How To Support Seniors With Common Dietary Restrictions

The body undergoes many changes with age, including how it digests and processes food. This often leads to certain dietary restrictions among seniors. Understanding these changes can help families and their caregivers support older family members with limited diets by ensuring they’re getting the nutrients they need to maintain their health.

Common Dietary Restrictions For Seniors

Many dietary habits that elderly people incorporate in their lives are tied to chronic conditions they are trying to manage or want to avoid – therefore, the same ones recommended for people with heart disease or those recovering from a stroke:

• Low-sodium: Eating too much sodium or salt increases blood pressure, one of the leading risk factors for heart disease. High sodium levels are also dangerous for individuals with kidney disease.
• No trans fats: Trans fats, common in fried foods and baked goods, raise your LDL cholesterol. This can lead to build-ups in the arteries and increase a person’s risk for stroke and heart disease.
• Low-sugar: Eating a low-sugar diet is essential for individuals with diabetes, since sugary foods and drinks spike blood sugar levels. Too much sugar can also lead to weight gain, heart disease, and high blood pressure, all of which seniors want to avoid.
• Low gluten or lactose: Some people have trouble digesting gluten and lactose as they age, either of which can lead to bloating, stomach pains, gas, and diarrhea.

Tips For Supporting Seniors With Dietary Restrictions

Making dietary changes is challenging, especially later in life when you’re used to eating a certain way. If an older person in your life is struggling to navigate their recommended diet, consider these tips to help support them through their journey.

Ask About Their Diet

The first step in supporting a loved one is understanding their restrictions and health. You can’t help a senior with their diet if you don’t know their restrictions. Talk to your loved one about their eating habits. Ask why their restrictions are in place (disease or prevention) and try to discover what they’re finding most challenging. Perhaps you can look into resources or recommendations for healthy eating their doctor has provided.

Share Meals With Them

Having a limited diet due to age can feel like a burden, especially if everyone around you is consuming something more enticing. If you’re having a meal with someone whose food intake is restricted in some way, follow the same rules when eating with them. Doing so will help your loved one feel like they aren’t missing out on a more delicious meal.

Plan Before Shopping

Grocery shopping when certain ingredients are off-limits can feel overwhelming if you don’t go in with a plan. Before you go shopping, make a list of meals you and your aging loved one can make for the week. Then, create a list of ingredients you need for those meals.

For specialty items, check the inventory of a store on Instacart to see if they carry the item before heading to the store. Or you can call the store and ask ahead of time to see if they’ll have everything you need.

Alter Favorite Meals

One of the hardest parts of following a restricted diet is thinking you can’t have your favorite meals ever again. But there are often alternative ways to recreate your favorite meals and keep them within your dietary needs.

To give this strategy a try, find a recipe for one of your loved one’s favorite meals, and make a list of all the ingredients. Make a note of any that don’t fall within their restrictions, and Google alternatives for those ingredients. In many cases, if you find a recipe online, the author will include suggested substitutes for those seeking alternatives.

Local Resources For Healthy Eating

Need help navigating dietary restrictions and finding the right foods? Consider these local resources as you embark on a healthy eating journey with your aging loved one:

• Jasper Senior Activity Center: This center offers health and wellness programs, including healthy cooking classes, which could benefit seniors with dietary restrictions.
• Speciality Grocery Stores: Specialty stores like Main Street Market and Son’s Super Market often have larger selections of fresh produce and healthy alternatives than standard grocery stores.
• Nutritionists: Seniors with complex dietary restrictions may benefit from working with a registered dietitian or nutritionist. In addition, food and nutrition services are available at Memorial Hospital and the Digestive Care Center.

Cooking Assistance With Visiting Angels

If you are a family caregiver or supportive relative, it can be difficult to assist your aging loved one at every meal. Visiting Angels can help senior clients with grocery shopping, meal preparation, and cooking to ensure they’re eating safe, healthy foods that fit within their recommended dietary guidelines.

Outside of kitchen assistance, caregivers can also assist with daily nonmedical tasks to keep seniors safe and comfortable at home. Tasks can include light housekeeping, medication reminders, dressing, grooming, showering, and mobility.

Contact our Jasper office to learn more about at-home care services with Visiting Angels.