More Tips to Help Your Parents Stay Independent

(This is the second of a two-part series for fellow Baby Boomers who may soon be caregivers for their parents.)

Mom and dad need to eat foods in high nutrient density.
Mom and dad need to eat foods in high nutrient density.

In the last blog, I talked about the importance of regular movement in allowing seniors to carry out activities of daily living. In today’s article, I’ll discuss the second part of this equation–healthy eating habits.

Physiological Changes
As we age, our bodies change in a number of ways. Perhaps the most noticeable is a decline in caloric need as activity levels and metabolism shift downward, along with muscle mass. So while we need the same amount of nutrients (more in some cases), we need to get them with less calories. The way to achieve this is to eat high nutrient-density foods.

Think of it this way: a food low in nutrient density has little or no nutrients per calorie. For example, soft drinks contain zero nutrients (except carbs) per 150 calorie serving. On the contrary, 150 calories of sweet potato deliver more than 450% daily needs of vitamin A, 5 grams of dietary fiber and a plethora of healthful phytochemicals that help fight inflammation and chronic diseases.

And the Problems They Cause
At least 65% of older adults have nutrition-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoporosis. Most of these folks take medications with a variety of negative side effects. For these reasons and others, a number of factors conspire to sabotage mom or dad’s intake of high-caloric density foods (read: fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein, legumes and beans):
• A decline in the sense of taste
• Chewing and swallowing problems
• Dry mouth and constipation
• Difficulty cutting foods and using utensils
• Balance issues or joint pain, decreasing amount of time folks can stand for food preparation
• Feelings of depression and isolation
• Money problems

As a result, interest in food goes down. So at a time when they should be eating foods that deliver the biggest bang for the buck, many of our parents purchase items that are easy to prepare, chew and swallow, and provide comfort (think: desserts). With so much is at stake, often little attention is paid to nutrition.

What you can Do
1. Be snoopy. When visiting mom or dad, see what foods are in the cupboard and refrigerator. Do you see any whole-grain pasta, brown rice, whole-grain/lower-sugar cereals? Are there any dairy products in the refrigerator, fresh fruits and vegetables? Are any products out of date?
2. Encourage water intake by having mom or dad track the number of half-pint bottles consumed.
3. Go shopping with them. Check out the deli section of your local grocery store, many have prepared salads and entrees (watch sodium); split a rotisserie chicken, which can be cut into portions and frozen for future meals.
4. Pack snack-sized foods. Make sure they have healthy snacks readily available such as whole-grain crackers, fresh fruits, baby carrots, nut or protein bars (keep the sugar as low as possible, with high dietary fiber), plain Greek yogurt (add own fruit), string cheese, cottage cheese.
5. Encourage lower-cost high-quality protein sources including eggs, dried or canned beans and canned tuna.
6. Frozen fruits and vegetables are often better choices than fresh, as they’re packed at peak season, they’re lower in cost and lead to less waste.
7. Become a stellar health advocate, asking doctors to check for nutritional-related deficiencies including B vitamins (especially B12 and folate), vitamin D, and iron; a bone density scan will help diagnose osteoporosis/osteopenia, which may affect nutritional needs.
8. Invite mom/dad over for meals.
9. Encourage a 2 – 3 oz serving of protein at each meal, especially breakfast.

No Food Nazis!
I’ve heard many dietitians say this when counseling older adults: they don’t want to take favorite foods totally away from seniors, but instead guide them to healthier choices they can accept. Again, a little tough love goes a long way!

Note: If you are ready to FINALLY TAKE CONTROL of your FITNESS, and want to speak with me in an unbiased format, take advantage of my FREE CALL. I promise to give you a few tips and things to look at immediately, plus we can discuss if any of my programs or classes are a good fit for you.

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