Encouraging Your Family to Eat Smarter and In Home Senior Care
Spring is on its way and with it comes blooming flowers and fresh beginnings. This is the time of year to reevaluate how we eat and fuel our bodies. Living healthfully can be achieved with simple changes such encouraging your family to eat smarter and cleaner.
Adding fruits and vegetables to every meal can be easily done in small ways. The first meal of the day can begin with a bowl of hot oatmeal with sliced bananas or a whole grain cereal with strawberries or blueberries. Other delicious and protein packed ways to fuel for the morning includes egg whites and turkey bacon. Choosing to toast up whole grain bread instead of enriched white bread is also a good food option.
When the urge for a mid-morning snack comes up, a healthy food option is an apple. It is crunchy, ready-to-eat, and can be layered with some peanut butter for added hunger-fighting punch. Other healthy food options include low fat cottage cheese, reduced fat mozzarella cheese sticks, yogurt, almonds and food items that are likely to fill you up without filling you out.
Lunch and dinner time is great for adding salads and lean protein to your diet. If your family loves mashed potatoes, add in some cooked cauliflowers for some nutrients they won’t even detect. Whole grain pasta and tortillas are great switches for spaghetti and taco night. When grilling up a burger, switch to ground turkey when possible. Save the bun and wrap with lettuce. Choose lower sodium and heart healthy options whenever possible. The changes that encourage your family to eat smarter can be small and can create great impact.
What’s a better way to welcome warmer weather than by getting out and gardening? Gardening is a great way to spend quality time with the great outdoors as well as beautifying your aging loved one’s home and yard. Planting flower or vegetable seeds is a quick and easy way to get your aging loved ones involved and provide them with a sense of accomplishment. Gathering fresh items from the garden is also a great way to encourage a loved one to eat healthier as well!
Shop local at farmers’ markets in Santa Barbara or nearby areas of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Ynez, and Carpinteria, California. Keeping foods fresh and delivered from nearby means less processing and guarantees better taste. Fresh fruits and veggies always taste better than canned or frozen. If transportation for an elderly loved one to these markets is difficult, call on a compassionate and dependable caregiver from Senior Helpers of Santa Barbara.
If you would like to learn more about the many benefits of caring and consistent in home senior care and professional dementia and Alzheimer’s care, call Senior Helpers to speak to an elderly care specialist today 805-687-7777! Senior Helpers of Santa Barbara provides a wide range of services including Alzheimer’s and dementia care, companionship, personal assistance, and so much more to all areas of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Ynez, and Carpinteria, California.