Are you and your senior parent ready to pursue heart-healthy living? Check out Mayo Clinic’s heart-healthy tips to prevent heart disease and promote healthy living:
- Control your and your senior parent’s portion size. Use a small plate or bowl to help control your and your senior parent’s portion size. Eat larger portions of low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and smaller portions of high-calorie, high-sodium foods, such as refined, processed, or fast foods. This strategy can shape up your and your aging parent’s diet, as well as heart and waistline.
- Fill your and your senior parent’s plate with more fruits and vegetables. Fresh and frozen vegetables and fruits, low-sodium canned vegetables, and canned fruit packed in juice or water are good sources of vitamins and minerals and are low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. Featuring vegetables and fruits in your and your senior parent’s diet can be easy. Keep vegetables washed and cut in your aging parent’s refrigerator for quick snacks. Keep fruit in a bowl in their kitchen so that they’ll remember to eat it. Choose recipes that have vegetables or fruits as the main ingredients, such as vegetable stir-fry or fresh fruit mixed into salads.
- Opt for whole grains. Whole grains are good sources of fiber and other nutrients that play a role in regulating blood pressure and heart health. Who grain products include whole wheat flour, 100 percent whole grain bread, high-fiber cereal, and other whole grains such as brown rice, whole grain pasta, and oatmeal.
- Swap high-fat meats with low-fat protein sources. Incorporate lean meats, such as poultry and fish, low-fat dairy products, and eggs into your senior parent’s diet. Salmon, mackerel, and herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower blood fats called triglycerides. Legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils, are also good sources of protein.
- Reduce the sodium in your and your senior parent’s food. Consuming high amounts of sodium can contribute to high blood pressure. Steer clear of table salt, canned soup, prepared dinners, tomato juice, and condiments. Instead, integrate herbs, spices, and salt-free seasonings into your senior parent’s meals. If your senior parent enjoys the convenience of canned and frozen meals, opt for reduced-salt versions.
- Limit unhealthy fats. Unhealthy fats can lead to high blood cholesterol levels and buildup of plaques in your arteries, which can increase your and your senior parent’s risk of heart attached and stroke. You can limit unhealthy fats by swapping butter, margarine, and other fats with olive, canola, vegetable, and nut oils, nuts, seeds, and avocados.
- Plan ahead and create daily menus. Healthy eating starts with planning. Help your senior parent plan and prepare healthy meals throughout the week. This helps reduce uncertainty during mealtime and takes the guessing out of healthy eating.
- Indulge in the occasional treat. Allow yourself and your senior parent to indulge in your favorite treats on occasion. Enjoying a favorite candy bar or scoop of ice cream can be a fun, memorable event for all.
If your senior parent lives alone and you’re concerned that they’re not consuming a nutritious, heart-healthy diet daily, call Synergy HomeCare of Corona, Riverside, or Anaheim Hills. Our home caregivers can ensure that your senior parent receives proper nutrition. Our in-home home caregivers:
- Assist with menu planning. To ensure your senior parent eats healthy, balanced meals, Synergy HomeCare of Corona, Riverside, and Anaheim Hills in-home caregivers can assist with preparing a well-balanced grocery list. Our caregivers also help your aging parent clip coupons, find the best deals, monitor on-hand food supplies, dispose of old, outdated food, and go grocery shopping.
- Provide feeding assistance. Does your aging parent appear to be losing weight, unintentionally? It may be a sign that your senior parent needs assistance with eating. Our home health caregivers will help your aging parent eat, as feeding assistance can improve a senior’s daily fluid and food consumption needed to maintain a healthy weight.
- Prepare meals. Synergy HomeCare of Corona, Riverside, and Anaheim Hills home caregivers can prepare complete, nutritionally balanced breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with the right portion sizes for good health.
About SYNERGY HomeCare of Anaheim Hills
Synergy HomeCare of Anaheim Hills is the name you can trust in Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, Tustin, Santa Ana, Orange and Placentia for personal home care. Synergy HomeCare of Anaheim Hills is part of a national franchise of non-medical home care offices dedicated to providing exceptional and affordable service to anyone of any age. Synergy HomeCare caregivers are available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, to those in need – including seniors, expectant moms, those suffering from sports injuries and debilitating illnesses, and more. Synergy HomeCare of Corona & Riverside can be found online at http://www.synergyhomecare.com/agencies/ca/anaheim-hills/ca25 . The location also hosts active social media pages on Facebook and Twitter. Ken and Anna can be reached at 714- 706-1613 and [email protected].
