When we enter our senior years, mealtimes can become tedious, especially as vital senses disappear, including taste and smell. In particular, people living alone turn mealtimes into just another chore that accompanies wasting away in front of the TV. However, engaging with mealtimes is essential for keeping up with good health. Below, you’ll find six tips for finding enjoyment in mealtimes as a senior.
Pack in the Flavor
Salt and sugar are packed into countless tasty foods, but they’re the unhealthiest foods around. However, eliminating these from your diet can leave meals tasting a little bit boring. Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways to pack flavor into a dish without piling on the salt and sugar. For example, a dash of lemon juice or spice will flavor a dish without salt. When it comes to sugar replacements, a splash of maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla extract are all worthy alternatives.
Get Socializing
Dining alone can be challenging, as it’s often more difficult to cook healthy foods for just one person. Therefore, turning mealtimes into a social event can help to boost excitement levels. If you live alone, you can invite loved ones over or head to a relative/friend’s house for meals. Alternatively, especially if you find yourself benefiting from senior living in West Lake Hills, you can head out to a restaurant with other members of the community.
Portion Reduction
Unfortunately, journeying through senior years can leave you with very little appetite, which will make facing enormous portions feel like a mission. Therefore, to satisfy your new needs, consider reducing your portion sizes. If getting the recommended calories is what’s important to you, there are plenty of ways to reduce portion size while maintaining calories.
Don’t Forget Liquids
If your body is dehydrated, you may not feel like eating, which can hinder your enjoyment of mealtimes. Therefore, make sure that you’re drinking plenty of water during the day. If you find this difficult, you can add some zest to the water with slices of fresh fruit or a couple of crushed mint leaves.
Please Your Eyes
The senses are all intrinsically linked, which is why restaurants create food that’s delicious to the tastebuds and pleasing on the eye. The same principles apply to your own cooking. If it looks boring, it will feel boring when you come to eat it. Therefore, to boost the appeal and enjoyment at mealtimes, create dishes that are a true feast for the eye.
Setting the Table and the Mood
If you’re eating meals in a miserable room or you’re just watching the same shows that you have been watching all day, you won’t enjoy yourself. Therefore, to elevate the mealtime experience, consider setting the table and creating a welcoming mood with a dash of uplifting music.
Enjoyment at mealtimes can slip away as the senior years take over, so it’s important to make an effort to create enjoyment around every meal. When you enjoy mealtimes, your body will receive the correct nutrients, which will help with continuing health.
