La Jolla Senior Care News

Home Care Assistance Can Help Seniors Eat Heart Healthy Fats

Home care assistance can help seniors eat better by choosing and cooking with heart healthy fats such as nuts, fruit, fish, and oils.

Fat is not bad in one’s diet when consumed in moderation. Eating the right kinds of fats, such as unsaturated fats (in the form of nuts, fish, and healthy oils), can provide essential nutrients and help maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels. Home care assistance providers can help regulate your senior loved one’s fat intake. Fats can also help you stay full longer, which can help reduce cravings and prevent overeating. Additionally, they can help the body absorb vitamins and minerals and are important for skin, hair, and joint health.

Home Care Assistance

Seniors may not know what kind of fat is the right type or how much they should be eating. With so much tech and access to online blogs there is a ton of misinformation on fats. There is healthy fat and bad fat. Home care assistance can help with cooking meals using the right heart healthy fats. If your senior needs help cooking food with healthy fats, they should also ask a doctor what foods they should be eating.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are the best sources of fat to eat because they are high in unsaturated fats and low in saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are the “heart-healthy” fats and are known to reduce bad cholesterol levels, while saturated fats can increase bad cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease

Nuts and seeds also contain other important nutrients such as fiber, magnesium, iron, and vitamin E. This is also one of the best ways to add in calories because nuts are calorie dense but they are also protein rich. They are great for a senior who is focused on eating a well-rounded diet.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is the best source of fat because it is high in monounsaturated fats, which are “heart-healthy” fats. Monounsaturated fats can help to reduce bad cholesterol levels while also providing key nutrients such as polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that can help protect cells from damage.

Olive oil can also be used in a variety of different ways, from cooking and baking to being used in dressings and marinades. You can ask your home care assistance provider to help them cook these healthy fats. There are some oils that should be avoided, like canola oil, which may be hard to do if they eat a lot of processed foods. Canola oil is bad for senior health because it is high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can increase inflammation in the body.

Fruit

There is only some fruit that is filled with healthy fats. Not all fruits have fats so you will have to choose wisely but a senior should also find out if they need to avoid any fruits from their doctors.

Fruits that contain a lot of healthy fats include avocados, olives, coconuts, and their respective oils. Avocados are particularly high in healthy monounsaturated fats, while olives and coconuts are higher in healthy saturated fats. Additionally, all of these fruits are packed with other important nutrients, making them a great addition to any diet. You may be surprised to find out that avocados and olives are considered fruits! They can be added to so many meals.

For more information about how caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents stay in their own homes, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable Home Care Assistance in La Jolla, CA, and the surrounding communities.

Brittnei Salerno

Recent Posts

Categories

Contact Us About Home Care

Skip to content