Personal Care at Home – Use Your Brain and Eat These Foods
As you care for your aging loved one, you strive to make sure they are receiving the best care possible to help them stay healthy and active. You want these sunset years to be the best years of their lives. While you are busy monitoring medications, scheduling social outings, encouraging physical activity, don’t forget that what your loved one eats really does matter.
Now more than almost ever, eating a healthy diet is an important part of your loved one staying healthy. Whether he needs an entire diet overhaul, or just needs to make a few tweaks here and there, helping him improve what goes into his body will have positive benefits in all areas of his life.
Before you start shopping, one thing to consider is your loved one’s ability to prepare and make the foods that are best for him. If he is unable to safely prepare food, having a personal care at home provider may be a great choice for him as he begins a new nutrition plan. A personal care at home provider will help him shop for the right foods, prepare them safely, and if needed, even clean up afterward. A personal care at home professional can also provide companionship while he eats, making his meals more enjoyable and making it more likely that he’ll eat all of these healthy foods.
Now, let’s look at five items to get on your loved one’s shopping list for better brain health:
- Greek Yogurt – Greek yogurt is a great way to start a day or add to many dishes. For breakfast, your loved one can add some dark berries for added nutrition and even a sprinkling of granola to add texture and taste. Greek yogurt is packed with probiotics – a good bacteria that helps the gut stay in balance. Bacteria also play a part in reducing inflammation and protecting against diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
- Cruciferous Vegetables – Mom always said to eat your broccoli and there’s good reason for it. Now that she’s older, that broccoli can do her a world of good as well. Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are high in antioxidants, which protect the brain from free radical damage.
- Salmon and Fatty Fish – Why fatty fish? Because those fish are full of omega-3 fatty acids, which support brain health. Salmon also contains lots of protein and Vitamin D, which both help the immune system to work better and protect against viruses.
- Dark leafy greens – No more iceberg lettuce for your loved one’s salads. Have his personal care at home provider pick him up some spinach or arugula for his next salad. These leafy greens contain folate which can prevent the cognitive decline that occurs with dementia.
- Eggs – Eggs contain 18 different vitamins and minerals that are easy to digest, making them a great addition to your loved one’s diet. All of those nutrients keep his brain in tip-top shape.
If your loved one is a picky eater, just try adding one or two to begin with and then gradually replace the unhealthy foods in his diet with these better choices.
If you or someone you know needs Personal Care at Home in Mobile, AL, please contact the friendly caregivers at Hughes Home Care. We provide quality and affordable care for your elderly loved ones in our community. Call Us Today at 251-517-9901. Serving Mobile & Baldwin County.
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