While it’s always important to eat healthy foods in order to keep your body safe and strong, as people get older, it becomes even more important for them to take care of their bodies by eating foods that are healthy for them. But if your elderly loved ones have gotten into the habit of just eating whatever they want whenever they want, it can be hard to break this decade’s long habit. Luckily, there are things you can do to help them find ways to make healthy eating easier, whether it’s when they’re cooking for themselves or eating meals at an assisted living facility.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three ways to help an elderly loved one embrace a healthier diet.
Get Them Thinking Mediterranean
Because there are so many different philosophies about foods and what is or isn’t healthy, it can often be hard to know what kinds of foods you should be encouraging your elderly loved ones to eat. However, one of the most agreed upon ways of eating that doctors encourage for elderly people, and many other demographics of people, is to follow a Mediterranean diet.
With this kind of diet, people are encouraged to eat whole grains, fresh produce, fish, and other healthy fats. This is great for heart health and for an overall healthy lifestyle. Plus, by giving your elderly loved one a specific type of diet to follow, they may find it easier to stick to since they’ll know what’s part of the diet and what isn’t.
Introduce Healthy Swaps
For most people, there are favorite foods that they have and want to eat on a regular basis. But if these foods aren’t healthy for them, you can help them to find healthy foods to swap these out with.
For example, if your loved one likes eating sugar cereal in the morning, try to help them embrace oatmeal instead. Or, if they tend to eat white bread, help them start eating whole grain bread as a good alternative.
Embrace Smoothies
Many people have a hard time getting their recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day. But luckily, there are some easy ways to make this happen on a regular basis.
One option is to help your elderly loved one embrace having a smoothie each day. It’s very easy to throw in some extra fruits and vegetables into any kind of smoothie. And especially if your elderly loved one doesn’t particularly like the taste of certain vegetables, hiding them in a smoothie can be a great option.
If you want to help your elderly loved one have a healthier diet, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you in doing this.
