By: Lina Marquez, RDN, LDN
Who does not enjoy a hot meal? I believe we all do, but when we talk about seniors specifically, the comfort that a hot meal brings to them is truly out of this world. Seniors these days are suffering from loneliness, isolation and unfortunately many times even depression. During covid-19 times, these challenges have increased at even higher rates, way more than we would like to. But reality is that there is a lot we can do for our seniors, whether they are our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, caregivers from childhood or any other loved one. The comfort of a hot meal is often a great way to demonstrate them how much we love and appreciate them.
However, our daily routines are hectic and unfortunately, we do not always have time to prepare a hot meal to share with them and during these times it is even more challenging because we cannot be there physically, either because of social distancing guidelines or simply because our routines will not allow it.
This is concerning because many seniors are not independent enough to cook their meals or to even grocery shop for themselves or simply, they prefer not to eat due to many different reasons, including trouble chewing and swallowing, loss of appetite, feeling of loneliness, depression, restricted diets, impaired function of the gastrointestinal tract or many other different reasons which leads to malnutrition. But research has proven that the comfort of a hot meal brings joy to seniors and opens their appetite which is a great way of preventing malnutrition along with the many undesired consequences.
But the question remains; how do we ensure that our senior loved ones can enjoy a hot meal if we sometimes can not be there with them or sometimes, they are not independent enough to cook for themselves? Well, food delivery of medically tailored meals specially planned for seniors is a great solution.
Meal Delivery Services – More than a Hot Meal for Seniors!
Food delivery services help seniors meet their food and nutrition needs in the convenience of their home without having to do the meal planning, shopping, prep, and cooking. Additionally, the convenience provided by these meals motivates seniors to actually eat their meals which also improves their quality of life, increases senior’s independence, encourage autonomy, and thereby improve senior’s quality of life. There is no question that meal delivery services are way more than a hot meal for seniors, they are full of nutrients and capable of improving seniors’ quality of life.
Convenience and Savings
Adding to the many wonderful benefits previously mentioned, convenience and savings are two more reasons to choose a meal delivery service to provide the hot meals your senior loved ones need. Forget about the planning, do not even think about the grocery shopping, preparation, and cooking. Now you only need to choose what your loved ones love to eat and let others, Chefs and Registered Dietitians specifically, do all the planning and cooking for your loved ones. And you can rest assure that their nutrient needs are going to be met with these carefully planned meals. Additionally, it is important to mention that most people experience savings because uneaten vegetables, fruits and foods in general are not going to the trash can anymore. Like when they buy an entire lettuce and only eat half of it, the rest goes in the trash, food delivery services are even solving the food waste issue.
Now that you know all the wonderful benefits offered by meal delivery services, it is time for the seniors in your life to start enjoying hot meals again! Talk to them about all the benefits of these carefully crafted meals, and help them choose the options that best suit their needs and appetite.