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Home » Diet » From the porch steps: To age well, maintain a good diet – Daily Commercial

When my mother was 90 years old she had just survived her first surgery and even attended her birthday party given by her granddaughter, Jessie. She sat up in a rocking chair and smiled at everybody, but as the party wore on she began to sink down in the chair and was not holding her head up well. She was never very strong again after that surgery and soon after, took to her bed. Her youngest son, who still lived at home, took very good care of her and was occasionally supported by sisters Jean and Frances. I was living in Florida at the time.

Today, more and more folks are surviving until 90, and even 100 and beyond. This can pose a problem for those who care for them. Many of us still maintain our own homes and take care of ourselves. Maintaining a good diet is probably the most important and most difficult thing for an aging person. When you get as old as 90, your energy sags and your ambition pretty much goes with it.

I have a wonderful group of friends who are both older and younger than me. We get together often and compare notes. We used to depend on TV dinners but have, for the most part, quit them for many reasons, including the salt content. Also, except for a few favorites such as stuffed peppers, they really aren't very good.

The first and most important thing you can do and really the easiest is to keep plenty of high-nutrition items on hand that take little or no preparation. Most fruits fit into this category. I especially enjoy strawberries, blueberries, oranges, peaches, avocados and bananas. Plain yogurt can be made very tasty with the addition of any of these fresh fruits. Don't buy the fruit-flavored yogurts because they contain too much sugar.

Vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, celery and greens can be easy to prepare and very nutritious. Don't bother with lettuce. A head of lettuce contains very little nutrition and it won't keep very long. Cabbage is better. It keeps longer and contains more iron. The produce man at Publix told me that you don't have to buy the large bags of leafy greens if you can't use that much. They will sell you just as much as you want. One person cannot eat a large bag of greens before they become wilted and unappetizing.

If you help an elderly relative shop, you might suggest a rotisserie chicken when they are on sale. They are very tasty. A single chicken costs around $6 and will make four or five meals when served with potatoes, a vegetable and salad.

Eggs are very versatile. They can be prepared many ways for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When hard boiled, they are a great addition to a salad. They are rich in protein and many amino acids.

Lean ground beef is a good thing to keep in small packages in your freezer. You can make patties and freeze them separately or use it in spaghetti or chili of other 'easy to prepare' dishes.

Fish is a really convenient and easy-to-prepare protein. It used to be inexpensive but is no longer. When you buy it, be sure to ask the clerk to package it in single portions for your freezer. You can broil it or fry it. I like to prepare two portions, and use one and save the other one for another meal. It saves time and pans. You can reheat it in the microwave.

If you are fortunate enough to have a circle of friends who like to occasionally go out to dinner, you will find that as you get older, your appetite decreases. What is one meal to younger folks can make two meals for you. Ask the waitress to box what you don't eat, and take it home for a second meal. This makes going out to dinner a reasonable expense.

My friends and I give each other suggestions when we discover something new. We find most canned soups too salty both for our taste and for our good health. If you look you can sometimes find low-salt items. Fruits canned in water are good to keep on hand and even make a nice dessert. I also like canned vegetables, which some of my friends don't like. Always check the salt content. A regular-sized can of peas, corn or beans provides enough vegetables for three meals for me. I simply warm them up in the microwave while the rest of my meal is cooking.

If you have any questions or have some suggestions, just email me. I will be glad to answer you. I am certainly not an expert, but I have been living alone for many years and sometimes struggle for the energy to shop and prepare food.

Here's to your continued good health.

If you are a caregiver, I hope this helps you provide for your aging friend.

Oh, emergency! I am out of peanut butter. I have to go to the store!

Nina Gilfert is a columnist for the Daily Commercial. Email her at gilfertnina@yahoo.com.

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From the porch steps: To age well, maintain a good diet - Daily Commercial

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Home » Diet » From the porch steps: To age well, maintain a good diet – Daily Commercial