Eating better involves more than making a few changes for your aging adult. In many cases, it might mean that she changes years upon years of eating habits almost overnight.
Opt for Nutrient-dense Foods
The more nutrition you can pack into each food choice or each meal, the more nutrition you're getting into your aging adult. Opt for fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins that pack a nutritional punch. If you're still having trouble getting her to eat enough, consider adding protein powder to smoothies. Working with a nutritionist or a dietitian can help you learn how to get much more nutrients into your senior's diet.
Add Snacks to Her Day
If your senior only eats small amounts of food at a time, consider adding a few more snacks to her daily diet. Snacks that combine protein and carbohydrates can help your senior to fill up and to add vitamins and minerals that her body sorely needs. Again, a nutritionist or dietician can give you some solid ideas for snacks that won't add excess weight.
Address How the Food Tastes
For a variety of reasons, your elderly family member might experience a change in her sense of smell or her sense of taste. When that happens, she may not enjoy eating food anymore. In order to compensate for that, you might want to start experimenting with a variety of different herbs and spices that she can actually taste and smell.
Shop and Cook for Your Aging Adult
Cooking for one person can be too much work for your aging adult, which is when it might be a good idea for you to start handling her grocery shopping and cooking. This gives you an easy way to choose nutritionally-dense foods, too. But if you don't have time, consider hiring elder care providers to shop and to do meal preparation. That way you're in charge of the menu but you have help with the heavy lifting.
Whenever you can, eat with your aging adult. This gives you a chance to spend time with her, but it also lets you observe her eating habits some more.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Grand Ledge, MI, please contact the caring staff at Seniors Helping Seniors of Lansing. Call today: 517-332-9953.