Easy Cooking for Seniors
As you age, there are many health areas you must keep a close eye on. Your body requires extra special care, so you can maintain the healthiness and live longer. Eating healthy is one of those things that need attention. Many older adults may not think too much about their diet as they age because they have so many other things on their minds. From doctor’s appointments to trying to keep up with household tasks, it can be a big job to manage to eat properly, too.
However, what you eat can influence you in many ways. It affects whether you become sick or live a long, healthy life. It also has an impact on how well you feel. When you fill your body with nutritious foods rich in vitamins, protein, minerals, and so on, you will feel more energetic and vibrant. Also, when you stick to a low-sodium and low-saturated-fat diet, you will fight off disease. Food does play a crucial part in your overall vitality.
The Challenge for Seniors to Eat Healthily
Although older adults may want to eat healthily and enjoy nutritious foods, it is challenging to keep up with the food preparation and cooking involved. Making meals at home allows you to control what goes into the dish and therefore use fresh ingredients. When you purchase pre-made food, fast food, or packaged items, you don’t get food that is as healthy because the sodium content is excessively high. The reason for the high sodium content is it gives the food longer shelf life, and it enhances the taste. However, if you have the right low-sodium recipes, you can make delicious-tasting food without a problem.
Low-sodium Cooking
Cooking with less sodium requires some planning. You will need to prepare your shopping list so that you’ll have your items on hand to make the dish. Having a senior cooking assistant is best because they will help you with all the many details that go into making healthy meals.
Of course, you could be stuck with just eating bland food all the time, but that may make for a dull life. There are plenty of recipes that create tasty dishes without getting the sodium content too high. One of these recipes is as follows:
Grilled Chicken Breasts with Yellow Tomato Sauce 1
Ingredients
- 4 yellow tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, each about 5 ounces
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Directions
Prepare a grill or broiler for use by preheating it. Make sure that you lightly coat with cooking spray first. Place the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches away from the heat source.
Arrange the tomatoes on the grill rack or broiler pan lined with aluminum foil. Cook until the tomato skins begin to look crispy, which is about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, allowing the steam to soften — about 10 minutes.
Next, heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oil, and vinegar until well-blended. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper and 1 tablespoon basil.
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In another dish, stir together the thyme, parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons basil.
Coat the chicken in the herb mixture, making sure to cover completely. Grill or broil the chicken, turning once, until brown on both sides. Ensure there is no pink on the inside and the internal temperature registers at least 165 degrees.
Place the chicken breasts on individual plates and spoon the tomato mixture on top evenly.
Serves 4.
Hidden Sodium
The recipe above is an example of how to create a delicious, healthy chicken meal without all the added sodium. This meal has 260 mg of sodium for one chicken breast, which is a serving.
Sometimes even healthy foods can hide sodium. For example, one ingredient that people use that adds a lot of sodium to your meals is cheese. Cheese sauce is often used on veggies and casseroles for added flavor. You can use some cheese, as long as it’s in moderation and the lower sodium type. Parmesan and cream cheese are two examples of cheeses that don’t have a lot of sodium.
Cooking Tips for Seniors
Fill your body with the proper nutrition with at-home easy cooking recipes that are low in sodium. An in-home cooking assistant at Golden Care will assist you with preparing low-sodium yet still tasty meals.
Golden Care is a 5-star elderly care service provider in North County, San Diego, for seniors that require customized care. Whether you need someone to come out to your home and help you with cooking or managing your housekeeping, we will create a schedule of care for you.
We can also assist you with several other tasks that you may need help with, such as:
- General housekeeping
- Laundry assistance
- Transportation services
- Assistance with dressing, bathing, and grooming
- Hobby assistance
- Nutritional assistance
Get in touch with Golden Care for more information about our concierge of Senior Home Care.
Help is only a phone call away. Call (760) 828-5201 today.
