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Foods Good For Grand Pa - Traditional Meals Elders Love To Eat
Meals with your grandparents may be lively occasions with a good deal of reminiscing and plenty of laughter. However, preparing and planning meals can sometimes become a challenge as the food that your granddad loves may not exactly be optimal for him due to digestive issues, health problems and old age. Elderly folks need foods that rank high in nutrition and low in substances such as cholesterol and sodium. Preparing meals for grandpa will be much easier and healthier if you ensure that his diet consists of plenty of fruits and vegetables. You can grate the vegetables and steam the fruits in order to make it easier for him to chew.
Lean meats, chicken, and fish are also necessary and so you should add a small amount of these foods to his daily meals. It is important to observe the nutritional content of packaged and ready meals and foods before buying them as they can be extremely high in cholesterol and sodium that can cause high blood pressure.
Your grandpa might have trouble chewing and biting tough or chewy foods. Hence if you are likely to prepare steak for a meal, ensure that the steak has been cut up into small bite size pieces and is soft enough for your grand pa to chew.
Most likely, if you're grandpa is wearing dentures you might have to take special care to make sure that all your meal preparations are soft and well cooked. You can also increase the nutritional content of his diet by steaming vegetables or meats and then blending them. Add a few spoons of the blended paste to make the soup healthy as well as tasty.
If your grandpa is on medication, it might help to know the kinds of foods that he may need to avoid.
It would therefore, be a good idea to plan his meals with the help of your family doctor and dietitian in order to know when to avoid certain foods. Ensure that all the instructions on the prescription medications are checked before planning meals. Allergic reactions from foods can be far more devastating on the elderly and hence you must be aware of allergies and foods reactions before preparation.
Foods that contain high levels of calcium are a must for your grandpa as they are extremely crucial in protecting his bones.
The density of one’s bones begins to deteriorate as one grows older, and hence it is highly likely that simple falls can lead to fractures and broken bones in elderly people. If the food that you prepare is low in calcium, speak with your family physician on offering supplemental calcium to your grandpa. Supplemental calcium is most effective when taken during meals.
Another particular concern is offering sufficient fluid throughout the day. Ensure that your grandpa drinks water throughout the day. Also make sure that meals prepared for your grandpa is rich in fiber, as some elderly people have trouble in passing stools. Snacking before meal times can include sliced fresh fruits, pretzels, fat-free snacks that can help keep your grandpa from going hungry between meals. It is important that your grandpa sticks to meal and snack times, as with increased age and in the event of any treatment he might need assistance in being fed.
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