What a wonderful way to celebrate a healthier lifestyle! Eating more herbs and less salt would be a big benefit to the health of most people. However, making changes in eating habits can certainly be easier said than done. A person must put in some thought and effort as well as time to make changes in their diet. It’s pretty common to just get stuck in a rut of eating the same foods over and over especially for elderly loved ones. They find something quick and easy to prepare and then they will eat that same food day after day.

Planning a more healthy diet

The downfall of repeating the same meals too often is that the body doesn’t get a wide enough variety of all the different essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids etc. It can cause deficiencies.

You may need to help your elderly loved one by finding out what they eat and compare it to what they could be eating for a much healthier intake of nutrients. They may need help to go grocery shopping and do meal planning and preparation.

Growing and using herbs

To celebrate more herbs, less salt day you could encourage your elderly loved one to try a variety of different herbs for flavoring in their meals and cut back on the salt. Fresh herbs can be grown in little pots in a sunny window or purchased fresh from the grocery story. Try some rosemary, basil, mint, thyme, sage or other interesting herbs to enrich their food instead of heavy doses of salt.

Herbs do much more than add flavor and replace excess salt consumption. They also provide nutrients and fiber to the diet. Seniors’ sense of taste can diminish, making food seem less appealing. When it is flavored with rich full-bodied herbs it can really perk up the taste of food and encourage the elderly adult to eat more wholesome food choices.

You can add herbs to almost any savory dish. Herbs like mint, lavender and cinnamon basil can be added to sweeter dishes such as cakes and pies. Homemade soup is a very healthy meal idea for the senior loved one because you can put a variety of vegetables in it, a few grains like rice or barley if desired, and even some legumes. Add a generous dose of fresh herb leaves and you won’t even need the table salt. A pinch of sea salt can be added if desired; it doesn’t have the same negative effects as table salt does. It should still be used in moderation.

If your elderly parent needs some help with meal planning and preparation, consider getting a caregiver to help out your loved one in this and other areas of their life where they need some extra assistance.