Eating with a focus on improving heart health may be a new requirement for your senior’s diet. Having some help adopting new eating habits is a good plan, and it can help your senior to stick with those adjustments. Home health care providers can make all of this a lot easier to try out.
Increase the Fruits and Vegetables in Her Diet
Fruits and vegetables contain a ton of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, that your senior’s body needs in order to be as healthy as possible. Your elderly family member doesn’t have to become a vegetarian but adding a few more servings of vegetables and fruits to her daily diet is going to be helpful. Choosing a variety of different types of produce is an excellent choice.
Reduce Saturated Fat Intake
Saturated fat is found in animal products, including meats and dairy. Reducing saturated fat intake can help to improve heart health over time. Using just a little less butter, cream, and full-fat milk can help to lower your senior’s cholesterol levels as well. Adjusting to new tastes doesn’t take as long as most people fear it will, but it can definitely take some time.
Reduce Red Meat Intake
Red meat is high in saturated fat, making it one of the less preferable sources of protein your senior could be eating. The occasional meal including red meat isn’t a bad thing, but your senior may want to back her intake of red meat down if she’s having issues with cholesterol, high blood pressure, or other cardiovascular issues. Other protein choices, like poultry and fish, are better in the long run and often contain more protein.
Look for Healthy Snack Options
Snacking can be a great way to get more nutrients into your elderly family member’s diet, especially if she’s having a tough time eating full meals. Healthy snack choices pair a protein with a carbohydrate or a fat, like eating an apple with some peanut butter. Again, sticking with vegetables and fruits is going to give your senior the biggest nutritional boost.
Read Nutritional Labels Carefully
It’s important to make sure that you’re reading labels on the foods your elderly family member eats. Advertising jargon on the front of the package says one thing, but the nutritional label may give different information. Look at the numbers and focus on the ones that your senior’s doctor has pointed out in particular, like sodium and added sugar.
Get Help with Nutritional Counseling
Putting all of that nutritional information into practical application can sometimes feel like too much. That’s why having nutritional counseling assistance from home health care providers can simplify things and make it easier to ensure your elderly family member is eating a healthy diet. Home health care providers can assist your senior in making the right dietary choices to improve her heart health.
Over time, your elderly family member may find that she enjoys eating healthier because it gives her more consistent energy levels and she’ll feel better overall. But that kind of adjustment doesn’t necessarily happen overnight.