Thanksgiving is a beloved holiday for many. The heart of the holiday is gratitude for one’s blessings, including health and family. If you are a senior who is hosting Thanksgiving or if you’re hosting a senior family member for the holiday, keep in mind that with all the feasting, it is possible to offer healthy choices for the senior in your life. If you are joining your family member at their senior living community for the holiday, be mindful of food choices.
Buckner Retirement Services has six luxury locations in Texas where seniors can live as independently as possible while receiving services and having access to numerous activities to keep them physically active and mentally engaged. For any information about healthy holidays for seniors, recommended senior Thanksgiving recipes, or how you can help your senior relative navigate the holiday season, call 214.227.7182 to speak to one of our staff.
Nutrition in Older Adults
A healthy diet is important at all ages, but what constitutes good nutrition can change as people age. Some dietary changes recommended to seniors may include foods that mitigate or prevent diseases like hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, or cardiovascular disease. Older adults typically need more protein and fewer calories, and food choices that pack a nutrient-rich punch.
Older adults often do not get enough fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based protein. If cooking is hard for them or they live without access to a kitchen, they may resort to processed foods, which means added salt, sugar, and saturated fat. Family, friends, and the staff at a senior living community like Buckner can work together and in partnership with nutritionists and physicians to ensure seniors receive the nutrition they need.
On Thanksgiving and other holidays, there are numerous dishes and preparations that are delicious, traditional, and healthy for seniors.
Thanksgiving Recipes for Seniors
Some of the most traditional Thanksgiving dishes can be healthy for seniors and still be absolutely delicious. A few great Thanksgiving recipes for seniors include:
- Turkey – There is no need for seniors to give up the most basic of Thanksgiving staples. Turkey can be high in fat but depending on what part of the turkey you eat, it can also be a lean protein—ideal for seniors. Not eating the skin, sticking with the breast meat, and preparing it with as little extra butter or oil as possible are all ways to make turkey one of the most healthy and delicious Thanksgiving dishes for seniors.
- Cranberry sauce – Another traditional dish, when homemade, cranberry sauce is full of benefits to seniors. The proanthocyanidins, also known as PACs, reduce inflammation, and the benefits of cranberries also include urinary, digestion, and metabolism health. Prepare them simply, simmering whole cranberries in water, using a natural sweetener like cane sugar or honey. Cranberry sauce needs some sweetening to balance the tartness, but not as much as commercial brands use. You can even add orange zest or chopped walnuts.
- Green beans – As a green vegetable at Thanksgiving, beans are at the top of many menu lists. They contain lots of fiber as well as vitamins A and C, which fight infections, and K, which is good for bone health. A casserole typically overcooks beans and thus causes some loss of nutritional value. Consider steaming the beans until al dente and drizzling fresh lemon juice over them or lightly sautéing them in olive oil with sesame seeds, sliced almonds, or chopped pecans.
- Sweet potatoes – This all-purpose vegetable is having a bit of a renaissance as people discover its many health benefits. Sweet potatoes aid digestion, help with diabetes by lowering insulin-resistance and balancing blood sugar, and can help manage blood pressure. They are also rich in antioxidants, beta-carotene and Vitamin A.
- Stuffing – As an alternative to bread-based stuffing, health-minded seniors often turn to rice as the basis for their stuffing. A brown and wild rice stuffing can include many of the same flavors and add-ons as a bread stuffing, such as mushrooms, celery, onion, sage, and rosemary. Cooked in the bird, it will draw flavor from the turkey’s juices, but this stuffing can also be heated separately to reduce fat content.
Senior Thanksgiving recipes aren’t difficult to make and can be huge crowd-pleasers that align with many of your favorite traditional dishes.
Schedule a Tour and Enjoy the Benefits of a Senior Living Community at Buckner Retirement Services
If you are unsure about what to serve at Thanksgiving that will be both delicious and senior-friendly, reach out to Buckner Retirement Services to speak to one of our staff. It’s easy to connect via online form or by dialing 214.227.7182.