Typically, a healthy lunch should provide energy for the rest of the day while providing key nutrients every senior needs. At the same time, most lunches need to be easy to prepare and light enough to avoid tiring seniors out for the rest of the day. Here are some great healthy lunches to make for your senior loved one.
Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Skip the canned soup that’s loaded with sodium and make a big pot of homemade soup with chicken, carrots, onions, and celery. The veggies are a great way to get vitamin A, vitamin K, and other nutrients many seniors are deficient in. This healthy soup is low in calories while still being filling, so it’s ideal for a senior who needs to lose a little weight. You can add barley or rice to make the soup even more filling while providing some healthy fiber.
A professional caregiver can be a wonderful source of encouragement when your loved one is trying to practice healthier habits, including eating more wholesome foods. At-home care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Assisting Hands Home Care, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. Our caregivers encourage seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
To make this salad, dice cucumber, tomato, and onion before tossing it with chickpeas, feta cheese, and lettuce and drizzling an olive oil vinaigrette over the salad. This vegetarian salad is great for seniors who need a healthier diet. It’s low in saturated fat while being high in healthy fat because it uses olive oil. Another reason to love this salad is it’s so low in calories a senior can have a massive plate of it without gaining unhealthy amounts of weight.
Turkey & Avocado Sandwich on Whole Grain Bread
This sandwich is a great option because it contains fiber, healthy fats, and protein that help seniors stay full for hours. The turkey is rich in protein, which helps with retaining muscle mass, while the avocado has healthy fats that can protect the brain. The fiber in the whole grain bread assists with both digestion and heart health. Just make sure to check the type of meat you pick for the sandwich, since some types of lunch meat have high levels of sodium and preservatives. If possible, go for thinly sliced turkey breast you’ve cooked yourself, or pick the turkey with the lowest amount of sodium if you’re buying deli meat from the store.
Family caregivers need to maintain healthy lifestyles too, which involves taking time to attend to their own wellbeing. In Northern Kentucky, senior home care is a great help to many families. Caring for a senior loved one can be overwhelming at times, which puts family caregivers at risk for burnout. However, an in-home caregiver can take over your loved one’s care, allowing you the time you need to focus on your own health, maintain a full-time job, or care for other members of your family.
Broccoli Chicken Casserole
Casseroles are a classic comfort food, but many are made with canned soup, heavy cream, cheese, and other unhealthy ingredients. Make a healthier version by using a little low-fat cheese and adding a blend of stock and flour to keep the casserole moist. Casseroles are a great healthy lunch choice because you can make them in advance, freeze single portions, and thaw them any time your loved one needs an easy lunch. This casserole is loaded with broccoli, a cruciferous vegetable linked to lower cancer rates. It also has plenty of brown rice for fiber and shredded chicken to provide filling protein.
A professional caregiver can be a terrific source of support for a senior who needs a hand with planning and preparing nutritious meals. If your aging loved one needs help managing everyday tasks or encouragement to adopt healthier lifestyle choices, turn to Assisting Hands Home Care of Northern Kentucky, a leading provider of home care. Northern Kentucky Assisting Hands Home Care provides professional in-home caregivers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives. For more information about our flexible, customizable home care plans, call one of our compassionate Care Managers today at (859)-444-5699.
