3 easy, healthy diet tips for seniors on a budget

When it comes to eating healthy, home cooking is the most cost-effective and healthiest way to go. According to an article in Forbes that analyzed data from Priceonomics customer wellio, a platform that breaks down millions of recipes into single ingredients and matches those to grocery items from local stores, on average it is almost five times more expensive to order from a restaurant than cook at home. This is especially important for seniors on a tight budget.

In honor of Healthy Aging Month this September, we are sharing 3 easy ways for seniors to eat healthy at home from our RD at SKLD New Lexington, Jeremy Kinman.

Jeremy Kinman, RD, pictured with the team at SKLD New Lexington. Note that this photo was taken before the pandemic.

1. Fresh is best, frozen is next and look for low sodium on canned vegetables. Many canned and frozen foods are high in sodium. It is worth noting that a small pinch of table salt (1/8 of a teaspoon) meets the RDA for sodium for an entire day. Seniors often need to limit their sodium intake due to common medical conditions.  So when possible, look for "low sodium" or "No salt added" products. These should be available near the regular products and should have similar prices. You can also look for salt-free seasonings and salt substitutes, but check with your doctor before purchasing salt substitutes as they can interact with certain medications. If you notice that a product you want is frequently out of stock on the shelves, be sure to speak with the store manager to find out if they have more available, or can order it more frequently.

Another concern with relying on canned and frozen foods is overall nutrition. Due to how canned fruits and vegetables are processed, they often lose significant amounts of their nutritional content (vitamins, minerals, etc). As far as fruits and vegetables go, frozen is a better option because flash-frozen fruits and vegetables contain virtually identical nutrition content compared to fresh. Frozen fruits can be expensive however, so when buying canned fruit, always try to buy fruit canned in 100% fruit juice.

2. Look for simple, healthy solutions. As seniors age, physical limitations can make cooking more difficult. But, cooking nutritious and delicious meals does not have to be time consuming. You can often find many inexpensive types of vegetable and grain side dishes available in microwavable pouches in the frozen section of the grocery. You can't get more convenient than microwaveable!

3. Pack your protein. Protein malnutrition is very common among seniors living independently because proteins are often expensive and difficult to cook. Many seniors experience taste changes that make proteins less appetizing. If cooking proteins is more difficult, consider trying canned fish and meats. Various canned fist and meats can usually be found in most grocery stores, but try to look for low sodium versions when possible. If every senior ate a food high in protein, such as meat, dairy, tofu, beans, etc.) with each meal it would help their overall diet and wellbeing.