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Helping Your Loved One Maintain a Healthy Diet
June 21, 2010
Helping Your Loved One Maintain a Healthy Diet
Proper nutrition is essential for good overall health and wellness. It plays a critical role in the recovery process after surgery and is essential for disease management for many conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The diet of every individual is monitored closely while in the hospital and during the stay in a rehabilitation center. However, proper nutrition is often a challenge upon the return home. Some individuals have a poor appetite, some don’t have the desire or energy to prepare their own meals, and yet others have developed certain eating patterns that might not be appropriate for a new medical diagnosis such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Frequently, the burden of ensuring adequate nutrient intakes often falls on the caregivers. So what can you, as the caregiver, do to help ensure that your loved one is eating properly upon their return home?
Ensuring adequate intakes when appetite is poor
A poor appetite is common among the elderly or in those returning home after a hospital stay, and meeting nutrient needs at this time can be a challenge. Often, it is tempting to allow people to just eat “junk food” because it is better than eating nothing at all. While meeting calorie needs is extremely important, it is also crucial to ensure adequate protein, vitamin and mineral intakes as well. The following are some tips to help meet these nutrient needs:
· Try to increase the number of times your loved one eats throughout the day, aiming for small meals or snacks every 2-3 hours. (It is often easier to eat small amounts of food frequently than it is to eat large amounts of food at one time. In fact, large portions can often overwhelm people and make them not want to eat at all.)
· Include drinks that provide calories and nutrients. Some examples include fruit juices, milk and fruit smoothies. (It is easier for people to drink their calories than it is to eat them.)
· Incorporate healthy fats such as nuts, peanut butter, olive/canola/peanut oils and avocados. They add a lot of calories without a lot of volume, and they are heart healthy!
· Choose hearty breads such as bagels, pancakes, waffles and even wraps. All of these items have more calories than a standard slice of bread. Try to choose whole grains when possible.
· Include calorie-dense foods such as dried fruit, granola and trail mixes.
· Nutrition supplements can provide a convenient way to increase calories if your loved one is having difficulty meeting his/her needs with diet alone. Some good choices include Carnation® Instant Breakfast, Ensure® and Boost®. You may even consider sports bars such as Clif or Luna bars for a snack. (Hint: do not serve these items with meals because people will often fill up on these and then not eat any regular foods. Instead, offer these about 1-2 hours after meals.)
· When your loved one’s appetite is poor, it is often a good idea to provide a multivitamin. While a vitamin is not a substitute for a healthy diet, it can help to meet nutrient needs.
Help create a healthy environment at home
One of the most important things you can do to ensure good nutrition for your loved one is to help them create a healthy food environment at home. It is important to get the “junk food” out of the kitchen and stock up on the healthier options. Upon the return home after a hospital stay, the simpler things are to prepare, the better. The following are some tips for what to keep on hand:
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Food Group
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Importance
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Skip This…
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Try
This…
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Keep it Simple
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Fruits and Vegetables
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These are nature’s true health foods because they are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can help improve immune function, help with healing after surgery and maintain healthy cell function. They also protect against heart disease and certain types of cancer.
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Fruits canned in syrup
Canned vegetables that are high in sodium
Fruit Drinks that have added sugars
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All fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables
Fruits canned in their own juices
Low-sodium canned vegetables
100% Fruit Juice
Dried fruits that have no added sugar
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To minimize prep time, try pre-cut fruits and vegetables (i.e., fruit salads, baby carrots, salad kits or items like bananas that require no preparation).
Try vegetable steamer bags, which now come in individual serving sizes.
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Starches and Grains
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Grains are our body’s preferred energy source. They are a good source of vitamin E and B vitamins, which can promote heart health. Whole grain products also contain fiber that can help to maintain regular bowel function and help prevent heart disease and certain types of cancers.
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Refined grains like white breads, crackers, and pastas
Grains with added fat or sugar like sugary cereals, pastries, cakes, cookies and items with visible salt like saltines, salted pretzels or bagels. Read food labels to compare products.
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Whole wheat or other “whole” grain breads and cereals and pastas
(Look for the word “whole” as part of the first ingredient on the food label.)
Brown rice
Oatmeal
Barley
Beans, lentils and legumes
Popcorn
Whole wheat crackers without added fat
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Instant oatmeal and minute brown rice are quick, easy and both come in individual serving size packets.
Make sandwiches with whole grain breads, wraps or pitas instead of white breads.
Keep pasta salad made w/wheat pasta, veggies and low fat dressing on hand for a quick lunch.
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Dairy
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Dairy is rich in calcium and vitamin D, which supports bone health and can help improve blood pressure. These foods are also high in protein, which is important to maintain muscle mass and is important in recovery after surgery.
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2% or whole milk
Full-fat yogurt and cheeses
(These items are high in saturated fat and can raise cholesterol levels.)
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Skim or 1% milk
Non-fat or low-fat yogurt and cottage cheese
Cheeses with less than 3 grams of fat per serving
Low-fat soy milk, yogurt and cheese can be a good alternative for lactose-intolerant individuals.
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Most dairy products are sold in individual serving containers making them a quick and easy snack with no cleanup.
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Meats and meat alternatives
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Meats are a good source of protein, iron and zinc, all of which can help with recovery after surgery. They also are a good source of B vitamins.
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Poultry: dark meat with the skin
Whole eggs
Fatty cuts of meat like pork chops, ribs, cutlets and ground beef (unless it’s > 90% lean)
Processed lunch meats like bologna, salami, sausages and hot dogs
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Poultry: white meat without the skin
Egg whites or egg beaters
Fish
Lean cuts of beef or pork: look for the word “round” or “loin”, which usually indicates lean cuts
Lunch meats like chicken, turkey, ham, roast beef (look for low-sodium versions)
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A rotisserie chicken is a simple dinner and provides leftovers throughout the week.
Canned tuna, hard boiled eggs, low-sodium lunch meat, and natural peanut butter can also provide a quick and easy way to meet protein needs without needing to cook.
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Added fats
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Fat delivers fat-soluble nutrients (vitamins A, D, E and K) throughout the body. Fats are also a good source of calories when appetite is poor.
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Saturated and Trans fats: butter, margarine, mayonnaise, shortenings, cream sauces
Cakes, cookies pastries and fried foods often contain these fats.
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Monounsaturated fats: nuts, peanut butter, avocado, olive/canola oil (These fats are heart healthy!)
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If butter or mayo is a favorite and cannot be given up, low-fat mayo, whipped butter and reduced-fat margarines like Smart Balance or Take Control Light are healthier than the full-fat versions.
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Many people use frozen dinners because they are convenient, but these processed foods can be high in fat and sodium. Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Smart Ones, Weight Watchers, South Beach and Kashi make many products that are lower in fat. Try to choose the entrees that have less than 200 mg of sodium per 100 calories. This can help to stay within the recommended range for sodium, which is usually less than 2,400 mg per day. For some individuals with heart disease, it may be recommended to stay below 2,000 mg per day. Amy’s Kitchen has an entire line of “light in sodium” soups and frozen entrees that meet these criteria. Try adding extra vegetables or have a side of fruit or dairy to help create a more balanced meal and meet nutrient needs.
As a caregiver, you have an important and very challenging role. Often, patients and family members still have many nutrition-related questions upon the return home, especially when there is a new medical diagnosis involved. At this time, working with a Registered Dietitian can help to answer your questions and establish a realistic meal plan that meets medical needs and personal preferences.
Author Resource – Amy Regina, Registered Dietitian at the Hartzband Center for Hip and Knee Replacements in Paramus, New Jersey. Specialties: weight management, cardiovascular health, diabetes management, sports nutrition and general health and wellness. Amy Regina provides individual counseling as well as semi-private sessions.
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