Megan decided she needed to start with a list.
She invited her dad over to dinner one night, and after he’d enjoyed a hearty barbecue, she told him what she proposed.
“I have some ideas of what you like, but some things may have changed, and I don’t know what to do about vegetables. Then there’s raw or cooked. We may have to re-do this in the fall, but for now, with all the fresh produce available, we’re going to see what will work. Then there’s meat, and so many other things. I need to know so we can make a plan.”
The process took a lot longer than she expected. They met together three different times, and had two phone conversations before she decided she had enough information to make a start.
Here are some ideas from Megan and her dad’s list:
- He wasn’t willing to chop anything, but would put together a salad with pre-made salad mix, cherry tomatoes, matchstick carrots and blueberries. Yes, blueberries! He liked the sweetness of blueberries in his salad. He would eat this wonderful combination almost every day.
- He discovered pint containers of berries, and would eat them like candy.
- Megan learned that broccoli, cut finely, would keep about a week in a refrigerator bag. Dad was also willing to add this to a salad if she did the chopping.
- To her surprise and quite by accident, she discovered he liked “noodled” zucchini. This is zucchini which is cut to look like noodles, and can be lightly stir fried in a bit of butter or oil. It can be bought in this form or cut with a fairly cheap machine. Her dad liked it so
much he was even willing to stir fry it himself. - Too much of anything was overwhelming, and fruits like grapes, cherries, peaches, pears and apples came in large amounts. When she did her own grocery shopping, Megan put together a small bowl of various fruits. He enjoyed snacking on them.
- Bread had never been a problem, but Dad was used to the same bland-and-not-healthy white bread. At a meal at her house, he tried a healthier version, declared it “okay” and agreed to have it part of the time.
- When she cooked rice for her family, she put aside portions to put in her dad’s freezer. She cooked it in chicken broth and added chopped vegetables and he liked it.
- Dad loved baked potatoes, and she found he was willing to cook one. (But not broccoli. Hmmmm)
- Small containers of various kinds of cheese were an easy snack for her dad to grab and he liked them with his salad.
- Premade hamburgers and other meats were often laden with salt.
For her own family, Megan bought pork chops, various cuts of chicken and ground beef at Costco and divided them up. Pork chops and steaks needed to be cut in half, chicken divided etc. She made her own burgers with fresh herbs and little salt and froze them. She would take a few of each, clearly labelled, and put them in her dad’s freezer. He got in the habit of pulling his meat choice from the freezer in the morning while making his breakfast, so it would be ready to cook at night. - Dad had a sweet tooth and also liked his salty snacks. He’d been concerned when his bloodwork showed a spike in his potassium levels, though, so contented himself with the occasional small bag of chips. However, he appreciated a gallon of ice cream in his freezer at all times. Megan noticed it didn’t disappear quickly, and assumed he had a bowl once a day. Everyone needs their treats.
It took some time and lots of modifications over time and seasons, but Megan and her dad were able to come up with a plan that led to a healthier lifestyle for him. Maybe some of their ideas will work for you and your elder, or perhaps you will go in an entirely different direction. Looking for a healthy set of alternatives that works for all is the key.
But what about hydration? Next time…
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