Seniors guide to home cooking during Coronavirus
Home cooking is generally the most cost effective and healthy way to go, but now that people are stuck indoors due to Coronavirus, home cooking is even more essential. As everyone stays at home, we offer some helpful resources to make cooking at home possible without leaving the house.
In honor of National Nutrition Month from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, we are sharing easy ways for seniors to eat healthy at home during this challenging time.
Thank goodness for food delivery
While grocery shopping is one of the few outings that are still available, grocery is a better option for seniors avoiding public spaces. Instead of waiting in obscenely long lines and putting yourself at risk for coming in contact with germs, you can click on the items that you want, set a time for delivery, and say “Thank you” from a safe distance to the delivery truck driver who drops off your groceries.
When it comes to ordering food online, there are a number of different options. Good Housekeeping breaks down some of the grocery delivery services with helpful information such as the minimum order amount, delivery fee, and membership options. Instacart, Imperfect Produce, Kroger Delivery, and Amazon Fresh are all great options for ordering groceries online. To make it simply, you are able to shop from your computer or from an app (available on iOS and Android).
Make Meal Planning Your New Friend
The most effective way of maximizing your shopping, online or in grocery stores when things get back to normal, is to create and follow a meal plan. You can start by making a list of your favorite meals, looking through cookbooks or recipes online, or talking about it with family. With social distancing leaving so many people feeling alone, talking about meal ideas is a great way to connect with others. Plan out a week or two, look through the recipes and make a shopping list of what you’ll need. This is a great way to eat healthy in a cost-effective way.
Registered Dietitian at SKLD New Lexington, Jeremy Kinman recommends the following key tips:
Fresh is best, frozen is next and look for low sodium on canned vegetables
While trying to limit going to the store, it’s helpful to have essential fruits and vegetables on-hand. However, it’s important to note that 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, or if shopping online you can search for them specifically, and they 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 when things return back to normal.
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 fish 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.
These are not easy times, but hopefully by following these tips you can make cooking at home a little easier, and have some delicious comfort food to help make it just a little better!