Chronic conditions affect around 6 of every 10 American adults, according to the National Library of Medicine. These conditions become more common as we get older.
A crucial key to managing chronic conditions is to make sure your diet is nutritional and meets your health requirements. Changing your diet can sound overwhelming at first, but we’re here to help you focus on the most important aspects that can give you quick improvements.
Keep reading to learn all about meal prep for seniors and the dietary choices you should make for peak chronic condition fighting power!
Increase Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Inflammation is at the heart of many chronic medical conditions. It often leads to increased symptoms such as excessive pain, swelling, indigestion, and even weight gain.
The good news is that many delicious foods can help decrease inflammation as a way to manage your condition. These foods include:
- Blueberries
- Green tea
- Turmeric
- Oranges
- Strawberries
- Olive oil
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
- Kale
By including plenty of these foods in your diet, you’re giving your body the tools it needs to fight inflammation. While medication is your first line of defense, boosting your health with natural anti-inflammatory foods can have lasting benefits.
Reduce Sodium and Sugar
It’s probably no surprise to see this change in our list but it’s an important one to re-evaluate. Chronic conditions in seniors, such as diabetes, can see great benefits when you make an effort to cut out excess sugar and salt.
To enjoy your retirement to the fullest, you’re going to want to treat yourself from time to time. The key is to find a balance between cutting these vices out when you plan to indulge.
If you love adding sugar to your coffee in the morning, for instance, find another staple in your diet you can take out to make up the difference. If there’s a senior community event happening later in the day with plenty of treats, avoid sugary foods for the rest of the day.
You want the changes you make to be sustainable. Cutting out every grain of sugar or salt from your diet isn’t sustainable for many of us. Instead, reduce where you can and enjoy those moments of indulgence even more than before.
Maximize Your Freezer
The freezer in your senior apartment suite is your best friend when it comes to making nutritional food choices. This allows you to keep your favorite nutritional meal for seniors on hand at all times.
There will always be days when you don’t feel like cooking. Having a freezer full of ready-made and nutritious choices will make those slow days feel like a treat.
You’ll get to eat something delicious without investing time and energy into making it that day. Wait to restock on the days when you feel like diving into a cooking adventure. Not only will you have more fun during the prep phase, but you’ll also be more likely to create better-tasting dishes when you’re enjoying yourself.
Invest in High-Quality Containers
A freezer can be a treasure trove of good foods, but it’s disappointing to open a container only to find that freezer burn has infected the tasty flavors. It’s still edible but will never give you the thrill of excitement each meal deserves.
Your best defense against this situation is to buy high-quality containers that are meant for the freezer.
Make sure the container has a rubber seal to help keep things air-tight. Look for the small snowflake icon on the packaging that indicates it can withstand the sub-zero temperatures of the freezer. This mindfulness will help keep your food as delicious as the day you meal prepped it.
Cook in Batches
Preparing a lot of meals in advance can be a daunting task when you don’t pace yourself. If you overdo it, that residual resentment could prevent you from prepping your meals again in the future. You’ll miss out on all the benefits food prep could give you.
A helpful trick is to make big batches of food in one go. Instead of making a single portion, make multiple portions that you can then freeze for later.
Gather friends and family to help with the cooking and make a fun project out of it. They could even offer tips and suggestions for new foods to try.
It’s also important to space out your cooking days so you don’t overwhelm yourself with too many tasks. Schedule breaks during the cooking process so you prevent safety hazards from occurring.
Remember to Include Snacks
Easy recipes for seniors will take you far in your journey toward health management, but don’t forget to give yourself easy snacks at the same time. Snacks can be deceptive because they’re small items we eat and then often forget about. This mentality makes it easy to keep picking unhealthy options throughout the day.
However, by ignoring their impact on your health, you could be doing more harm to your chronic conditions than you realize.
This is why it’s important to have plenty of healthy snacks ready for you when you feel peckish. Snacking can help you regulate hunger pangs, blood sugars, and more. They also help to reduce over-eating when mealtime comes around.
Plus, it can be fun to try new snacks all the time. Since they’re so noncommital, this can keep things feeling fresh while working towards a healthier lifestyle.
Simplify Meal Prep for Seniors at Seaton Voorhees
The main thing to keep in mind is that dietary changes take time to implement successfully. Instead of overwhelming your normal routine, introduce your meal changes in a controlled manner. If you need help from time to time, don’t be afraid to ask for it.
Seaton Voorhees is here to help alleviate the stress when it comes to meal prep for seniors. We want to make your retirement as comfortable and easy as possible. We’ll assist you with unwanted chores, such as housekeeping and providing nutritional meals when you don’t feel like cooking.
Schedule a tour with us, and we’ll show you around our welcoming New Jersey community!
