Many people start considering meal planning for elderly parents after they notice that they aren’t eating properly or have trouble grocery shopping and cooking.
Meal planning can be a great way to help your parents and ensure they get the nutrients they need.
What is meal planning?
Meal planning is when you plan and/or prepare your meals in advance.
It can mean planning out what you will eat for the week or the month in advance so that the decisions are made, and you can ensure that you buy the ingredients.
It can also be preparing the food for the whole week in advance.
Some people practice freezer cooking and prepare the meals or ingredients for a whole month of meals and then freeze them.
If you freeze cooked individual portions, then all your elderly parent has to do is take the container out and microwave it.
There is no right way to meal plan; do what works for you and your family.
Tailor your meal planning to your parents’ needs.
Why might your elderly parents need help meal planning?
You may have noticed or begun to suspect that your loved one is not eating properly.
Some signs that your parents need help cooking include unexpected weight loss, spoiled food, and an empty fridge or cupboards.
Your parent may need help shopping and cooking for several reasons:
- grocery shopping is too difficult
- cooking is too difficult
- lack of appetite
- don’t want to cook for one or eat alone
- change in taste or smell
- special dietary needs that make cooking more difficult
It also may no longer be safe for them to cook.
Some signs that it may not be safe for your parents to cook are:
- Food being burnt
- A burner being left on or a kitchen fire
- Lack of coordination with a knife.
Benefits of Meal Planning
Meal planning decreases stress by providing you peace of mind.
Eliminates Uncertainty
There is no “what should we have for dinner.” You already have a plan in place.
You also know that your elderly parents have a meal plan.
Saves Time
Long term, this saves you time planning and grocery shopping. There are no last-minute runs to the grocery store (which will have the added bonus of saving you money).
It also reduces the time that you have to spend in the kitchen.
Improves nutrition
A nutritious diet leads to several benefits, such as improved mood, energy, sleep, and memory; it also improves heart health and decreases the risk of cancer.
While we all know that eating healthy is important, it can be difficult to keep up with, but with meal planning, you are doing most of the work upfront when you are able instead of in the evening after a long day when you are tired.
It ensures your parent is eating nutritious meals. You also will rest assured that their meals meet any health issues and dietary restrictions they have.
Deciding on Foods: Consider their health issues and nutrition
Not eating properly can be a warning sign for underlying health issues such as dental complications, so it is important to check in with your parents’ medical professionals.
Let’s look at some health issues that will impact what they eat.
Problems chewing or swallowing
If your loved one has trouble chewing or swallowing, you will need to prepare softer foods. Soups or smoothies can be great options.
Also, make sure that foods are cut into small pieces.
Digestion Problems
If your loved one has digestion problems, you will need to make a list of foods to avoid and foods they seem to tolerate well.
Dietary Restrictions
Check with their medical team about any dietary restrictions or recommendations prescribed for a condition they have, such as diabetes or hypertension.
Arthritis
Arthritis can make food prep painful or impossible. Work with your parent to find ways they can prepare food that is not painful, such as getting an electric can opener.
Depending on the severity of the situation, you may need to take over food prep.
Taste Changes
According to the Cleveland Clinic, as we age, we lose taste buds and our sense of smell decreases which can cause our tastes to change.
Check-in with your parent about their preferences and consider adding more flavor to help.
Cognitive Decline
Setting a schedule for meals can help by creating a stable routine.
Additionally, a particular diet may be part of the Alzheimer’s or dementia treatment plan.
Deciding on foods: What diet is best for them and what they like
The next step is to figure out what kind of diet they want to follow and what foods they like.
Do some research, talk to their doctor, and decide on whatever diet works for your parents.
No matter which diet they try, incorporate a variety of foods from each food group.
Make sure they have plenty of protein and whole grains.
Make sure they get the necessary vitamins and minerals
Make sure that the foods in your meal plan are rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B, calcium, iodine, and magnesium.
Talk to their doctors about any supplements they should take, such as B12 (seniors can have difficulty absorbing it) and zinc.
Include a lot of fruits and vegetables
Have a lot of fruits and vegetables in your meal plan, especially make sure they are getting plenty of dark green veggies.
Pay attention to serving size
When you are portioning out food, pay attention to your serving size and how many calories are in each serving.
Have a plan for hydration too
Make sure they get enough water by having bottles or cups ready for them.
7 Tips for Meal Planning
Now that you know what they want to eat, let’s look at 7 meal planning tips.
Be a team and let them keep doing what they can do
A big part of working with your parent is not taking over. Let them keep doing what they are able to do.
If they can cook but have trouble going grocery shopping, then just help with that. Or if they can shop but need transportation help, then offer to go with them to the store.
If they only have trouble cooking daily but still like to and are able to safely cook, then work together to do some of the batch cooking.
Even if they need you to take over all the shopping and cooking and will only be heating the food, you still need to work to include them in deciding on a meal plan.
Listen to them
No matter what level of help they need or what tasks you will be doing, you should sit down together to come up with your meal plan. Ask them about their preferences.
You want to prepare things that your parents are not only willing to eat but that they like.
Make meals as easy as possible for them
We have already discussed making meals healthy and tailored to their dietary restrictions and preferences, but making meals as easy as possible for them is also important.
Leave a copy of the meal plan with them so they can know what they need to do and what they are having to eat.
If you prepared the food, keep it in the fridge or freezer labeled with what is in it and when it needs to be eaten by.
It can also help to have the food already in microwave-safe containers so that they can just heat it and eat it. Little energy or work is required.
Automate meals
Try to automate breakfast and even lunch so that they have the same things and no one needs to plan or cook.
Each morning they could have fresh fruit, fortified cereal (which contains needed micronutrients and is easy to serve), oatmeal (high in fiber and easy to eat), whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, or hard-boiled eggs.
Then each lunch can be leftovers or something simple like sandwiches.
Start small with batch cooking
If you have decided to make all your meals for the week (or even the month) at once, it can be overwhelming to start.
Start small by chopping all the fruits and veggies that you need. Then you can start making extra of certain foods that you can use in multiple meals throughout the week, such as quinoa or rice.
Build your way to making that week’s meals in advance.
Keep a list of favorite recipes
Another way to keep meal planning from being overwhelming is to keep a list or folder of your favorite recipes. Before long, you will find a rotation that you can use to have some variety while keeping it simple.
Make dining fun and social
Get friends and family to come and share a meal with your parents. Making dining a social event with loved ones and nice conversation can help them look forward to meal times instead of dreading or avoiding them.
Get Help with Meal Planning
Another way to prevent being overwhelmed by meal planning is to get help.
Enlist friends or family
Ask friends or family to help with shopping or preparing the food.
Look into organizations
If you and your parent need help getting them meals, look into local nonprofits, community centers, or any religious organization you belong to.
You can also look into something like Meals on Wheels.
Try meal delivery services
Meal delivery services are companies that send you prepared meals that you just reheat. You order them, and they will do the work for you!
Today there are more meal delivery services than ever (seriously, just Google it, and you can find dozens).
Some options to look into are:
There are also many ways to get groceries delivered, such as Amazon or Instacart.
You also always have to option of getting food from restaurants delivered.
Consider hiring a home care provider
Home care providers can help with transportation, grocery shopping, cooking, and meal planning for elderly parents.
They can be a mealtime companion and can even help your loved ones feed themselves if they need assistance.
If your loved one could use some help with a home-cooked meal and a dining companion, consider hiring one of our trained caregivers.
We are available for as few or as many hours as you need.
For those in the Aptos, Monterey Bay, or Santa Cruz area, give us a call today at (831) 708-2876 or reach us online for more information about our home care services or to schedule an in-home consultation.
