Senior Care in Indianapolis, IN – How Can Frozen Foods Benefit Your Elderly Loved One?

March is National Frozen Food month and companies across the country are encouraging people to “Take a fresh look at frozen”. When it comes to frozen food, the first thing many think about is unhealthy, unappetizing TV dinners. Truth is, there are many fresh frozen foods that are as healthy as they are convenient!

Frozen Food Benefits For Seniors

For many seniors, convenience and cost become two priorities when it comes to food. Frozen meals and produce cover both of these concerns and more. According to the Frozen Food Foundation, frozen foods are nutritious, easy to prepare, cost-effective, and a sensible choice for seniors who want to maintain their independence.

Nutrition – Studies conducted at some of the country’s leading universities (including UC Davis) found that frozen fruits and veggies maintain their nutritional vitamins and folates better than open-stored produce. Folates are particularly important for the elderly, as they help to maintain cognitive function and mood. Since older populations are often the most deficient in key vitamins, frozen produce can be a great way to increase intake of these much-needed nutrients.

Convenience – Eating well no longer means someone has to spend hours in the kitchen! Many stores sell prepackaged, prewashed, and precut produce freshly frozen. Some companies even prepackage all the ingredients needed for scrumptious, healthy meals. Many recipes, such as those found at EasyHomeMeals.com, call for frozen foods as main ingredients. These often only take 15 minutes or less to prepare!

Cost – Frozen foods last longer and maintain their flavor better than open-air fruits and veggies found in the produce aisle. This is important to anyone living on a tight budget, and especially for seniors who often have a fixed income. While most produce will spoil within days of purchase, fresh frozen foods can last weeks and even months. This means less throwing food, and money, in the garbage.

Sensibility – When meals are prepared from frozen produce, consumers have better control over what they eat. This is particularly important for seniors who often have special dietary concerns. Eating fresh gives better portion control and monitoring of salt and fat content. Many frozen foods offer special single-serving packages that make measurement even easier.

As can be seen, frozen foods are no longer only populated by the unhealthy fat and salt laden TV dinners we grew up with. There are many healthy and easy-to-use freshly frozen produce and meal options that everyone can benefit from. For seniors, these foods provide greater convenience while still enabling a sense of independence in the kitchen. That’s a tasty alternative anyone can get behind!

The caregivers at Great Care are available to talk with you and your family about all of your home care needs. Great Care is an elder care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in Indianapolis, IN and the surrounding areas. Call (317) 595-9933 for more information.

Sources

http://www.nfraweb.org/promotions/promotion.aspx?PromotionId=58
http://www.easyhomemeals.com/recipe
http://www.frozenfoodfacts.org/about-frozen-foods/frozen-food-facts
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1123448/