Healthy Lunch Choices for Ageing Adults

Coming up with lunch ideas for seniors can be challenging. After all, you need to try to find appealing ways to help your senior loved one avoid processed meats and other types of food that tend to be used for lunches. These lunch options are all healthy and simple to make so you always have something exciting to serve your loved one.

Omelettes

This brunch favourite can easily be tailored to fit plenty of nutrition into one light meal. Omelettes are typically made with capsicums, which contain fiber along with vitamin C. Your loved one will get protein and other nutrients from the eggs, and you can serve some fruit on the side to make the meal complete.

Quinoa Salad

If your loved one is bored with traditional salads, this one is worth a try. Quinoa is a grain that’s known as a superfood because it contains so many nutrients. It’s rich in folate, iron, and manganese. Once you cook the quinoa, just add vegetables your loved one likes to eat. Sautéed mushrooms and red capsicums make a tasty addition to this meal. You can also serve the salad either warm or cold, which makes it the perfect make-ahead meal for busy days.

A professional care worker can be a wonderful source of information and encouragement as your loved one adopts new healthy habits, including eating more nutritious foods. In Sydney, elder care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the care workers at Home Care Assistance, your ageing loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialise regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy.

Salmon Wrap

Seniors who need more omega-3 fatty acids will get their fill with a tasty piece of salmon wrapped up with their favourite vegetables. Use a whole-wheat wrap to minimise the amount of processed carbs your loved one eats. Yogurt makes a great replacement for mayonnaise, and you can add some greens to round out this delicious meal. You can also make these ahead of time for an easy lunch your loved one can enjoy when running errands or waiting for a medical appointment.

Pumpkin Soup

Soup is always a wonderful lunch idea for days when your loved one may be feeling less hungry than usual. Your parent may also like a warm bowl of soup on a cold day or when he or she is sick. Although chicken soup is the staple we think of most often, pumpkin soup can pack even more nutrition into the bowl. Pumpkin contains fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. Including more pumpkin in the diet has been shown to have benefits such as reducing blood pressure and controlling diabetes.

Family carers need to maintain healthy lifestyles too, which involves taking time to attend to their own wellbeing. In Sydney, respite care is a great help to many families. Caring for a senior loved one can be overwhelming at times, which puts family carers at risk for burnout. However, an in-home care worker 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.

Chicken Fried Rice

You can load up a plate with chicken, rice, and colourful vegetables to make lunch more appealing for a picky senior. Chicken is a lean meat that can replace other less healthy lunch options, especially deli meats. You can use brown or wild rice to increase the carbohydrate content of the meal. Then finish it all off with sautéed onions, capsicums, carrots, water chestnuts, and other fun vegetables to meet your loved one’s nutritional needs. Since sautéing the vegetables softens them, this is a wonderful way to help seniors with dental or chewing issues eat their veggies.

A professional care worker can be a terrific source of support for a senior who needs a bit of help planning and preparing nutritious meals. If your ageing loved one needs help managing everyday tasks or encouragement to adopt healthier lifestyle choices, turn to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of home care services. Home Care Assistance provides professional in-home care workers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives. Reach out to us at Home Care Assistance if you need compassionate, professional care for your loved one. Call one of our dedicated Care Managers today at [hca_phone] to learn about the high quality of our in-home aged care.