If you’ve got aging parents in your life, their changing tastes, habits, and health challenges can make things a lot more interesting. But that doesn’t mean it has to be frustrating. Once you understand the dynamics of your parent’s new lifestyle, you’ll find that adding fruits and veggies for your parents isn’t nearly as challenging as it seems.
After all, many people who are older are quite interested in incorporating more fruits and vegetables into their diets, especially if they start seeing improvement right away! Here we cover everything you need to know about how you can encourage your parents to eat more fruits and veggies without them feeling anxious or resentful.
Open The Discussion
One of the best ways to get your parents to eat more fruit and veggies is to have a conversation about it. Simply ask your parents about their diets and how often they’re eating fruits and veggies. You might also mention how important it is for them to get more of these vitamins and minerals into their diet as they age. Discuss the health benefits of eating more fruits and veggies with your parents and gently remind them that they used to enjoy them! You can even ask your parents if they’d be interested in trying some new recipes that incorporate more veggies and fruits into their diet. You can also invite your parents to join you for a healthy dinner or weekend brunch. These types of social events can help open the lines of communication between you and your parents.
Have Them Available And Convenient
If you’re struggling to get your parents to eat more fruits and vegetables, you can try adding them to their meals. You might even try offering a daily produce basket so that your parents have a fresh, healthy option available to them at all times. You can also try setting out certain types of products so that they’re always within reach. This could be a bowl of fresh ripe fruit in the middle of your parent’s breakfast table or a bowl of cut-up vegetables on their kitchen counter.
Try Different Cooking Techniques
As your parents get older, they may begin to find that added fruits and vegetables don’t fit into their diet as well. This is especially true if your parents are getting older and more experienced with healthy eating. Try experimenting with different cooking techniques. If your parents are getting bored with their veggies because they’re too crunchy or their fruit is too soft, try a different method of preparation. Try roasting your veggies instead of boiling them or baking your fruit instead of steaming it.
Mix Into Smoothies
If your parents don’t eat very many fruits and veggies, you can try adding them to smoothies. There are so many different smoothie recipes that you can use as a starting point. Combine your favorite fruits and veggies with almond milk, yogurt, or water. You can also try adding a protein powder to boost your parents’ protein intake.
Bulk Up Main Dishes
A simple way is to finely chop up some fruits and veggies and sprinkle them over their meals. You could also try making a vegetable side dish so that your parents have a ready-to-go option to accompany their main dishes. You can try making a simple vegetable stir-fry or a baked vegetable casserole. You could also try adding a veggie soup to your parent’s weekly meal plan.
Offer Dips
This can be a great way for your parents to get in a few extra veggies while still enjoying a savory appetizer. Many dips are also a great source of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, so you can also encourage your parents to eat more of these during a meal.
