Heart disease is the leading cause of death among both men and women in the United States. Approximately 25% of deaths are related to cardiovascular disease each year. Whether your senior has suffered a serious health event such as a heart attack, or they are simply wanting to stay healthier and prevent future health problems, eating a healthy diet is a vital step. As a family caregiver it is important to realize how influential diet is, and how beneficial it can be to help your parent eat a diet that is rich in the nutrients their body needs to stay strong and healthy, function effectively, and resist major problems such as heart disease.
Try some of these eating tips to help your senior’s heart stay healthy:
- Learn to read labels and encourage your parent to read them on everything they eat. Remember that ingredients add up to meals, so they need to add up the nutrition facts of everything to keep track.
- Talk to their doctor about their nutrition needs and get specific guidelines and restrictions. Keep in mind what they need to eat to keep their heart healthy will also need to work with what they need for any other health issues they might have.
- Be aware of calorie intake and encourage your parent to use that many or more every day.
- Try to eat whole foods as much as possible rather than processed products. For example, it is preferable to eat whole grain pasta topped with steamed vegetables and homemade tomato sauce than it is to eat refined pasta topped with a jarred sauce.
- Eat from all the food groups, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.
- Avoid excessive sodium. Be aware of the high levels of sodium in prepared foods, beverages, condiments, and more.
- Talk to their doctor about caffeine intake and how much is safe and healthy for them.
- Remember that some fat is necessary, but talk to their doctor about what types of fats are healthiest and how much they should have.
Meal and snack preparation can be one of the most beneficial services of senior care. Elderly adults need good nutrition to stay healthy and enjoy their best functioning and quality of life. This is especially true if they are dealing with major health issues such as recovering from a heart attack. Many, however, struggle with challenges and limitations that keep them from being able to give themselves the nutrition they need. A senior home care services provider can address these needs and help them to eat a well-balanced diet on a regular basis. This can include transportation to the grocery store and assistance shopping for healthy foods, helping them understand dietary restrictions from their doctor, researching recipes with them, and preparing meals and snacks that are healthy and fit with their personal tastes. This can help your parent enjoy a healthier, more satisfying diet even when they are struggling with issues such as mobility problems, cognitive decline, and depression.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring senior care in Westfield, NJ, call the caring staff at Helping Hands Home Care today at 908-418-4299. Providing Home Care Services in all of Northern and Central NJ, including Clark, Westfield, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Rahway, Linden, Summit, Edison, Elizabeth, Mountainside and the surrounding areas.
Source:
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating
After graduating from Seton Hall University with a BS in finance Helping Hands Homecare’s Owner / President, Robert D’Arienzo, went to work on Wall St. for six years. However, after Robert’s grandmother became ill with stomach cancer Robert and his family needed to find assistance in the home for her. After many trials and tribulations Robert could see that there was a great need for quality home care services here in NJ and loved the idea of being able to assist other families who were going through what his family went through with his beloved grandmother.
Thus, Robert had found his passion. After almost a year of preparation Robert opened Helping Hands Homecare in 2003. Robert wanted Helping Hands Homecare to focus on providing the highest quality of caregivers, exceptional customer service, and providing a service that familys could depend on in their time of need. Since then Helping Hands has assisted hundreds of individuals with the simplest of needs to more complex cases while preserving those standards set out many years ago.
Robert is a Google Verified Author
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