Stay Healthy This Winter with Good Nutrition Tips
Remaining completely independent becomes more difficult in the winter season. Having a home care provider relieves the extra struggle of daily tasks.
Alliance Senior Care knows the when it comes to surviving harsh Michigan winters, the struggle to stay healthy becomes more difficult. Though layering up to keep warm is important to stave off illness, maintaining good nutrition is the best way to help seniors stay heathy throughout winter. Alliance Senior Care’s Integrated Wellness Program incorporate whole foods into our care plans.
Eating right can seem difficult at times, especially in the winter months when there are so many unhealthy holidays and leftover desserts. However, being nutritionally conscious with your meals strengthens every part of the body, brain, and spirit.
Eating healthy makes the body feel better, promotes physical activity, and improves endorphin production in the brain to increase happiness. Yet, meal-planning to create a balanced, healthy diet for the elderly ones in your life can be a time-consuming and complex process.
By utilizing our services at Alliance Senior Care, you can leave that process to us. Call Us for a consultation. Our care providers will ensure that each meal is prepared to provide your loved ones with the vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients to help them maintain better health.
However, if you decide that you’re capable to care for your loved ones, here are a few tips to plan for warm, hearty, and healthy meals for the winter:
- Healthy Carbohydrates and Whole Grains – Try to insert whole grains into the diet of your loved one. Whole grains and healthy carbs provide energy to keep them active. Oatmeal is always a great breakfast option, and for dinner consider making whole wheat pastas, or baking a whole grain bread. Another trick is to add grains like barley or millet to a soup for particularly cold nights.
- Fruits and Vegetables with Immunity Boosters – It’s especially important in the winter to maintain a strong immune system in order to combat colds, flus, and other viruses. Fruits packed with antioxidants are great for this. Try to stick to red, purple, blue fruits. Vitamin C and beta-carotene are natural immune enhancers, as well. These are densely packed into cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, and will help to stave off colds and shorten recovery time. Probiotics are also essential to fighting off infections and can be found in foods like yogurt or sauerkraut.
- Plenty of Protein – Protein is a vital nutrient for the winter months. It helps our bodies to stay warm, support muscle strength, and provide energy. Healthy sources of protein can be found in fish, lean meats, and some red meats (but be frugal with red meat). Also nuts, beans, and flax seed pack powerful doses of healthy proteins. The healthiest options are fish and flax seed because they also contain omega-3 fatty acids.
- Healthy Skin Nutrients – Dry skin is a common problem among seniors in the winter. Try to include foods rich in Vitamin D, Vitamin B, and Zinc to battle this. These would include things like cheese, eggs, liver, and milk. Always remember to stay hydrated too. Water helps to rejuvenate skin and keep it soft and healthy.
So, when preparing for the winter months, make sure to keep nutrition as a top priority for the seniors in your life.
Whether you choose to care for your own elderly, or employ a Home Care provider like Alliance Senior Care, make sure your loved ones are eating healthy in the cold season.
To learn more about how Home Care can help improve your loved ones’ quality of life, call Alliance Senior Care at 248-274-2170. It’s not just Home Care, it is Integrated Care.
Home Care are an excellent resource for family caregivers and seniors alike.
Alliance Senior Care Home Care solutions offer a wide range of services providing healthcare, daily living assistance, transportation to and from Doctor’s appointments and tailored care services for additional circumstances.
