16 Dinner Ideas For Elderly
Introduction
Having dinner with the elderly is a great way to learn how they eat, what is important to them, and what they enjoy.
The most important thing you need to know is their dietary restrictions. A common mistake with the elderly is giving them too much salt or oil, so be sure to ask them how much they eat, if they are on any medications, and if they require special diets.
Some ideas for cooking for an elderly individual are low-sodium soup, rice with vegetables and herbs, baked fish with spices, and fresh veggies instead of potatoes.
It is important for the elderly to be able to choose their menu, so they at least have a choice between two different dishes.
Preparation Tips
Do ask them if they have any special dietary needs. If you are not sure, ask them what food they would like to eat that contains few/no salt, oil, or sugar. Give your elderly someone who cooks for their family, so you can ask them what they expect from their meal.
In general, people over the age of 55 eat more slowly. Slow eating gives them the opportunity to taste as much as they can, as well as give their brain a chance to register that they have eaten.
Do not worry about getting everything ready at once. Ask your elderly friend how long it takes him or her to eat and organize your meal accordingly. You can prepare most of the food and keep aside some pieces so you do not run out of it and your elderly friend gets familiar with what is available in your kitchen.
Do not use recipes that require precise measurements (e.g. pouring one cup of oil, 1 teaspoon of salt). Instead, to make it easier for your elderly friend, you can chop the ingredients into small pieces and label their bowls accordingly (e.g. “one serving of salad”, “one serving of rice”).
15 Dinner Ideas For Elderly
1. Rice With Vegetables (Or Brown Rice) And Meat
If you do not like the idea of serving the same dish every day, you can swap some ingredients. For example, serve chicken instead of beef; use zucchini instead of spinach; use bell peppers instead of carrots.
2. Fish (With Or Without Baking It In Tin Foil) With Potato Salad
Tinfoil is a great way to cook fish because it allows all the juices to stay in the fish so it remains tender and juicy.
3. Spaghetti With Herbs
Spaghetti with herbs is a great meal to share with the elderly because it is not spicy, easy to eat, and really healthy.
4. Lettuce With Your Favorite Sauce
The sauce can be either chicken or tuna salad, egg salad, hummus, etc. All you have to do is mix the sauce with lettuce leaves and enjoy! If you do not have lettuce leaves or just want to try something new, you can use baby spinach leaves instead of lettuce leaves.
5. Chicken Soup
Chicken soup is easy to cook, delicious to eat, and really healthy. You can also add rice or other ingredients to make it more interesting for the elderly.
6. Fish With Salad
This is a very easy dish for dinner ideas for the elderly. If you are not sure what to cook, this is the ideal dish because it only takes a few minutes to prepare and has many variations (you can use tuna fish, salmon, etc). You can also ask them what they like (e.g. with lemon juice).
7. Baked Fish With Potatoes, Vegetables, And Herbs
This is another great recipe for the elderly that can be cooked in either foil or in the oven. The only difference is that the oven method takes more time to cook, but it gives you more control over the temperature while using foil can make it look messy since all the juices will drip out of the fish.
8. Cereals For Breakfast
Many elderly people like to start their day with cereals (for example, oatmeal), so it is a great breakfast option for dinner ideas for the elderly.
9. Fruit Salad
Fruit salad is great for dinner because it can be prepared in an hour or two, stored in the fridge, and eaten throughout the week. Be creative with your fruit selection! You can use figs instead of apples, strawberries instead of grapes, etc.
10. Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet potatoes are healthy and delicious! Baking them in the oven produces crispy fries that are sure to satisfy even your pickiest eater. Sprinkle some salt over them to season them before baking and serve them hot!
11. Eggs With Spinach
Eggs are a very common breakfast item, but if you love meat or protein, eggs can be a great alternative. Spinach is an excellent accompaniment for eggs and it is very easy to prepare (add water and spinach; boil for 5 minutes; stir; serve).
12. Croquettes
This appetizer can be made with bacon (you will need to buy some good quality bacon), cheese, and vegetables (e.g., carrot, onion, potato). You can also use your imagination and experiment with the ingredients you like the most! You can make croquettes with different fillings such as ground beef, chicken, etc.
13. Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is a simple dish you can make with chicken, apples, cranberries, celery, and/or walnuts. It only takes 10 minutes to prepare and it can be eaten hot or cold.
14. Vegetable Soup
Vegetable soup is easy to heat, light, and healthy. You can ask the caregiver how much salt she uses when making the soup so you can replicate it in your own kitchen for dinner ideas for the elderly.
15. Mushroom Risotto
Mushroom risotto is an excellent recipe for dinner ideas for the elderly because it has very little oil in each serving (approximately 1 tbsp, which is half of what you should consume in one day). It takes approximately 40 minutes to prepare and you will need around 150 g of mushrooms per serving (3 cups).
16. White Bean And Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Hummus is a Middle Eastern spread made from mashed chickpeas and tahini (ground sesame seed paste). To be healthier, you can replace tahini paste with roasted red peppers. This dish takes only 5-10 minutes to prepare and tastes amazing! If you do not like beans or you want to substitute something else, try this recipe for cashew-roasted red pepper dip. It looks complicated to make but it has many delicious ingredients such as garlic, honey, spices, etc.
Conclusion
The benefits of doing these simple things to keep your elderly parents happy and healthy are clear. You make them feel special by taking care of them; you make them happy by serving them tasty food; you make your family feel better because the elderly will be happier knowing that you are looking after their health; and maybe most importantly, they will be nicer to you because they do not want to receive any unpleasant surprises.
Remember that there are no right or wrong ways to feed an elderly family member. In the end, it comes down to what you and your loved one like and what is best for him/her. Make sure you tell the caregivers how your loved one likes his food prepared and what he/she does and does not like (e.g. spicy foods, more or less salt, etc).