5 Ways To Help Your Senior Parent Get More Fiber In Their Diet

By Marina Pink | December 5, 2024 |

Seniors often don’t get enough fiber in their diets. Fiber-rich foods are important for good health, and many seniors aren’t eating enough healthy foods on a regular basis. Fiber improves digestive health, helps stabilize blood sugar, can help with weight loss, and can even improve heart health in seniors.

If your senior parent is living alone and not eating a healthy diet that includes fiber-rich foods home care assistance can help. With home care assistance your mom or dad will have daily help from a care provider with things like housework, shopping, and cooking meals. A care provider can share meals with your mom or dad to encourage them to eat healthy dishes.

Seniors often will skip meals or not eat a full healthy meal if they have to eat alone. And it’s not really possible for family caregivers to be there for every meal. Homecare assistance can fill in the gaps and make sure that your mom or dad is eating fiber-full foods. Some easy ways to get your mom or dad to eat more fiber are:

1. Add Fruits to Their Meals

Fresh fruits are a great source of fiber. Apples, pears, and berries are especially high in fiber. Leave the skins on for extra benefits. Encourage your senior parent to snack on fruits or add them to breakfast cereals or yogurt.

You or a home care provider can make up pre-portioned fruit snacks that your mom or dad can enjoy throughout the day. Dried fruits like prunes and apricots also work well but watch portion sizes to avoid too much sugar.

2. Include More Vegetables

Vegetables are rich in fiber and nutrients and seniors usually don’t eat enough of them every day. Your mom or dad’s diet should be mainly plants. Add leafy greens like spinach or kale to salads and soups. Serve cooked vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, and squash with meals. Raw veggies like celery and cucumbers make crunchy, fiber-filled snacks. Aim to fill half of their plate with vegetables at lunch and dinner.

3. Switch to Whole Grains

Switching to whole grains instead of processed flour is an easy way to make sure that your momr or dad is getting more fiber. Whole grains contain more fiber than refined grains. Replace white bread and rice with whole-grain bread, brown rice, or quinoa. Whole-grain cereals, oatmeal, and bran muffins are excellent breakfast options. Check labels for products with at least 3–5 grams of fiber per serving.

There’s not a lot of difference in taste between whole grain products and processed flour products so your mom or dad should hardly notice the switch.

4. Add Legumes to Their Diet

Legumes like beans, lentils, and chickpeas are high in fiber and protein. Add black beans to salads, lentils to soups, or chickpeas to stews. Hummus, made from chickpeas, is a tasty fiber-rich spread or dip. These foods can be easily incorporated into meals a few times a week.

You can try going meatless on some days and substituting legume dishes for meat. Legumes have a lot of protein as well as fiber.

5. Snack on Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are fiber-rich snacks that are also full of healthy fats. Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are great choices. Sprinkle seeds on cereal or yogurt for added crunch and fiber. Be mindful of portion sizes, because nuts are high in calories and fat.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Home Care Assistance in La Canada, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Help. Serving All of Los Angeles County. Call us today at (888) 989-7388

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Marina Pink

Owner at Home Care Help

Marina Pink is the Owner at Home Care Help. Home Care Help is an innovator in providing services in a caring and professional manner. We have an exceptional history, spanning twenty-three years, of providing care to people in moments that matter most. It is our utmost priority to address every need in a timely manner; and, it is our goal, above all else, to give the level of support that enables our residents to have as much independence as possible with care and respect.