558664 Fri Sep 19 06:52:58 -0700 2008 12 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4046713 my 86-year old mom has a lady who helps her 5X a week, from 8 am to 1 pm. she can cook, but needs some direction about a balanced diet for elderly people. i'm not sure mom is getting proper nutrition (and she *is* prone to snacking in the afternoon after her nap, and then skipping dinner because she isn't hungry! argh!) googling elderly diet, i wasn't happy with the results. i need your recommendations for reliable sites that give dietary information. To be specific, I am looking for a weekly menu planner, with the protein, starch and veg specified for each meal (or options within categories) on each day, e.g., monday breakfast, monday lunch, monday dinner, monday snack. a buying guide for the grocery store would also be helpful (cause mom just doesn't remember any lists when she goes!) thank you for any help you can provide! Fri Sep 19 06:52:58 -0700 2008 105717 alkapal 1 4046743 I can't be much help on the dietary front, but I do think it's worth talking to your mother about what foods she finds appealing, so that you can go from there. I know, for example, that my parents, who are quite a bit younger than your mother, find rich food less appealing than they used to - which is probably a good thing from the dietary perspective. Your mother's doctor, or a nurse in the doctor's office, might be able to give you some guidance on what she might need aside from what we think of as a typical healthy diet. Fri Sep 19 07:05:48 -0700 2008 4046713 10985 MMRuth 1 4047863 If you search "meals on wheels" there are many calendars with menu's. They usually focus on low fat, low sodium. I didn't see recipes, but it might be a good starting point for ideas for your mothers helper. Fri Sep 19 13:03:49 -0700 2008 4046713 111267 meatn3 2 4048031 in the same vein a senior center menu would also be a good place for ideas on balanced nutrtion for the elderly Fri Sep 19 14:13:58 -0700 2008 4047863 97258 pickychicky1979 2 4050241 I used to run a senior nutrition program. If the Meals on Wheels program is taking federal money, they've got to have their menu plans reviewed by a nutritionist in order to make sure certain weekly nutrition goals are being met. (The feds seemed to make a big deal out of making sure to get enough magnesium in the diet, and we were also supposed to be major calcium pushers) Keep in mind that Meals on Wheels programs are designed to meet those standards as cheaply as possible. Our budget was something like $3.25 per full meal. They're also supposed to be a bit on the bland side in order to be considered to be edible by the widest range of people possible. At most of my meal sites, the seniors had a stash of hot sauce and other condiments of that type in order to liven things up a little. Sat Sep 20 19:38:19 -0700 2008 4047863 11781 beachmouse 1 4048006 I worry about that with my 90-year-old mom as well. There’s some decent information on the AARP Web site, although not specifically what you’re looking for. http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/healthyliving/articles/foods_for_healthy.html http://www.aarp.org/health/healthyliving/articles/plan.html http://www.aarp.org/health/healthyliving/articles/snacking.html Two things I found out the hard way: the elderly tend toward dehydration and anemia. I always make sure my mom has lots of things that she likes to drink in the fridge—sodas, iced tea, lemonade—anything to make sure she drinks as much as she needs to. Mom hates many of the foods that are the best sources of iron such as liver, oysters, and tofu so I also make sure she always has dried fruit on hand to snack on. And although she’s not very good at eating leafy green vegetables, she does like soups that contain them, so I keep her freezer stocked with those as well. Fri Sep 19 14:02:30 -0700 2008 4046713 11407 JoanN 1 4048080 I had my elderly MIL with me for a while. She enjoyed my home cooking quite a bit, but we needed to alter some recipes for her. I have never seen an "elderly" diet, but guidelines galore. That is because the elderly can have a host of different problems from diabetes to heart disease and high blood pressure. Diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, anemia, diuretics, blood thinners -- these all require different things. They also get all kinds of indigestion from medications, and therefore really need to eat their main meals in the afternoon with only a light supper. Remember too, that they eat very small portions at this age -- maybe 1500 calories a day. Fri Sep 19 14:32:22 -0700 2008 4046713 87837 RGC1982 1 4048496 Gosh this is going to sound awful BUT when my Mom was close to your Mom's age I basically bought and let her eat anything she wanted ....she loved turkey, butternut squash and yogurt ...never ate much other protein and hated greens ...when I took her weekly delivery order for groceries I would just grit my teeth when she asked for ice cream, whipped cream and a pie all in the same order without much else except microwave pizza ... honestly i figured at that age she was entitled ...she had cooked balanced meals for her family and then for her husband for 60+ years and I figured I wasn't going to blow her glow. If your situation is that your Mom is willing to eat whatever she is served then ok you should try to serve her elder healthy food but if she resists ...why not let her palate be happy ? My Mom passed with turkey, yogurt and ice cream in the fridge and she wasnt skinny or dehydrated ...Just a thought Fri Sep 19 18:09:38 -0700 2008 4046713 11784 capeanne 1 4049151 thoughtful answers, all! my sister found 5 quarts of ice cream between mom's two freezers! she does love her ice cream....and cookies.... and (thankfully) peanut butter. Sat Sep 20 06:16:04 -0700 2008 4046713 105717 alkapal 1 4049308 Alkapal: Another thing we did with our parents was make the noon meal the main meal of the day. That way if they snacked in the afternoon, they still had gotten nutrition. Sat Sep 20 08:20:41 -0700 2008 4046713 84890 nemo 1 4049835 http://www.hearthealthyonline.com/healthy-recipes/cooking-nutrition-tips/recipe-makeovers_ss1.html http://www.formulamedical.com/fORMULA%20FOR%20LIFE/DietPlan/menu's.htm - This one is great because it breaks down the calorie allotments, and also provides a shopping list. I hope the link works... Sat Sep 20 13:31:54 -0700 2008 4046713 73756 enbell 1 4050297 don't know about your mom specifically, but the elderly in general need to get plenty of calcium for their weakening bones... you might want to put some easy to eat stuff in her fridge, like cottage cheese (with some fruit or jams or cooked noodles stirred in) for calcium and protein; low fat cheeses like mini Bonne Bells or Laughing Cow wedges, etc. maybe your mom's aide can roast a chicken (then discard the skin unless you want mom having that), which will provide her with plenty of snackable lean protein. oatmeal made w/ skim milk and a little brown sugar and almonds would provide a great fibrous, healthy fat, and little bit of protein breakfast. my grandmum loves salmon mousse - no bones to worry about, healthy fat, and goes down easy. Sat Sep 20 20:14:08 -0700 2008 4046713 15572 Emme 2 4050815 My 85-year-old grandmother loves salmon mousse also. Her diet consists of oatmeal with lots of frozen fruit added (she thaws it at room temp and then adds it to the oatmeal), canned salmon over salads, lots of nuts and dried fruits, and her daily glass of red wine. She's not big on variety, but she has low cholesterol and is in great health. Sun Sep 21 07:33:30 -0700 2008 4050297 17392 JennS