Nutrition For Seniors
Below are several ways to incorporate diet and exercise into your everyday life. Don’t worry about doing them all at once, this is just a guide to help you feel great and enjoy Senior Living. Start with a few and begin to incorporate more of the tips over time.  The amount of attention you pay to Diet and Exercise will effect the way you feel.

1. Eat three healthy meals during the day, including a good breakfast. Skipping meals causes increased hunger and may lead to excessive snacking.
2. Focus on fruits and vegetables.  Top off your morning cereal with sliced strawberries or bananas. Stir berries or peaches in yogurt or cottage cheese. Liven up your sandwiches with vegetables, such as tomato, lettuce, onion, peppers and cucumber. Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
3. Weigh yourself regularly. Monitoring your weight can tell you whether your efforts are working and can help you detect small weight gains before they become even large.
4. Don’t keep comfort foods in the house. If you tend to eat high-fat, high-calorie foods when you’re upset or depressed or bored, don’t keep them around. Availability of food is one the strongest factors in determining how much a person eat.
5. Plan a family activity. Get the family together to go for a bike ride, play disc golf or kick the ball around in the yard.
6. Eat healthy foods first. Eat foods that are healthy and low in calories first so that when it comes time to enjoy your favorites- sweets or junk food, for example- you won’t be hungry.
7. Pay attention to portions. Serve meals already dished onto plates instead of placing serving bowls on the table. Take slightly less than what you think you’ll eat. You can always have seconds, if really necessary.
8. Create opportunities to be active. Wash your car at home instead of going to the car wash. Bike or walk to the store. Participate in your kid’s activities at the playground or park.
9. Sit down together for family meals. Avoid eating in front of the television. TV viewing strongly affects how much and what people eat.
10. See what you eat. Eating directly from a container gives you no sense of how much you’re eating. Seeing food on a plate or in a bowl keeps you aware of how much you’re eating.
11. Vary your activities. Regularly change your activity routine to avoid exercise burnout. Walk a couple of days, swim another and go for a bike ride on weekend. Seek out new activities- karate, ballroom dancing, cross-country skiing, tennis or Pilates.
12. De-stress your day. Stress can cause you to eat more. Develop strategies that can help you relax when you find yourself becoming stressed. Exercise, deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques and even a good laugh can ease stress.
13. Don’t  have seconds.
14. Use low fat or fat free dairy foods.
15. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
16. Eat slowly.
17. Use the stairs instead of elevator.
18. Park your car farther out in the parking lot.
19. Get out a bus stop early and walk the last two blocks.
20. Walk the mall.
21. Doggy bag after a big restaurant meal for another day.
22. Treat yourself! Have a small serving of your favorite food once in a while

You may have noticed that nutrition for the elderly is not much different from nutrition for people of any age.  The idea is to be sensible and incorporate exercise with proper dietary habits to lead a healthier lifestyle.  Not overdoing it at the dinner table and enjoying aerobic activity are the key.

Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe

Makes 6 servings, about 1 1/3 cups each ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

8 ounces whole-wheat egg noodles 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup dry white wine 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 cups nonfat milk 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 12 ounces canned chunk light tuna (see Tip), drained 1 cup frozen peas, thawed 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1/2 cup coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs (see Tip)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.

2. Position rack in upper third of oven and preheat broiler.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, mushrooms and salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook until evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Add milk and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Stir in tuna, peas and 1/2 cup Parmesan until evenly incorporated. Then, stir in the noodles (the pan will be very full). Remove from the heat.

4. Sprinkle the casserole with breadcrumbs and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Broil until bubbly and lightly browned on top, 3 to 4 minutes

TIP: Tips: Chunk light tuna, which comes from the smaller skipjack or yellowfin, has less mercury than canned white albacore tuna. FDA/EPA advice recommends no more than 6 ounces of albacore a week; up to 12 ounces canned light is considered safe.

To make fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from whole-wheat bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh crumbs. For dry breadcrumbs, spread the fresh crumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until crispy, about 15 minutes. One slice of fresh bread makes about 1/3 cup dry crumbs. Or use prepared coarse dry breadcrumbs. We like Ian’s brand labeled “Panko breadcrumbs.” Find them in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Prepare through Step 3, spoon into an 8-inch-square glass baking dish, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese (Step 4) and bake, covered, at 350ºF for 50 minutes. Uncover and cook until browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes more.

Nutrition For Seniors

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 406 calories; 8 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 53 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrate; 32 g protein; 5 g fiber; 684 mg sodium; 593 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Calcium (30% daily value), Potassium (17% dv), Iron, Vitamin A & Vitamin C (15% dv), good source of omega-3s.
3 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1/2 nonfat milk, 3 lean meat

Fluffy French Toast

Makes 2 serving

Assemble this dish ahead, refrigerate, and bake the next morning while the coffee brews. The more texture the bread has, the better the French toast will be. Thick slices of home-made bread, hand-sliced bakery bread, and whole wheat or multi-grain bread are all good choices. Serve with butter, syrup, blueberry sauce, or flavored yogurt to boost the calorie count.

Preparing Fluffy French Toast

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon and mix well.

Lightly butter a medium baking dish. Arrange the bread quarters in the dish in single layer, overlapping the edges if necessary. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and press down on the bread with a fork so it is completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour overnight.

Preheat the over to 375. Back, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed all the liquid and lightly browned on top and puffy. Serve warm, with syrup, butter, fresh fruit, or flavored yogurt. Cover leftovers and refrigerate up to 2 days.

Nutrition For Seniors

Nutrients per serving: 175 calories, 9 g protein, 7 g fat, 19 g carbohydrate,14 mg iron, 107 RE vitamin A, 1 mg vitamin E, 90 mg calcium.