Hey, mothers of young children, you are not alone! Suddenly in October, my elderly mom started refusing to eat vegetables. If I put a small portion of peas, carrots, or green beans on a dinner plate she ignores them. Then she got picky with fruit and refuses bananas, apples, peaches, and oranges ... all foods she ate all her adult life. She'll agree to 3 strawberries or a few grapes, maybe a spoonful of blueberries. Forget about mango, romaine lettuce, or avocado.
Well, I refuse to fight daily with a senior to eat her vegetables ... and I'm sorry but for her own good, she must eat a balanced diet that covers every food group. Real food + variety = good nutrition = staying healthy. I have to win this war against a refusal to eat vegetables without making it a daily battle.
So two weeks ago I started making her smoothies for lunch. Most days it's working. She's eating spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, butternut squash, bananas, apples, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and pineapple again. She just doesn't know it.Basic Smoothie for one:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
1/2 cup berries (I alternate: either strawberries or blueberries)
1/4 cup nuts (I alternate between almonds, walnuts, and peanuts - or a tablespoon of peanut butter works.)
1 small banana (adds sweetness and potassium)
a handful of spinach
alternate a vegetable (see below👇)
1/2 cup of canned no-sugar-added fruit cocktail
A drizzle of honey if needed
I select a different fruit or vegetable to add each day from the following list -- alternate and use whatever you have in the refrigerator. Mix it up over the course of a week:
A wedge of cooked butternut squash
1/4 cup of cooked unsalted green beans
1/4 cup cooked unsalted peas
1/4 cup of cooked California mix - broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 peeled green apple
a small orange
BTW: If your ward needs a carbohydrate you can also toss 1/4 cup of oatmeal into a smoothie. My mother eats multi-grain toast and oat crunch cereal for breakfast so I don't add oatmeal to her smoothies. You can also pour in a splash of fruit juice for sweetness or to make the smoothie thinner if necessary.
Directions:
Toss everything into a blender and puree. Pour into a tall glass. Top with a drizzle of honey, or another splash of fruit juice to achieve a drinkable consistency. Eyeball it.
Last March (2022) when I started overseeing her meals I set 3 main goals. 1) lots of protein; 2) a variety of real food - meat, fruits and vegetables, plus whole grains over the course of a week; 3) low sugar in her diet.
Sweets are a treat, not a staple. I think we can learn to like healthy foods just as much as junk food. Whatever our palettes are fed is what we enjoy eating. I ask reoccurring visitors intent on bringing treats to please bring her grapes, an orange, or bananas, not cookies and candies.
We stock dark chocolate -- bars and dark chocolate chips (12-ounce bag), and she eats a serving most days. There are also special occasion treats like Christmas cookies, a slice of birthday cake, or an ice cream cone. Halloween candy once a year. Nothing mindless though.
My mother doesn't need cholesterol or blood pressure drugs, so if we can avoid various conditions with a healthy diet we're better off than having to treat them. We love her primary care physician, Dr. Jackson! He is thorough without being an alarmist. He took care of his own elderly father, and I can run any concerns by him that arise. He endorses Carnation Instant Breakfast for people who won't eat meals. We are on the same page.
Whether we need to get a fussy senior or a child to eat a variety of healthy food, we have to get the job done without making our own lives crazy. Milk, yogurt, fresh or canned fruit, and a blender are your best friends. Voilà protein, vitamins, and fiber in a glass! Into the piehole and down the hatch!!
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