Eating Tips for the Elderly

People with health problems and the elderly often have trouble eating well. FDA offers a guideline that lists common eating problems and solutions for maintaining good nutrition.

Problem: Can't chew
Do you have trouble chewing? If so, you may have trouble eating foods like meat and fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Instead of fresh fruit, try fruit juices and soft, canned fruits like applesauce, peaches and pears.
• Instead of raw vegetables, try vegetable juices and creamed and mashed cooked vegetables.
• Instead of meat, try ground meat, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt and foods made with milk, such as pudding and cream soups.
• Instead of sliced bread, try cooked cereals, rice, bread pudding and soft cookies.

Problem: Upset stomach
Stomach problems, like too much gas, may make you stay away from foods you think cause the problem. This means you could be missing out on important nutrients like vitamins, calcium, fiber and protein.

• Instead of milk, try milk foods that may not bother you, such as cream soups, pudding, yogurt and cheese.
• Instead of vegetables like cabbage and broccoli, try vegetable juices and other vegetables like green beans, carrots and potatoes.
• Instead of fresh fruit, try fruit juices and soft, canned fruits.

Problem: Can't cook
You may have problems with cooking. It may be hard for you to hold cooking utensils and pots and pans. You may have trouble standing for a long time.

• Use a microwave oven to cook TV dinners, other frozen foods and foods made up ahead of time by the store.
• Participate in group meal programs offered through senior citizen programs, or have meals brought to your home.

 Problem: No appetite
Older people who live alone sometimes feel lonely at mealtimes. Loneliness can make you lose your appetite, or you may not feel like making meals just for yourself. Maybe your food has no flavor or tastes bad. This could be caused by medicines you are taking.

• Eat with family and friends.
• Take part in group meal programs offered through senior citizen programs.
• Ask your doctor if your medicines could be causing appetite or taste problems. If so, ask about changing medicines.
• Increase the flavor of food by adding spices and herbs.

Grocery Shopping Tips

• Buy low-cost foods, like dried beans and peas, rice and pasta. You also can buy foods that contain these items, like split pea soup and canned beans and rice.
• Use coupons for money off on foods you like.
• Buy foods on sale. Also, buy store-brand foods because they often cost less.
• Find out if your local church or synagogue offers free or low-cost meals.
• Take part in group meal programs offered through local senior citizen programs. Or, have meals brought to your home.
• Get food stamps. Call the food stamp office listed under your county government in the blue pages of the telephone book.

Read the label

• Look for words that say something healthy about the food such as low-fat, cholesterol-free or good source of fiber.
• Look for label claims that tell about the food's relation to a disease. For example, a low-fat food may say: "While many factors affect heart disease, diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of this disease." These words may be on the front or side of the food package, and FDA makes sure these words are true.

Look for nutrition facts

• Look at the serving size.
• Find the Percent Daily Value. The numbers underneath tell how much of each nutrient listed is in one serving.
• About 100 percent of each nutrient each day is usually healthful. If you're on a special diet, like a low-sodium or low-fat diet, use the percentage numbers to pick low-sodium and low-fat foods.

Stellar Senior HomeCare, Inc.
A Member of The Senior’s Choice