Tips To Help Seniors Eat Healthy During the Holidays

The holidays bring an abundance of rich, tasty treats to eat and drink that pose a challenge for anyone trying to maintain a healthy diet. For older adults, many of these favorite dishes and beverages served at holiday time run high in sodium, sugar, and saturated fat—all culprits of a heart-healthy diet. The push-pull of wanting to indulge while trying to be health-conscious can be difficult for anyone, especially seniors whose nutrition needs and dietary restrictions change with age and medical conditions.

Meal Planning Helps Ensure Focus on Nutrients

For older adults aging in place with family, mealtimes may already be a collaborative effort, so there’s no reason to change course for the holidays. It is always a good idea to strive for moderation and balance in whatever meals, snacks, and desserts are served. Whether strictly counting calories or not, remember that holiday meals can break any diet if one isn’t careful. Packing on extra pounds is one concern. Another is filling up on empty calories that lack the nutrients older adults need to keep their minds and bodies sharp. It is important to remember to make potassium, calcium, vitamin D, dietary fiber, and vitamin B12 priorities.

Seniors who live alone may be perfectly able to plan and execute their own healthy meals. Some seniors may need to consult with their physician or a dietician on meal planning or get assistance from a caregiver who helps out with meals. If an older adult is eating out or going to a holiday gathering, they should inform the host of any dietary requests or restrictions ahead of time. Cognitively-able seniors should be mindful of what they consume to ensure they don’t overdo it. Caregivers can keep a watchful eye. Too much of a good thing can spike blood pressure or blood sugar.

Resources for Eating Healthy on a Fixed Income

Seniors facing financial, mobility, or accessibility issues can get holiday meals through local aging agencies offering Meals on Wheels or referrals to other resources. Many communities also provide free holiday meals at places of worship, senior centers, and nonprofit organizations. Ask about takeout or delivery options. Pantries may be a good source to stock up on food, but note that many pantry items are processed, packaged, canned foods that may not include low-sodium, heart-healthy choices.

Healthy Eating Tips for Older Adults Over the Holidays

With some planning and restraint, eating right over the holidays is doable for older adults who must follow specific dietary advice. Experts recommend older adults and their caregivers follow these holiday meal reminders:

• Create healthy holiday meal menus in advance and plan grocery shopping lists around holiday menus and dietary guidelines.
• Use healthier substitutions. For dishes calling for whole milk or cream, use low-fat or non-fat dairy instead. In place of butter in baking, try unsweetened applesauce. For stuffing, use low- or no-sodium chicken broth and unsweetened applesauce to moisten instead of regular broth or oil, and use fresh herbs to season in place of salt or processed season blends.
• Buy and cook in bulk for cost savings; freeze what you don’t eat to stretch what you make.
• Do not skip regular meals or snacks, and don’t starve yourself in anticipation of a big holiday meal because then you risk overeating.
• When possible, fix your own plate to ensure portion control; if a plate is fixed for you, request small portions. In general, avoid or limit items with high sodium, high sugar, and high saturated fat.
• Start with fresh fruit or a salad to help you feel fuller faster; skip high-fat, high-sodium creamy salad dressings.
• If possible, avoid or eat sparingly dairy-based sauces and pan drippings-based gravies.
• Skip the stuffing or only take a nibble; go easy on the cranberry sauce, as it’s also a sugar dump. Consider substituting or supplementing heavy old standards such as green bean casserole and macaroni and cheese with lighter, brighter, fresher dishes.
• Avoid holiday beverages such as eggnog, which is loaded with sugar, but if you give in to temptation, take just a sip or two.
• Drink alcohol sparingly, as it is a diuretic that removes water from the bloodstream and thereby promotes dehydration.

In general, though food is a huge part of the holiday season, you don’t have to make it an oversized centerpiece to the exclusion of everything else, such as good conversation and camaraderie. Think of holiday meals as the framework around which to gather with family and friends to share, reminisce, and embrace.

Seniors and their caregivers can find online guidelines and ideas for healthy holiday eating. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers MyPlate Kitchen, a resource for curating healthy recipes that fit individual nutrition needs. The MyPlate tool creates customized food plans based on age, height, weight, and physical activity level.

How Right at Home Can Help

Right at Home has been helping older adults navigate the aging journey for over 25 years. Our insured/bonded caregivers can plan and prepare meals that follow specific dietary requirements, along with doing the shopping and cleanup, too. We can also provide a wide range of other services to help ensure the well-being of older adults as they age in place. To find out more, use our office locator to contact the nearest office and ask for a FREE in-home consultation.

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