To be honest, snacking between meals and late at night should be avoided by those in elderly care. Studio City, CA residents who need residential assisted living services should have help with meal planning and shopping to make sure they have the foods they need — and less of what they don’t.
The best senior home caregivers near Studio City, CA, are the trained, licensed, and bonded CAREGivers of Home Instead. We know how to help those in need of home care assistance regulate their eating and snack well — if they snack at all.
Snacking should be avoided because snacks can ruin the appetite for healthy foods eaten at actual meal times. Also, snacking too late can affect sleep, and the body could just turn late-night snacks into extra fat, which isn’t good for anyone.
Sugary snacks can even reduce the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, thus rendering healthy foods ineffective.
So for those who insist on snacking, they might want to enlist the help of senior home caregivers. Studio City, CA residents can rely on Home Instead to help identify and acquire healthy snack foods.
Some healthier snack foods for elderly assisted living include fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, yogurt, smoothies, and cheese.
Vegetables lose much of their nutritional value when they are boiled, but fresh vegetables, pre-cut and kept in baggies or locking containers in the refrigerator, remain an excellent source of vitamins for a long time. Also, the crunch provides interest to those seeking sensory stimulation, perhaps like those in dementia elderly care. Studio City, CA residents should keep this in mind.
Fresh fruit provides a burst of natural sugars and delicious flavor, but too much fruit can provide too much sugar. So while fresh fruit can be an excellent snack, it should be kept in moderation. Plus, some diets restrict the amount of sugar that is appropriate for some senior care situations.
Yogurt is a natural pro-biotic that will satisfy the snacking craving, and will help with gut health. However, some yogurt available at the store can be full of sugar. The CAREGivers of Home Instead provide services for senior home care that will help mitigate this risk.
Smoothies can combine yogurt, or ice, or both, along with whatever fresh fruit the person likes. Smoothies are also nice because they don’t require chewing. This can be convenient for those with dentures or other dental problems. High quality elderly companion services will be on top of this need.
And our last snack idea is cheese. Cheese is a filling snack that also provides protein to the body. Protein is necessary to produce more red blood cells, as well as to repair damaged tissue throughout the body.
So for those who just can’t help but snack, the CAREGivers of Home Instead are ready to help find a healthy snack for your loved one. Call or communicate with us online to set up a virtual consultation or an in-home assessment 818-805-2208.
