Elderly Care in Mississauga
Eating healthier is a combination of introducing good habits and making good choices about the types of foods that your loved one eats. As a family caregiver, you can help your loved ones make these changes gradually so that they can become lasting changes.
Add Lots of Variety at Each Meal
Helping your loved one to eat healthier foods can be complicated, but much of the battle comes down to making the process as pleasant as possible. Instead of serving an entire side dish of broccoli, for example, try offering several smaller servings of many different vegetables. This can help your loved one to find new flavors that she likes, and if there’s something on her plate that she really doesn’t like at all, there’s only a little bit of it to try.
Make the Unhealthy Foods More Inconvenient
It’s tough to give up the unhealthy foods that you love, and it’s just as difficult for your elderly loved one to do the same. You don’t have to remove them from the house entirely, but it’s a good idea to make them more difficult to access. Try placing the cookie jar on a higher shelf or in a cabinet where it takes you or your elderly loved one several more steps to access the goodies inside. Even those few seconds can help your loved one to determine whether she really wants that snack now.
Only Have Meals at the Table
When your loved one eats away from the table, it’s easy for her to become distracted from her meal. She may have a hard time finishing meals or she might eat too much of foods that aren’t healthy for her. Eating at the table helps her to focus on what she’s eating and how she’s eating it.
Replace the Television with Conversation and Companionship
If your loved one is used to eating in front of the TV, she’s probably very accustomed to mindless eating. Changing her eating habits involves helping her to pay more attention to her food and helping her to eat it more mindfully. This helps her to recognize when she’s full and when she’s tasting foods that she actually enjoys. Use that time to eat and to share information with each other about your day and what’s going on in your lives.
Eventually, your loved one will find eating healthier to be far easier than she originally suspected.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care services in Mississauga, contact the caring professionals at Staff Relief Health Care 24/7 at 905.709.1767.
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