Senior Diets to Eat Well and Live Long

As we age, our eating habits and dietary needs change. We need fewer calories as we get older, mainly because the metabolism slows down in addition to getting less exercise as we age. We all want to eat healthy, but there may be several reasons why seniors don’t—easy access to food delivery, no longer able to go to the grocery store, maybe they want to make things easier for their caregivers, or the kitchen may become a dangerous place if they have any physical or mental limitations. How can those who are aging in place eat a healthy diet and live a long healthy life?

First of all, food delivery services like Uber Eats and Door Dash are a tremendous and much-needed resource for those who are unable to get out of the house for whatever reason. This doesn’t mean those seniors should only eat fatty, greasy fast food! Try to make healthy choices even when using a food delivery service. Salads, lean cuts of meat (roasted or baked), and fruits/vegetables are available at many restaurants for not that much more. 

Another great way to eat a healthy, sustainable diet is to order your groceries online for delivery, or pickup if your loved one can still drive. This alleviates the need to find a motorized cart if you have trouble walking, and you can still make healthy choices that will be delivered right to your door. Services such as Instacart and Amazon Fresh allow you to continue doing your own grocery shopping. This can give a senior a much-neededboost of independence as well as healthy food choices.

If you are having trouble making healthy choices, a quick search on the Internet can help you gather all the information about a healthy diet for a senior that you need. The government’s recommendation for healthy meals can be found at MyPlate.gov, which is a great resource to start with. The National Council on Aging also gives some simple guidelines. Basically, it is recommended that you eat the rainbow: bright and colorfulvegetables should make up the largest portion of your plate. Lean sources of proteins include beans, legumes, and nuts in addition to lean cuts of chicken or turkey. Whole grains and low-fat dairy choices are also very beneficial to a senior’s diet. The American Heart Association even provides a simple and easy eating plan for seniors that is very easy to follow and remember.

Another hurdle that many seniors face when it comes to mealtime is that they want to make things easy for their caregivers. Seniors often feel guilty about asking for help, sothey are content to eat cold sandwiches or cereal for dinner night after night. This isn’t the healthiest choice, especially for senior citizens who may have health issues or conditions that need to be managed with diet such as diabetes or heart disease. It’s okay to ask caregivers to help in meal planning and preparation. If no one is available to help, then seniors who live alone can sign up for Meals on Wheels in their community. There are even subscription services that provide easy to make meals such as Hello Fresh or Blue Apron.

Sometimes a senior’s eating habits decline simply because the kitchen has become a dangerous place for them. If they are no longer able to stand for long periods of time, they may not be able to cook on the stove without needing to sit down. If they drop something in the kitchen, bending over may make them dizzy and unsteady on their feet - this is also a good reason to invest in a life alert system for your senior in case they fall (and check the most suitable through one of the medical alert system review sites online).

If seniors are not too steady on their feet, they can increasingly rely on healthy food gadgets such as juicers, food processors, pressure cookers, or slow cookers to provide quick healthy meals. Precut veggies are available for grocery delivery as well, which should cut down any prep time that a meal may have. Throwing a pot roast and precut veggies in a slow cooker is a great way to have an easy, healthy, home cooked meal with absolutely no fuss at all.

One thing to keep in mind is that Americans eat too much food in general, so if your loved one doesn’t eat 2,000 calories a day, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Our caloric needs decrease as we age, so if nutrition is kept up, this should not be a problem. Seniors’ preferences or taste buds may also change as they age – this is very typical in anyone over age 65 – so just make sure that they are getting the nutrients they need.

Following these few simple tips should give your loved one the healthy meals and nourishment they need as they age in place.Good nutrition is possible at any age!

Planning A Wedding: Tips From Engagement To The Big Day

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February 5th .... “All #married couples should learn the #art of battle as they should learn the art of making love. Good battle is objective and honest - never vicious or cruel. Good battle is healthy and constructive, and brings to a #marriage the principles of equal partnership.” Ann Landers #반지banji

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When it comes to weddings, it can be a very stressful thing to go through and plan. Many people out there are currently engaged, or even hoping their partners are going to pop the question, and with Valentine’s Day approaching and it being a leap year, this could be the year that you start the planning process. So you might be in need of some information and advice. So from engagement through to the big day itself here are some of the top wedding tips to help you through the process.

Image source - Pixabay - CC0 License 

Let’s talk about getting engaged for a moment

Indulge me a little, having just been proposed to I am feeling on cloud nine. So if you are hoping that your partner will pop the question you might be wondering how to go about it. A few tips would be to start talking about the future and enter weddings into your conversation every now and again. Often it’s just making sure you are both wanting the same thing that can set the wheels in motion for your future wedding. Talking about getting engaged isn’t even a taboo subject if you have been together a while. Perhaps you already own a house together and have dogs or children. The beauty of planning your engagement together means you can go shopping for your ring. A look online at websites like www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/tacori/ can be a great source of inspiration. Choosing your own engagement ring might be the dream for you. 

Don’t get swamped with planning

A marriage and a wedding are two different things in reality. Getting married means making a commitment to be together through sickness and in health, for better or for worse. A wedding is the event itself in which you celebrate this very act. So if you keep things simple or go for something more elaborate and big then make sure the wedding planning doesn’t overwhelm you. It’s easy to step on the roller-coaster of wedding plans and not be able to get off, while you watch money mount up and cost escalating. The biggest tip is to ensure you get yourself a planner and no your budget and wedding size before you begin, it helps to be able to keep yourself in check.

Make the important decisions together

Let’s be honest here, the man in your life might not want to try every piece of cake or look at endless color samples of a different shade of blue or pink, but he might want to know about the venue or have a say on the food. You know your partner better than anyone, so involve him in what he will be interested in, and don’t bother him with the little details. Wedding planning can be stressful without it causing unnecessary arguments between one another. 

Don’t let the emotion of the big day take over

Finally, try and make sure you don’t let the emotion of your big day take over. Instead, don’t feel overwhelmed by the at but embrace the wedding day and enjoy yourself. It’s going to be one of the best days of your life. 

Let’s hope these important tips help you with your wedding planning.

'If There Was A Disaster, Could The Government Protect Your Family?

We live in a world in which the media drip-feeds us with a steady flow of disastrous news. Crises have almost become a part of life. When fires or hurricanes rage across the country, we find out about it instantly on the TV or our smart devices. 

That’s not to say, though, that disasters are just a normal part of life or easily managed; they’re not. They still present a real danger. People might be nonchalant about the threat, but that is only because of the preparedness systems put in place by the government. 

As the following infographic shows, the number of disasters is going up. In the mid-1990s, there were comparatively few crises to manage compared to today. Whether that is by chance or some underlying reason such as climate change, remains to be seen. But what we do know is that the government needs to take action now to ensure that we’re all prepared should disaster strike. 

If you’re interested in how the government is trying to protect your family from fires, diseases, earthquakes, and hurricanes, please take a look at the following infographic. It charts the increasing costs of disasters and the growing need for emergency management in the public sector. It then goes onto explain how authorities respond to crises and the strategies that they have employed. Finally, it discusses how modern technology improves the capacity for disaster mitigation. As you’ll see, the problem is much more complicated than you might imagine, with all kinds of moving parts.

Source: check it out

#MarchForLife Rally 2020 in Washington DC

On January 24th, we participated on the 47th Annual March for Life Rally in Washington DC.   My daughter’s school, Madonna High School, spearheaded this effort.  This is one of the annual activities that they participates into as part of the continuing effort of marching for the unborn.  This year, they invited St. Joseph the Worker students to join.   My son wanted to go too so I decided to participate as well.  My husband and I originally planned on going together but he was just getting over his sickness and we also have our dogs to take care to so he stayed behind.

I had to attend an online training and be certified before I could go.  It’s one of the requirements in Madonna for chaperoning.  This never came up at St. Joe’s when I had to chaperone for my daughter during their trip to DC so I didn’t know but glad I  am now certified.  It’s an-hour online course and it’s actually very enlightening, I’ve learned things about safe rules on children’s safety and legal ways in handling things.

Anyway, we left Weirton at 1:30 in the morning of Friday.   I wasn’t able to sleep in the bus at all.  We arrived at iHop in Frederick Maryland around 5 am.  The school have made the reservation for us back in December, we thought we had plenty of time to eat our breakfast and continue with our trip.  We met a stumbling block at iHop, they only have 2 servers and it took so long for them to serve the food.  We even ordered the special they offered as they said it would be easier if we all order the same thing.  Two of our students, including my daughter, didn't get their food.  We didn't have much time to wait so we left disappointed with their service.

The first part of this journey is the Youth Rally at Capital One Arena.  As I checked in, the security guard questioned me for the camera I had with me.  She said that professional cameras are not allowed inside.  She advised me to leave it our car but since our bus has already left, I couldn't do that.  She then took me to the guest information office so I can leave my camera there but luckily, the lady there said that there's no problem with me having the camera inside the arena, phew!  

I found this rule ridiculous because the reason why they're not allowing pro-camera like mine is that it can record video, well if that's the case then all cellphones won't be allowed since almost all cellphones can do that as well.  Glad I dodged that problem and got it resolved.

The youth rally was almost over when we arrived due to the issues we've faced early on so all we witnessed is the mass where there are so many priests from across the country have celebrated.  The arena was packed with young generation from different states.  Our parish priest said in all the years he has attended this event, that arena has never been filled like this year.  I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we have a Pro-life of a President in the White House who value the right to life of the unborn.

My pride and joy right here.  They inspired me to join as well and make a stand.  This is the first time I went somewhere with both of them without my husband.  This will be one of our fondest memories to cherish.  I am super proud of both of them. 

It was a nice time also to be able to learn a little bit about the new bishop bishop in our diocese.  I think Bishop Brennan is very down to earth, he seem to genuinely care .  His vibe is so different from the disgraced  former bishop, Bransfield.

We lost the bishop towards the end of the march but glad that he found his way back into the bus safe and sound.

Fr. Dennis Schuelkens is truly a good leader of our church.  He leads us the way a priest would in his community.  I have nothing but good praise for him.

I was very glad to be able to share this experience to two of the moms I am close friends with from school.

My son, did not have any issues falling asleep in the bus so he was fully energized during the march.

My daughter on the other hand did not catch a wink.  She's like me who find it very difficult to sleep in those kind of setting so she was exhausted and I can tell that she was already feeling sick.

This group of kids from St. Joseph are the pioneer in joining this big movement for the first time.  I am glad that Madonna High School decided to invite them.  Their religion teacher, Ms. Moore was with them.

The freshmen group of Madonna have stepped up their game also.  This is the first year where the majority of the participants are from the first year students.  Way to go class of 2024, we are very proud of you!

My son was my bus-buddy, it was great riding a bus with you Bud.

Coming home from DC, I was feeling sick.  My throat was painful and I was coughing.I think the lack of sleep and exhaustion from the trip got to me.  Both my daughter and I were sick for a week.  Despite the sickness, I would definitely do it again, it's a great cause and if nobody will fight for the right to life of the unborn, it would be terrible.  I thank the organizers at Madonna especially Mrs. Granato for letting us join and for ensuring that every one of us were safe during the trip.

"Together, we are the voice for the voiceless.  You stand for life each and everyday.  You provide housing, education, jobs, and medical care for the women that you serve.  Today, as the President of the United States, I am truly proud to stand with you.  We're here for a very simple reason: to defend the right for every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential.  Young people is the heart for the March for Life.  It's your Generation that is making this a pro-life nation.  You are powered by prayer and motivated by pure unselfish love."

President Donald J. Trump