Comfort Foods with Healthy Twists | Senior Helpers of Palm Springs
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Comfort Foods with Healthy Twists and In Home Elderly Care

Comfort Foods with Healthy Twists and In Home Elderly Care

We all have fond memories of home-cooked meals that our grandparents and parents made for us while we were growing up.  The meals were usually comfort foods like buttery mashed potatoes with gravy, meatloaf, and macaroni and cheese.  While these foods are okay to have every once in a while, they aren’t best for maintaining a healthy lifestyle if eaten on a regular basis. 

Why not instead of completely removing these comfort foods from our diet, trying adding a healthy twist to make them better?  One great way to make a delicious childhood staple like macaroni and cheese healthier is to a fresh vegetables to the dish.  Spinach, broccoli, and peas make a great addition.  An even healthier way to cook the meal is to prepare it with whole grain pasta and use low fat cheese. 

Another flavorful and savory dish that we love that can be reinvented for a healthy twist is meatloaf.  Instead of cooking with ground beef, make the switch to lower fat turkey.  Adding diced tomatoes, grated carrots and minced onions to the dish is another way to make a familiar food healthier.  Shephard’s pie can also be made using the turkey meat instead of ground beef, and adding vegetables as well.

Mashed potatoes was surely the most popular side dish with any home-cooked meal while growing up.  Instead of loading up on the carbohydrates and butter, why not mix in some cooked cauliflower and mashed cannellini beans, which have the same texture as potatoes.  The many benefits of this mixture exceed the original version.

When grilling up a hamburger, why not switch it up with ground turkey, chicken or pork.  Serving the sandwich while ditching the bread bun and using a leaf of lettuce as a wrap is another way to add a healthy twist to a comfort food.  Serving sweet potatoes fries that were baked in the oven is another healthy swap for a familiar favorite. 

There are many healthy recipes online that can be easily accessed and implemented for any meal.  Encouraging an elderly loved one to use a healthy twist on familiar comfort foods may receive resistance but can be done with small changes over time.  If family does not live closer to an elderly loved one, a caregiver from Senior Helpers of Thousand Palms can help with the grocery shopping and meal preparation to help guarantee healthier eating. 

If you would like to learn more about the many benefits of caring and consistent in home elderly care  and professional dementia and Alzheimer’s care, call Senior Helpers to speak to an senior care specialist today 760-343-5533!   Senior Helpers of Thousand Palms provides a wide range of services including Alzheimer’s and dementia care, companionship, personal assistance, and so much more to all areas of Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indian Wells, and surrounding areas.