Keeping Seniors Healthy with Great Tasting, Low Sodium Recipes

Keeping Seniors Healthy with Great Tasting, Low Sodium Recipes

Far too many of us in America have acquired a taste for a high salt diet, seniors included. High blood pressure and heart disease are a growing problem that we need to address. Here are a few resources to help you keep your seniors healthy with tasty, low sodium meals.

It’s important for residential assisted living homes to provide great sources of tasty low sodium recipes for seniors. 

Reducing salt intake significantly improves health conditions like high blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease.

The American Heart Association makes recommendations to accommodate seniors because older adults suffer higher risks of illnesses. 

Did You Know: 

·       Heart disease causes 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S.

·       About 58% of seniors on Medicare suffer from high blood pressure.

·       Most hospital admissions for heart failure affect people aged 65 and older. 

These conditions have one thing in common, sodium intake. 

Reducing sodium intake reduces the risk of heart attack and strokes – it also improves overall health. 

While table salt is the main source of sodium for most people, it’s not just the intake of salt that causes health problems, sodium content comes in many forms. 

The American Heart Association recommends minimizing sodium intake to at least 1,500 mg per day, but no more 2,300.

What most people don’t realize is that cutting back on salt doesn’t mean compromising the great taste of flavor food offers. 

Caregivers and chefs at residential assisted living homes can create countless of low sodium tasty recipes.

This can only be accomplished when cooks recognize that sodium is often hidden in many processed meals, convenient, canned goods. 

There are a host of websites that are dedicated to providing low sodium recipes for seniors. 

HOW SODIUM IS HIDDEN IN PACKAGED FOODS

Let’s be perfectly clear, our bodies need sodium to survive, but only about ¼ a teaspoon of salt everyday will do the trick. 

Unfortunately, at a young age, people form the bad habit of eating more than 5 teaspoons of salt daily – about 20 times more than the body can process. 

While sodium is already naturally found in many foods, it’s not uncommon for cooks to add extra salt during the process of preparing a well-seasoned dish. 

When cooking, especially for seniors, chefs must be aware of the main source of salt.

Too much salt can put seniors at risk, creating health issues that compromise quality living. 

This is why caregivers and cooks must be cautious of sodium content listed on packaged, processed, and previously prepared fast foods. 

Even though food may not actually be salty to the taste, it may still be high in sodium. Read, read, and read, in order to help seniors in residential assisted living live long healthy lives. Remember, sodium is frequently hidden in the following foods: 

·       Processed meals, 

·       Convenient foods, 

·       Canned goods, and 

·       Fast food restaurants.

According to the Center for Disease and Control, more than 40 percent of the sodium consumed by individuals comes from 10 sources of foods eaten daily. 

Top 10 Sources Secret Sources of Sodium

·       Breads and rolls

·       Pizza

·       Sandwiches

·       Cold cuts and cured meats

·       Soups

·       Burritos and tacos

·       Chicken

·       Cheese

·       Eggs and Omelets 

·       Savory snacks

These savory snacks include popular items like chips, popcorn, pretzels, snack mixes, and crackers. 

A healthy eating pattern for seniors must include creating healthy and tasty meals with low sodium content. 

This means that knowing which foods are the biggest contributors to sodium in your diet is an important step. This is why reading the nutritional facts label is critical. 

Sodium adds up quickly.

Where can caretakers, cooks and chefs go to find low sodium, great tasting recipes for seniors in residential assisted living? 

FOUR WEBSITES FOR LOW SODIUM RECIPES

Any recipe can be converted into a low sodium meal, but the following websites are dedicated to promoting a low sodium category. 

Click the following easy-to-read links to follow these recipes step-by-step and you’ll be on your way to cooking with care.

1.   EatingWell

Eating Well is all about making low sodium recipes that are easy to search for specific dishes. Whether you’re searching for low sodium diabetic or low sodium with low carbs recipes, Eating Well has choices that allow users to scroll through with ease. 

2. Taste of Home

Taste of Home’s website offers a handy navigational tool that allows cooks to digitally follow along. Taste of Home also offers unique appetizers and desserts to complement great tasting low sodium dinners. 

3. My Recipes

My Recipe’s low sodium dishes are organized by the type of dish. They offer 4 categories based on breads, desserts, main entrees, and soups.

4. allrecipes

All Recipes are designed to accommodate cooks looking for heart-healthy recipes. The recipes are not separated according to categories. Cooks and caregivers are able to scroll through images until they find something that simply catches the eye. Otherwise, users can search based on ingredients in order to use supplies available in your residential assisted living home. 

QUALITY CARE GOES BEYOND THE KITCHEN

The Residential Assisted Living National Association provides the kind of resources and professional tips needed to help RAL homeowners and operators succeed. 

Residential assisted living businesses benefit from guidance with legal expertise, continued education, national marketing, group purchasing power and a continual positive voice for the industry.

RALNA understands what these businesses need in order to provide quality care. Find the ongoing tips and support you need by clicking here.

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