May is National Salad Month, which is perfect timing. Lots of different produce comes into season in May, and the weather is starting to warm up and hot meals may not be as appealing to your senior. You might also be looking for ways to help her to eat as healthfully as possible, and salads can fit that bill in a variety of ways.
Salads Are Full of Nutritious Ingredients
Salads are by default usually full of nutritious ingredients. The base layer of greens can be as plain as iceberg lettuce or your senior might branch out a bit. Baby spinach, spring greens, and even arugula and kale can all make up the base of the salad. Including lots of other fresh, in-season produce is easy and your elderly family member might just be surprised how much she enjoys eating salads.
Your Senior Can Experiment with Salads
There’s a lot of room to experiment with salads, too. If you’re wanting her to avoid fast food a little more, try something like a Big Mac copycat salad, that mimics the burger itself. She’ll have the same flavors but skipping the fries will be a lot easier. There are other ways for her to experiment, too, including making her own dressings that are full of healthy fats and ingredients that she chooses.
Salads Are Easy to Prepare
Salads can be really easy to throw together, especially if cooking has become more difficult for your senior. Having help from elder care providers with the meal preparation end of things can help even more. If your elderly family member has ingredients already washed and cut up into bite-sized pieces, she might be more willing to give a salad a go.
It’s Tough to Overeat with Salads
Lots of people have trouble with overeating foods that aren’t so healthy for them. That’s especially true when they’re eating foods that don’t have a lot of nutritional value. Empty calories tend to be easy to overeat, and there’s a lot of regret there. But salads are nutritionally dense and it’s difficult to really do much overeating with a salad.
No matter what type of salad your senior is ready to try this month, she might just find that they’re a lot more versatile and enjoyable than she thought that they could be on a consistent basis. Browse through cookbooks and websites for salad recipes that sound good to her and give them a try.
If you or an aging loved one needs Elder Care in Granite Bay, CA, remember Senior Home Care Services. Call us at (916) 514-7006 for more information.
- Understanding How Medication Affects Seniors’ Oral Health - April 23, 2024
- How Can 24-hour Home Care Help Intergenerational Families? - April 17, 2024
- Embracing Home Care for a Spouse with Parkinson’s Requires Proper Future Planning - April 10, 2024
