety here.
When you stay at Peachtree Senior Living’s group of homes, you can rest easy knowing that great nutrition for our guests is paramount.
Interested in learning more about our services? Join us in our dining room for a complimentary meal today.
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