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5 Lifestyle Tips to Help Your Elderly Loved One Control His Weight

Elderly Care in Weston FL

Weight gain can be dangerous for your elderly loved one because it can lead to him experiencing higher blood pressure, higher cholesterol levels, and even heart disease as well as other health issues. If your loved one is having difficulty controlling his weight on his own, here are some small changes you can help him to make that can make the job easier.

Plan Out Meals and Shopping Trips

Make sure that you plan out meals and what you need to purchase to prepare those meals. When you’re planning, don’t forget to include your elderly loved one in the planning process. By making a list and a menu plan, you’re going to be less likely to pick up foods that aren’t healthy for your loved one to eat. Try to focus on fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and fewer processed foods as you plan.

Avoid Empty Calories

One of the areas in which it’s really easy for your elderly loved one to take in calories that he doesn’t notice is with beverages that are high in calories. Drinks such as soda, high sugar fruit juices, and even prepared coffee or tea drinks are full of calories and provide little nutritional benefit. Ideally, your loved one should drink plenty of water. This might be easier if you keep fewer of these high calorie drinks around. Other sources of empty calories include candy, cookies, and snack cakes.

Use Fiber to Fill Up

When your loved one first starts to change his eating habits, he might feel hungrier than usual. A good way to combat this is to keep fruits and vegetables on hand that your loved one enjoys eating. The fiber in the fruits and vegetables helps your loved one to feel fuller, and they’re also full of vitamins and nutrients that help to nourish your loved one more fully than snacks with lots of calories but no nutritive value.

Simpler Is Better

When you’re trying to help your loved one lose weight, or at least stop gaining weight, simpler recipes and menus are better than more complicated ones. Complicated recipes are more difficult for your loved one to make if he still cooks for himself, and they’re likely to fall by the wayside if the new eating plan is difficult. As an alternative, you can enlist the help of senior care providers who can cook for your loved one.

Choose Fun Activities for Exercise

Nutrition and exercise work hand in hand to help your elderly loved one maintain an ideal weight. When you’re looking for exercise plans, start out with fun activities that just get your loved one moving. This can be daily walks with a family pet or playing with grandchildren. The more fun the exercise is, the more likely your loved one is to stick with it and make it a solid part of every day.

As your loved one makes these changes, he’ll be able to maintain a healthy weight more easily.

If you or a family member near Weston, FL are in need of elderly care services, call the caring professionals at Star Multi Care today at (954) 870-4770. Providing Service in Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Delray Beach, Coconut Creek, Taramac, Margate, and surrounding Florida cities.

Source
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes.html

Stephen Sternbach

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