Nearly everyone enjoys having a meal out at a restaurant now and then. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. However, a new study suggests that eating out often might just lead to your aging relative not getting enough of the nutrients they need for good health.
The Dining and Nutrition Study
There have been many past studies that showed a link between dining out and health problems like type 2 diabetes. However, there hadn’t been a study that looked at the nutritional effects of eating in restaurants. This latest study involved information gathered from more than 35,000 people in the United States. Each of them offered information about what they had eaten during a 24-hour period.
Using a scoring method developed by the American Heart Association, the researchers assigned a nutritional value to what the participants ate. According to the data, 12 percent of the calories consumed by the participants came from fast food. 9 percent came from meals eaten at full-service restaurants.
Unfortunately, the researchers found that 70 percent of the participants of the meal, ate from fast-food restaurants weren’t of good nutritional value. In fact, less than 0.1 percent of restaurant meals that were analyzed between 2003 and 2016 were considered nutritious.
Experts contend that some restaurants purposely develop and market nutritionally unsound meals that are targeted toward people who are in a low-income bracket. The choices are inexpensive, but they are also unhealthy.
Older adults often fall into this bracket because of fixed incomes after retirement. As a result, your aging relative may be eating at fast-food restaurants frequently because they are inexpensive and convenient, thus compromising their health.
Grocery Shopping for Healthy Food on a Budget
If your aging relative is on a budget and struggling to purchase healthy food, there are some tips that can help them to save money on groceries, such as:
-Plan Ahead: Before going to the grocery store, the older adult should sit down and plan their meals for the week. Then, write the grocery list based on the planned meals. This can allow them to plan meals around foods that are on sale and also prevents impulse buys. In addition, planning ahead and creating a list ensures that all ingredients are purchased, eliminating the need for multiple shopping trips.
-Use Leftovers: Instead of letting leftovers go to waste, older adults should freeze them to be warmed up another day. They can also be eaten for lunch the next day or repurposed into a different meal. For example, the leftover roast could be cut and used to make fajitas.
-Purchase Whole Foods: Some kinds of foods are less expensive when they are purchased in their unprocessed form. For example, instead of buying shredded cheese in a bag, buy a block of cheese and shred it at home.
Senior care can also help your aging relative to eat healthy meals on a budget. Senior care providers can assist with planning meals and preparing the grocery list. If your older family member is eating out because they have difficulty cooking for themselves, senior care can help there, too. A senior care provider can cook meals for the older adult, even freezing some for future use.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Claremont, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203
Sources
- 5 Things Seniors Need To Age In Place Comfortably - April 23, 2024
- Six Tips for Exceptional Senior Fall Risk Management - April 17, 2024
- Tips for Assisting Seniors With Telemedicine Visits After a Hospital Stay - April 10, 2024
