senior citizen recipes. healthy senior citizen recipes. Ageing does manifest with time and we all age gradually over the years. As we pass 60 years, our body undergoes certain changes which includes structural and hormonal both. What more naturally comes with it is also slow metabolism, a drop in appetite, decreased digestive health and oral problems along with a few common health problems like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis (especially in women) by some.
It becomes important for them to concentrate on their health to avoid chronic diseases in near future. Nutrient dense meals which are easy to chew and swallow as well as easy to digest should be the main focus of their diet..
1) Pick up fruits and vegetables. Choose from the high fiber and antioxidant rich range like broccoli, carrots, orange, amla, grapefruit and limit the addition of starchy foods such as potato, sweet potato, yam etc. Turn to soups and salads like Broccoli Soup and Chatpata Chawli and Fruit Salad
2) Stay hydrated by consuming at least 2 litres of water each day. Dehydration causes dizziness, tiredness and constipation.
3) Boost your power with proteins. Dals and pulses cooked with minimal fat and khichdi is one of the healthy vegan pick. Eggs for vegetarians is a good option. Some good dal options are methi toovar dal recipe and palak chana dal recipe.
4) Do not miss out on that crucial calcium consumption daily is a must especially for women with osteoporosis. Include dairy products like curds, paneer, butter milk along with a ragi flour, broccoli and greens. For those who are obese, can try low fat dairy products. Try our high calcium recipes like Date and Apple Shake and Rajasthani Pakoda Kadhi.
5) Swap refined foods like maida and semolina with healthy whole grains like jowar, oats, quinoa, barley and bajra.
6) Munch on nuts and oilseeds which are rich in Omega 3 fats such as walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds etc. Try some healthy options like Walnut Sheera, Flaxseeds Dry Chutney or homemade almond butter recipe.
7) Shun that extra spice from the meal. It can irritate the gut.
8) Fun up your daily meals with fresh herbs like mint leaves, coriander, parsley etc. This will help to make meals pleasing and increase appetite.
9) Dodge out from shopping salty and processed foods such as packaged soups, ready to fry foods such as French fries, tikkis, etc. as they contain high sodium content and can increase risk for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
10) Restrict the consumption of fried foods and sweets to not more than a fortnight in limited quantities.
11) Medications may cause change in taste and can lead to decreased appetite and gastric problems. Therefore they can consume easy to digest foods such as oats porridge, cooked vegetables, rice, dals. Bajra Khichdi, Dahiwali Toovar Dal and Strawberry Yoghurt
12) Find a fitness friend and exercise daily for at least 45 minutes. Weight training is crucial right through your life as it will strenghten the body and prevent those easy bone breaks which happen later in life. Run, Brisk walking or yoga can be done. Exercise becomes even more important as with increased age, metabolism slows down and less calories are burnt.
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Senior Citizen Easy to Swallow
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Soft Food for Elderly. easy to chew food for senior citizens. Easy to chew or soft foods can be a boon for the elderly who have difficulty chewing due to loss of teeth. It is important that they continue to consume nutritious and balanced meals to remain active and healthy. The best soft foods are those that are soft and moist in their natural form, they can also be mashed, puréed or moisture can be added to make food easier to chew.
4 important points for senior citizens to chew food.
1. Choose fruits that are naturally soft such as banana, all types of berries such as strawberry, raspberry, chickoo, pear that can be chewed without any problem. Banana, muskmelon, watermelon, strawberries can be added to milkshakes and smoothies. Try Strawberry Yoghurt or banana apple smoothie recipe which can be had for breakfast.
2. Choose soft and moist foods. You can chop, mash, mince, grind or purée foods to give it an easy-to-chew texture. Curd Rice and Bajra Khichdi are great if your looking for good rice options that are nutritious and can be eaten without much hassle.
3. Include soups and broths that contain vegetables such as spinach, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and carrots. For nourishing soups choices, try Quick Vegetable Broth and Green peas carrot and cauliflower soup.
4. Cereals such as oats, rice, jowar, ragi, can be consumed in the form of porridge or khichdi Jowar and Vegetable Porridge is sure to keep you full for a long time. Remember to add chopped and boiled veggies in your porridge to make it nutritious and fiber rich.
Enjoy our Soft Food for Elderly. easy to chew food for senior citizens and senior citizen recipe articles below.
Senior Citizen Easy to Swallow
Senior Citizen Healthy Heart, Low Cholesterol
Easy to swallow foods are those that require little to no chewing. This is beneficial for the elderly who have trouble chewing food due to lack of teeth and this may lead to many nutrient deficiencies which can be detrimental to their health.
However you should not compromise on the nutrients, but only the texture of the foods. Foods can be made soft by grinding, grating, stewing and mashing them to make it easier to swallow. Tougher foods can be swallowed easily if they are boiled or steamed. Further control the amount of spices being added to the meals as excess spice may lead to acidity and cause stomach upset. Eat smaller and frequent meals and snacks which are nutrient dense instead of 3 larger ones. And completely eliminate crispy and fried food from your diet like potato chips, wafers, chivdas.
Easy to Swallow Breakfast for Senior Citizens
Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day. It’s worth eating a nourishing breakfast to stay energetic through the day. Kickstart your day with healthy breakfast which is packed with protein, carbohydrates and other key nutrients. Avoid those crispy toats, they may hurt your throat and may be difficult to chew as well. Further they aren’t really loaded with any nutrients too. Instead try Ragi Upma, it is a great breakfast option. It gives you enough protein and iron. A good level of iron ensures a good hemoglobin count which helps to supply oxygen to all parts of the body. This will, in turn, ensure that you do not feel fatigue in the later part of the day.
Another iron rich option is Jowar Ragi and Date Porridge. This is a soft food as a substitute to Muesli.
Pancakes are an alternative soft food too which can be made in a jiffy and taste the best when they are served off the tava. Avoid using refined maida and instead a variety of other flours like jowar flour, bajra flour and try with quinoa flour as a variation. We have created 2 varieties of soft flavour-filled pancakes to be enjoyed by senior citizens – Mini Quinoa Pancake and Mini Jowar Pancakes. Do try them!
Idli, a South Indian breakfast, is now-a-days famous in most other parts of India as well. Soft , fluffy idlis are one of the best breakfast senior citizens would love to dwell into. Of course, you must have tried making the regular rice and urad dal idli, but we have something new for you to try and enjoy - Multiflour Idli and Moong Dal and Spinach Idli, which provides you enough protein, calcium and iron.
Whole fruits and vegetables are definitely the best option to rely on. But for senior citizens this is a big challenge, especially if they have issues with chewing. But that doesn’t mean you give up fruits and veggies. You can rely on juices and smoothies. They are definitely easy to swallow, there is no doubt about it. While you can surely go ahead and try your own choice of combos, it would be best to consider a few pointers to go healthy with them. Firstly avoid the use of sugar completely – whether you are whipping a juice or a smoothie. These are empty calories and may cause tooth decay too. You can’t afford an added dentist visit anyways at this age. Secondly when making juice, try and avoid straining them to retain the much needed fiber.
Spinach and Mint Juice at the beginning day would help to cleanse your system, while Carrot and Red Pepper Juice can be an option for in between meals when you feel slightly hungry.
To make sugar-free smoothies, make use sweeteners like dates and sweet fruits like apple, banana or melon. Try Antioxidant Rich Blackberry Banana Smoothie or Oats Apple Almond Milk Smoothie.
Main Course makes up a major part of nutrient intake of the day. It typically consists of dal, rice, subzi and roti. But many senior citizens find it difficult to eat this huge meal or find it tough to chew for a long time. They need not despair though. They can yet make up for all their nutrient intake in a small meal. A One dish meal can be equally nourishing! Learn the art of combining a cereal and/or a pulse with a handful of veggies to create a soft or semi-soft food which you can completely enjoy. In fact, such foods can be comfort foods at this age.
Try Gehun ki Bikaneri Khichdi or the extremely soft Paushtic Rotis. Serve them with a bowl of curd or kadhi like Gujarati Suva Kadhi. Well if you can chew a little, even Bajra Whole Moong and Green Pea Khichdi is an energy dense meal with the goodness of protein, calcium, B vitamins, potassium and magnesium. While protein and calcium are needed to support bones, potassium and magnesium will support heart healthy and the B vitamins will help in cell metabolism keeping your energy levels up and boost brain function as well.
Eating the tiny nutri-bound sprouts is another challenge for elderly people. We have solution for that as well. Sprout, boil and mash assorted sprouts and add them to flours to make wholesome rotis. Gain all your nutrients the easier way… We have tried this too and come up with a healthy variant Mixed Sprouts and Bajra Roti, which has a bouquet of spices that cannot fail to please you.
All types of subzis can be enjoyed by senior citizens too. Limit the consumption of raw vegetables and tough to chew veggies with thick skin such as carrot, corn kernels, radish etc. The fiber can get stuck in the throat and may cause you to choke if not chewed well. Some may also find the seeds of the veggies like tomatoes and eggplant irritating in the teeth. Cook the veggies very well… is the only piece of advice you need to follow. You can enjoy any vegetable of your choice. Methi Pithla as well as Cauliflower Greens Methi and Palak Subzi are simple exceptionally soft options for those who have extreme chewing problems. While others can try soft, well-cooked subzis like Gavar Pumpkin Vegetable.
Make your wise pick what suits you the best for your age!
Senior Citizen
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Senior Citizen Rice
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Iron is a key nutrient to build the hemoglobin in the red blood cells (RBC) of the blood. This nutrient is necessary for the supply of oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. A deficiency of iron can lead to anemia in many senior citizens which make them end up feeling tired, weakens the immune system and causes issues with cognitive function.
Due to this reason, it is of utmost importance to consume a diet rich in iron to help prevent anemia and its related symptoms. With increasing age, acid production in the stomach decreases which leads to low absorption of iron. Therefore it becomes even more important to have iron rich sources included in your diet in every meal including breakfast, lunch and dinner and mid meals throughout the day.
With increasing age, certain other inevitable alterations are often seen in elderly people. These may be chewing problems, low absorption, poor digestion and stomach upset which may also be accompanied with diseases like diabetes or heart disease. The diet then becomes all the more an important factor for senior citizens.
Shared herewith are some foods which contain plenty of iron and can help senior citizens to help you stay away from anemia or overcome it.
1. Iron Rich Green Leafy Vegetables for Senior Citizens : Greens are known as the super ingredients which support cellular health. These fill our diet with minor nutrients like iron, calcium, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins and lot many. Green leafy vegetables also abound in antioxidants which help to ward off the harmful free radicals from the body. They reduce the inflammation in the body and keep you away from chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.
Spinach, fenugreek leaves, mint, coriander and lettuce are some of the common green veggies which we all explore in a different way. Spinach Mushroom Subzi and Methi Leaves Sambhar are simple day-to-day recipes which will not take a toll on chewing as well. With 3.4 mg and 1.3 mg of iron respectively, these delicacies will definitely help you build hemoglobin levels.
In this section we have shared a few recipes with some uncommon veggies like amaranth leaves and cauliflower leaves. Try soft and luscious Cauliflower Greens and Besan Muthia (5.1 mg iron / serving) or tempting green coloured Chawli Leaves (amaranth leaves) Parota (1.4 mg / parota). So next time do not discard the cauliflower greens and pick chawli leaves from the market. Remember that greens stay fresh and the best for 2 days, so use them within this time period.
2. Healthy Iron Rich Cereals and their Flours for Senior Citizens : Bajra, jowar and ragi (nachni) are a few cereals which are brimming with iron. It is always a wise decision, to switch on from wheat flour to other cereals at least twice or thrice a week. Explore them in their whole form and as their flours too. Though whole cereals may sound difficult to chew at this age, but do not despair. We have some options which are soft and easy to chew like Mini Bajra Onion Uttapa. The whole bajra in this recipe soaked, pressure cooked, blended and then used to make yummy uttapas. Bajra Whole Moong and Green Pea Khichdi is another semi-soft option which is rich in iron and easy to chew for senior citizens. With 2 mg iron per serving, this serves as a great one dish meals for dinner.
And if you want to cook with the flours, we have umpteen options as well. Try the famous South Indian breakfast with a twist in the form of Jowar Upma (1.8 mg iron / serving) or the staple roti in the form of Ragi Roti (1 mg / roti). If you have extreme problem with chewing, then do not opt for this Ragi Roti though.
3. Wholesome Iron Rich Nuts for Senior Citizens : Of course chewing dry nuts is a challenge for most senior citizens because of teeth and jaw problems. But some nuts like almonds and walnuts are a good source of iron and should not be given up. Finely chop or powder them and create your own ways of cooking them. Date and Walnut Balls is a classic example of this.
You can also try making Almond Milk as a variation. This is one of the simplest way of topping up on your iron levels without any chewing.
4. Nourishing Iron Rich Seeds for Senior Citizen : Sesame seeds and garden cress seeds are 2 iron packed seeds. Again if chewing is the major hurdle of senior citizens, then rely on the powder of sesame seeds. Add a tsp of sesame powder while kneading the flour for roti. It’s one of the easiest way to consume iron packed sesame seeds in its disguised form. Alternatively you can make Date and Sesame Puranpoli occasionally when you have time on hand. Each puranpoli provides 2.3 mg of iron which is approx. 10% of your daily iron intake.
Halim Drink is another iron rich delicacy you can rely on. The garden cress seeds are soaked, so they absorb water, swell and soften. This makes them easier to chew. Freshly squeezed vitamin C rich lemon juice in this concoction, helps in the absorption of iron further. If you are highly anemic and have been advised an iron rich diet, do try this drink for a month at least thrice a week and look out for those increased hemoglobin levels.
Other ways to enhance the absorption of iron in your diet is to squeeze lemon juice on subzis, dals etc. This is very easy to follow and needs no extra shopping of planning too. Also remember when you are targeting to eat iron rich foods, avoid tea and coffee as they hinder iron absorption.
5. Iron Rich Sprouts for Senior Citizens : Sprouts are called the ‘living foods’ and “Nature’s boon to mankind’. They abound in many nutrients. These nutrients remain latent until germination. The process of sprouting activates all the nutrients and make them easily available. Sprouts can be interesting depending on the way you cook them. Explore with a variety of them like moong, rajma (kidney beans), chawli, chickpeas, matki etc.
We understand that chewing sprouts after the age of 60-70 isn’t an easy job. Transform these healthy germinated seeds into soft foods that are easy to chew like Sprouts Dhokla and Sprouts and Palak Idli or you can cook something more interesting like Sprouts Tikki. Learn the process of Sprouting in detail.
Soup is another easy way of consuming sprouts in your diet. Use them in purée form like we have done in the recipe of Mixed Sprouts Soup. It’s filling, it’s iron rich (1.5 mg iron / serving) and adds a good quantum of protein to strengthen your bones as well.
Start giving a healthy twist to your daily fare by way of these iron rich recipes.
Senior Citizen
Senior Citizen Easy to Chew
Senior Citizen Easy to Swallow
Senior Citizen Healthy Heart, Low Cholesterol
Senior Citizen Indian
Senior Citizen Osteoporosis Calcium Rich
Senior Citizen Quick
Senior Citizen Rice
Senior Citizen Soup
Senior Citizen Vegetable
Senior Citizen Weight Loss
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