The Recipe: Tips for Seniors Cooking for One or Two

The Recipe: Tips for Seniors Cooking for One or Two

When it comes to healthy aging, quite honestly, there’s a lot to do. You’re supposed to make sure to keep your body active and your brain engaged all while maintaining your social connections as well. Sure, the benefits to your overall well-being are worth the effort, but retirement is supposed to be a time with less responsibility on your plate, right? Well, it turns out that in senior living you can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. Here’s how programs like our Vivid Life make keeping active, engaged, and connected easy and fun! 

Benefits of Healthy Aging 

Good things happen when you focus on healthy aging. In addition to feeling better overall, which in and of itself is a win, other benefits of keeping active, engaged, and connected include:  

  • Improved ability to do everyday things ​ 
  • Reduced impact of illness and chronic disease​ 
  • Enhanced mobility, flexibility, and balance
  • Improved sleep
  • Increased energy level
  • Reduced feelings of depression and stress
  • Increased feelings of happiness and self-confidence
  • Reduced risk of cognitive decline 
  • Increased mental adaptability and cognitive reserve 
  • Improved memory recall and problem-solving skills 
  • Improved concentration and attention to detail  

How Senior Living Can Help 

At home, particularly when living alone, it can be hard to stay as active, engaged, and connected as you’d like. From lack of opportunity to lack of motivation to lack of transportation to mobility challenges, and more, it’s tough, we get it! That’s why we created the Vivid Life program in our senior living communities. It’s composed of three parts: Vibrant Body, Vibrant Brain, and Vibrant Connections. Here’s what each entails:  

Vibrant Body We offer amenities such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, a pool, walking trails, gardening opportunities, and even a dog park to help you stay active. A sample of activities includes:  

  • Walking club – Daily walks at different outdoor locations using pedometers to measure steps. 
  • Yoga – At least once per week for gentle yoga, and once per week for mindful breathing. 
  • Fitness classes – At least two times per week using a variety of hand weights, resistance bands, and circuit-type exercises. 
  • Tai Chi – At least once per week with a live instructor. 
  • Non-traditional exercise – Dancing, gardening, etc. at least two times per week. 
  • Physical games and sports – Golf, putting, bowling, croquet, bocce, and ping pong available daily with organized events one to two times per week. 

Vibrant Brain We offer monthly calendars filled with classes, events, creative arts, and enrichment opportunities to help keep you engaged. A sample of activities includes: 

  • Visiting lecture series – Twice per month with topics such as cultural, historical, local interest, career-oriented, etc. 
  • Creative art series – At least one per week with a theme that runs 3-6 weeks, such as poetry writing, storytelling, painting, digital photography, etc. 
  • Learning series – At least three times per month with an emphasis on learning something new such as foreign language, sign language, technology, hobbies, etc. 
  • Games – At least one time per week and may include poker, bridge, Scrabble, etc. 
  • Mindfulness – A meditation class once per week and gratitude discussion group twice monthly. 
  • Church service – At least once a week through visits by local churches. 
  • Stress reduction – At least once per month class that offers deep breathing exercises, nature walks, music appreciation, spa-type treatments, etc. 

 Vibrant Connections We offer resident-led clubs, social events, outings and volunteer opportunities for any interest to help you stay connected. A sample of activities includes: 

  • Outings – At least twice per month and may include going to concerts, art shows, museum visits, theatre productions, etc. 
  • Intergenerational programming – At least once per month and focuses on building relationships between young adults/children and residents. 
  • New resident welcome party – At least once per month to formally introduce all new residents, and includes ice breakers, social games, etc. to encourage connection. 
  • Philanthropic program – At least once per month provide residents the opportunity to give back to the community, such as volunteering for a local food bank or pet shelter. 
  • Resident-led clubs – May include game clubs, professional clubs, common interests, etc. that meet at least monthly.  

What’s more, it’s all right outside your door (or transportation is provided offsite) and all in a supportive environment with home maintenance, housekeeping, and restaurant-style dining freeing your time to make it even easier to stay active, engaged, and connected. 

Learn more about Vitality Living’s Vivid Life programs. Or find a Vitality Living community near you today to schedule a tour. 

blog-family-decision-guide

 

It goes without saying, nutrition is important to everyone’s health. But for seniors, it’s especially crucial, and often more complicated. As we age, your body needs more of certain nutrients, metabolism slows and requires fewer calories, palate and digestion may change, medications may affect taste, chronic conditions can affect appetite and may require dietary restrictions. Perhaps is why many seniors show signs of malnutrition. In fact, senior malnutrition costs the United States $51.3 billion a year according to the Alliance on Aging Research.

And yes, it’s much more convenient to opt for frozen dinners or takeout particularly when living alone, but the risks from high sodium and sugar particularly for those with diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure are substantial.

There is a better way, and it may be easier than you think to get the nutrition you need. Check out these tips for seniors who cook for one or two.

Know Your Nutrients

Surprisingly, healthy cooking for seniors doesn’t start at the grocery store. It starts with a little research on the foods that provide the most nutritional bang for your buck by:

Shop Smart

To make grocery shopping easier and more budget friendly, plan your weekly menu ahead of time. Also take advantage of sales to stock your pantry with canned vegetables, beans, fruits and dried foods such as rice and pasta. You can also buy in bulk and freeze into smaller portions that you can thaw and cook later. The National Institute on Aging also has additional tips to help seniors eat healthy on a budget.

For additional assistance, check out the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through The National Council on Aging and Feeding America to see if you qualify. Meals on Wheels may also be an option.

If there is wiggle-room in your budget, and convenience is of primary importance, check your local grocery store for online ordering with curbside pickup and/or delivery options, as well as look at meal delivery options such as Blue Apron and Hello Fresh.

Get Cooking

When cooking for one or two, making large meals that can be frozen into smaller portions is a great option. Think soups, stews, chilies, roasts, casseroles and any kind of slow-cooker meal. Write the date on the packages you freeze and move older items forward as you add items to avoid spoilage.

Eating the same meal over and over can get boring so make fresh side dishes each time you thaw out a portion. Speaking of sides, think about reusing these as well. Perhaps you have rice as a side one night and use it for a casserole the next. Have chicken as a main dish in one meal and use leftovers in sandwiches for another meal.

Another idea to add to the variety and convenience is to have a dedicated cooking day a couple of times a month where you make several meals to portion and freeze. Then you avoid having the same meal multiple times in a row.

Skip the Hassle

If cooking has never been your thing or if all this just seems like too much to manage, you do have other options. One of the key benefits of life in a senior living community is the dining experience. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, residents enjoy chef-prepared selections in a restaurant-style setting that often features daily entrees, an a la carte menu, Soup of the Day, fresh salad bar and delicious desserts. What’s more, menus are prepared by a dining staff that knows your dietary restrictions and/or preferences by heart, often in collaboration with a nutritionist or dietician to ensure all your meals are healthy and well balanced.

For more information on our senior living communities, contact us today to schedule a visit.

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