We all know that vegetables and fruits are good for one’s health. There are many benefits of these foods including better heart health, improved immune system, better mental health state, and much more.
Have you noticed that your elderly loved one doesn’t necessarily eat a lot of vegetables and fruits? If this is the case, you or your loved one’s elderly care providers need to find ways to get them to eat more vegetables and fruits. There are many ways that you can do this.
Smoothies
Maybe your elderly loved one won’t eat vegetables and fruits on their own. However, you can add them to smoothies. Your elderly loved one might enjoy a cold berry smoothie. All you need is some yogurt or low-fat milk and add some vegetables or fruits. Your loved one can have a smoothie at any time.
Dividing the Plate
Do your best to try encouraging your elderly loved one to eat half a plate of vegetables and/or fruit per meal. The other half of the plate should have whole grains and protein. Now, remember this isn’t going to happen all at once, especially if your elderly loved one hasn’t been eating enough vegetables and fruits before. You can start by putting a small serving of vegetables and fruits in each meal. Over time, slowly start adding more.
Always Put in the Vegetables and Fruits
There may be times when you, your loved one, or their elderly care provider don’t have the time or energy to make a full-out meal. In this instance, your elderly loved one may just have a frozen meal for lunch or dinner. However, if you can have vegetables and fruits ready-to-go, they can easily add some of these to their meal, no matter what they are having for the main course.
Substitutions
Another way that you can start getting your elderly loved one to eat more vegetables and fruits is through substitutions. Start with just 1 meal a week. You will substitute a vegetable or fruit serving for the meat.
Stock Up on Vegetables and Fruits
If you get a stockpile of vegetables and fruits, it will be easier to make sure that your elderly loved one gets enough of these throughout the week. You can prep the vegetables and fruits ahead of time and even freeze them, so they don’t go bad.
These are some of the ways that you can get your elderly loved one to eat more vegetables and fruits. If you do these things, you can easily incorporate more vegetables and fruits to their diet.
If you, or an aging loved-one, are considering hiring Home Care in Encinitas, CA, or the Surrounding San Diego Area, please contact the caring staff at GoldenCare today.
Call us at (760) 828-5201 today.
Source:
https://Choosemyplate.gov
