During the holidays it can be tough to stay on a healthy diet. There are so many delicious foods available that aren’t around at any other time of the year it’s tough to resist. And there are a lot of opportunities to eat at parties and holiday gatherings. But it’s very important for seniors to try and stick to a healthy diet during the holidays. For seniors that have medical conditions that are impacted by their diet like diabetes eating too much or eating the wrong things can result in serious illness. But even seniors who don’t have a medical condition can get sick, gain weight, or suffer other consequences if they overindulge during the holidays. Home care providers can make a big difference when it comes to encouraging seniors to eat healthily during the holidays.
Some easy ways to motivate seniors to eat healthy during the holidays include:
Get Home Care
Home care services include things like helping seniors cook meals and shopping for groceries. So having home care will help seniors make good food choices during the holidays because they can motivate seniors to make healthy meals at home and shop for healthy foods. If seniors only have healthy foods in the house they will eat healthy meals.
Eat Healthy Snacks Before Parties
A great way to avoid eating too many treats at holiday gatherings is to have some healthy snacks before going to the party. Seniors who eat some veggies or cheese and crackers or other healthy snacks before they go out to an event where there are a lot of unhealthy foods being offered are more likely to skip those unhealthy options. They will be full of healthy snacks and won’t be tempted to overindulge in holiday treats.
Fill Up On Veggies
Another way that seniors can make good food choices at holiday events is to head for the veggies. Almost all holiday gatherings will have some sort of veggie platter or vegetable offerings as part of the meal. Seniors can start their meals with veggies so that they are full before it’s time to eat some of the higher-calorie or sugar-laden foods. Just make sure those veggies aren’t soaked in butter or covered in cheese or they won’t be a very healthy option.
Don’t Skip Meals
Seniors may be tempted to skip meals in order to have a big holiday meal or eat a lot of sweets. But skipping meals can be very bad for seniors. Regular small meals are necessary for seniors to keep their blood sugar steady, even if they don’t have diabetes. Seniors should still eat at regular intervals when they are planning on going to a holiday gathering or party. Although, they can eat smaller meals than usual if they know that they are going to be eating at the gathering or if they are going to a dinner party. But seniors shouldn’t skip meals entirely.