Thanksgiving is a holiday centered on expressing gratitude, and it is also known as a day for indulging in a feast. From mashed potatoes to turkey to pies, the foods typically served on Thanksgiving can be rich and heavy. While these kinds of foods can be satisfactorily filling, they are not always the most nutritious options and are sometimes not ideal for elderly individuals. Seniors who need as much nutrition as they can often fail to focus on the more nutritious dishes available during Thanksgiving.
As people age, nutritional needs change. Seniors often do not have the strength and health they once had, so they need to pay attention to their diet and eat healthy and beneficial foods. But this does not mean your family will have to forgo traditional dishes this Thanksgiving.
If you are celebrating Thanksgiving with an elderly relative this holiday, consider preparing the following seven healthy meals for seniors. Not only will they provide essential nutrients for your elderly loved one, but they will still fit the bill of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
1. Turkey Breast
It is hard to picture a holiday feast without the turkey. To many people, Thanksgiving isn’t complete unless you eat turkey. The United States is the world’s largest producer of turkey meat. Turkey breast is a great source of lean protein, especially if you remove the skin. According to the USDA, 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of cooked skinless turkey breast has 32 grams of protein. Plus, there are only 166 calories and 3 grams of fat! It’s rich in B-complex vitamins niacin, B6, B12, and the essential nutrient choline.
Lean protein in the form of roasted turkey breast is a great food choice for seniors. Protein makes the bones and muscles more robust, and lean protein is better for digestion and lower fat. Just be mindful of the gravy, as this can add more calories. Low-calorie gravy recipes are also an option here.
2. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a superfood, which means that they are packed with nutrients. Not only do sweet potatoes have four grams of fiber, but they have high amounts of antioxidants such as Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. Vitamin A boosts bone health. Also, vitamin C is essential for a healthy immune system. Sweet potatoes also have fiber, which your body needs for good digestion. You can never eat enough of this food – it’s that good.
We love a good sweet potato casserole, but if you skip the brown sugar and marshmallows, you can save a lot of empty calories with your Thanksgiving dinner, which may be kind to your waistline.
3. Green Beans
Many people serve green bean casserole at Thanksgiving. According to Campbell’s, the traditional recipe has 118 calories and 7 grams of fat for only one-half of a cup. That’s about half the size of your fist. That 118–calorie figure is when you use reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup. And you really don’t save that many calories with the lower-fat version of the soup. Campbell’s full-fat version only has 20 calories more.
You add a lot of unnecessary calories when you add cream of mushroom soup, milk, and French-fried onions to green beans. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), three-fourths of a cup of steamed green beans has only 20 calories. They are also a rich source of vitamins A, C, and K. Green beans also have a lot of fiber and folic acid. Vitamin C improves digestion, and fiber offers antioxidant protection.
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4. Fruit Desserts
If you’re looking for something even sweeter, then this one can work well. Unfortunately, as people age, they usually start consuming more and more sugar. This is because their taste buds begin to weaken, so other foods and flavors don’t taste as good. Still, the ability to taste sugar remains strong. Excess sugar is unhealthy, so it’s best to prepare naturally sweetened foods for your senior loved one.
Eating sweet foods without being unhealthy may be easier than you think. The key is making the right choices. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream may be a Thanksgiving staple, but consider adding fruit tarts or baked apples to the table. Fruit is naturally sweet, so you don’t have to add much sugar to those desserts. For example, baked apples and fruit tarts still taste good without relying too much on sugar for their flavor.
The fruit has many benefits for seniors. Not only is a fruit loaded with antioxidants, it has a high water and fiber content, making it quite filling.
5. Veggie Trays
Consider having a veggie tray with low-fat dips as a Thanksgiving appetizer. You can add bell peppers, baby carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and any other vegetables you want to include.
The vegetables listed above may be high in fiber, antioxidants, and minerals (like calcium). They’re also low in calories. Plus, if you fill up with vegetables before your meal, you may be less likely to eat excess calories during the main course.
6. Collard Greens
Collard greens and other dark, leafy green vegetables are superfoods with a ton of nutritional benefits for seniors. Collard greens are packed with vitamin K — one cup has about 770 micrograms, which is much, much more than the dietary guideline of 90 micrograms. Vitamin K is great for bone health because it helps improve calcium absorption.
Collard greens and other cruciferous vegetables may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and kidney cancer.
7. Cranberries
When we say “cranberries,” we don’t mean cranberry sauce in cans. Canned cranberry sauce has 418 calories and 105 grams of sugar in one cup. Also, many people don’t even like the canned stuff, according to an Instacart survey.
Use fresh cranberries and make your own sauce at home. You have control over how much sugar you put in the recipe, and you can also reap the many benefits cranberries have. Cranberries have a ton of vitamin C and may also help prevent urinary tract infections.
Freshly concocted cranberry sauce is rich in antioxidants, the crucial compounds that shield the body from adverse oxidative effects. Cranberries will also improve cardiovascular health and teeth.
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Bonus: How to Use All Those Leftovers
After Thanksgiving is over, you may wonder how you can reuse all of those healthy, delicious leftovers.
Many people know about making turkey sandwiches, but did you know you can use the turkey carcass to make broth for turkey soup? Bone broth has many benefits, such as vitamins and minerals, and it may protect your joints from wear and tear. You can even throw leftover celery and carrots from your veggie tray into the pot to make your soup a powerhouse of nutrients.
Cranberry sauce will keep in the refrigerator for several days, and you can serve it chilled or at room temperature.
You can easily reheat sweet potatoes in your oven or the microwave. Note: microwaved sweet potatoes may look brown in the center. It happens because of a chemical called polyphenol oxidase. It’s completely normal, and your sweet potatoes are still safe to eat, but they may not look as pretty.
Bottom Line
Holidays can be fun for the whole family, but they also often come with a lot of unhealthy dietary choices, especially for seniors who need to watch their nutrition every day of the year. Make sure your elderly loved one eats healthy this Thanksgiving and all year long. The aforementioned healthy meals for seniors will allow elderly individuals to partake in a traditional thanksgiving meal that provides the necessary nutrients for good health.
We hope you incorporate the above foods into your Thanksgiving menu. Not only do they taste great, but you can feel great about eating them.
If you want to learn about Medicare Advantage and/or Medicare Supplement plans, connect with us today to check eligibility and see how we can help. Artik Medical Supply provides high-quality, long-lasting products. We focus on our client’s needs to find the right solution that aligns with their primary care doctors’ guidance for their rehabilitation process.
