Easy to Chew Senior Foods
Several Tried and True Ideas to Aid in Planning Meals for a Loved One
My mother had trouble with her upper and lower dentures during her final months with us. She also suffered from dry mouth as a result of taking her medications. Many times, she wouldn't wear dentures while eating! I wanted her to have nourishing food, so I found the right combinations that sounded inviting to her, were nutritional, and were easy to prepare. I went online often with WebMD. The "Healthy Aging" sections are quite informative.
Breakfast ideas:
Cheerios softened in milk and one-half a ripe sliced banana; scrambled eggs with milk and shredded cheese; poached eggs; whole wheat pancakes; oatmeal with milk (a favorite with many seniors, but not Mom!); fruit bowl containing diced mandarin oranges, pears, peaches, melon; graham crackers in milk; prune juice (combats constipation); cranberry juice (prevents urinary tract infections).
Cheerios softened in milk and one-half a ripe sliced banana; scrambled eggs with milk and shredded cheese; poached eggs; whole wheat pancakes; oatmeal with milk (a favorite with many seniors, but not Mom!); fruit bowl containing diced mandarin oranges, pears, peaches, melon; graham crackers in milk; prune juice (combats constipation); cranberry juice (prevents urinary tract infections).
Lunch and dinner ideas:
V-8 soups (delicious and nutritional); Chef Boyardee Mini Bites Micro Raviolis; cream of tomato soup with diced avocados; hamburger chili; tamale pie; green bean casserole; cottage cheese with soft fruits; Hormel "Compleats" dinners in gravy (fast and easy!); spaghetti with lots of meat sauce; mashed potatoes with plenty of meat gravy sauce and soft green beans or carrots; baby foods - even strained meats; creamed corn; carrots or vegetables, cooked until very soft, then seasoned and buttered to taste.
V-8 soups (delicious and nutritional); Chef Boyardee Mini Bites Micro Raviolis; cream of tomato soup with diced avocados; hamburger chili; tamale pie; green bean casserole; cottage cheese with soft fruits; Hormel "Compleats" dinners in gravy (fast and easy!); spaghetti with lots of meat sauce; mashed potatoes with plenty of meat gravy sauce and soft green beans or carrots; baby foods - even strained meats; creamed corn; carrots or vegetables, cooked until very soft, then seasoned and buttered to taste.
Snack ideas:
Milkshakes; yogurt; Jell-O; Ensure.
Milkshakes; yogurt; Jell-O; Ensure.
Special treats:
Brownies in milk; cake in milk; ice cream; Hershey bar (no nuts); or pudding.
Brownies in milk; cake in milk; ice cream; Hershey bar (no nuts); or pudding.
Helpful advice:
Use applesauce on a spoon with medications to help the pills go down easily. Mix nutritional protein powder in food as directed. Mix Benefiber in liquids and soups for more fiber. Gatorade is handy in powder form for hydration maintenance. Provide water, water, and more water for your loved one to stay hydrated, and to avoid urinary tract infections!
Use applesauce on a spoon with medications to help the pills go down easily. Mix nutritional protein powder in food as directed. Mix Benefiber in liquids and soups for more fiber. Gatorade is handy in powder form for hydration maintenance. Provide water, water, and more water for your loved one to stay hydrated, and to avoid urinary tract infections!
Swallowing may also be a problem, so be sure the food is served cut in tiny bites, vegetables are cooked longer until soft, and served with juice, gravy or sauce. The ideas presented may also help after dental surgery.
Once you have a good list of foods which can be eaten, it's helpful to prepare a computerized shopping list which can be edited, printed out and taken with you every time you shop.
It's a challenge to come up with original recipes where chewing and swallowing are issues. I found several cookbooks on-line published exclusively for this dilemma.
Finally, it is best for someone to be available when an elder is eating. Mishaps occur...choaking, fainting, falling, dropping utensils, being unable to lift the glass for a drink...you name it, anything can happen!
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