If your mom’s been diagnosed with anosmia, you might find it is affecting her appetite. If she can’t smell the foods you make her, they won’t taste as she’d expect them to taste. Here are some tips for making foods more appealing when she’s lost her sense of smell.

Rely on Trial and Error

You may need to try different foods and ask her to rate them. When you find foods she likes, keep a list of the foods she liked. Focus meals around those.

Choose Bold Flavors

Salt may not appeal to your mom. Instead, sprinkle fresh lemon juice over her vegetables. Sour tastes may be easier for her taste buds to pick up as being different. Pineapple served on kebabs with chicken may also help her find meals more appealing.

You could do chicken that’s marinated in pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil. Put it onto skewers with red pepper chunks, pineapple cubes, and leeks. Grill those and serve them with pineapple fried rice. See if she likes that type of meal.

Improve the Texture

When smell impacts how foods taste, you have to start moving towards the other senses. Texture can help your mom find her appetite. Choose foods that have a mix of textures. Sushi with the crisp cucumbers, soft rice, and chewy nori appeals to some people with anosmia.

A Bolognese sauce with chunks of carrots and celery, soft onions, and meats like sausage, pork, and beef will be more appealing than a creamy alfredo. Serve that sauce with chewier gnocchi over slippery spaghetti noodles.

Aim for Colorful Presentations

Your mom can’t smell, but she can still see. Focus on presentation when plating meals and snacks. Bright colors will be more appealing than a plate filled with the same color. A stew of chicken breast, red peppers, eggplant, milk, kale, and green lentils will be more appealing than a grilled chicken breast with rice and steamed cauliflower.

Does your mom need help to prepare nutritious meals that taste appealing? As you work through the foods she does enjoy, jot them down. When you call a senior care agency to help her with meal preparation, you’ll have foods caregivers can focus on. Schedule senior care services to ensure your mom eats well and develops an appetite again.

Sources:
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-taste-smell#

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior care in Clayton, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

The post How to Make Foods Appealing When Your Mom Loses Her Sense of Smell appeared first on Golden Heart East Bay.

Applesauce

Unsweetened applesauce is a must-have for making apple muffins. You can also use it to sweeten overnight oats, yogurt parfaits, and homemade granola bars. Purchase jars of unsweetened applesauce or make it yourself using peeled, chopped apples and water.

Vitamin C is one reason to keep applesauce on hand. It’s high in the antioxidant. There’s also fiber and vitamin B-6.

Dried Apricots

Keep dried apricots on hand for topping cereals. Chop them up and use them in overnight oats, muffins, or yogurt parfaits.

Dried apricots are a great source of vitamin A and potassium. They’re also a good source of iron, vitamin B-6, and calcium. They even contain a small amount of fiber.

Frozen Berries

Buy a bag of frozen berries and keep them on hand for breakfast smoothies. You can use naturally sweetened juice to make a fruit smoothie or kefir or yogurt to make fruit and yogurt smoothies.

Frozen berries are a great source of antioxidants like vitamin C. The seeds in some berries also have omega-3 fatty acids. Some studies have found that berries are one of the best fruits for brain health. Plus, they taste good in parfaits, oatmeal, muffins, and by themselves.

Whole Oats

Whole oats are a handy breakfast item to keep on hand. Make plain overnight oats and keep it in the fridge for easy warm or cold breakfasts. You or your parents can top the oats in things they enjoy each morning.

Oats are a good source of fiber. Fiber absorbs water and helps prevent constipation. Soluble fiber also draws cholesterol from the intestines and helps move it out of the body. Steel-cut oats are ideal. If you’re making overnight oats from steel-cut oats, use the ratio of 1.75 cups of milk to 1 cup of oats.

Would your parents eat more if they had someone helping them? Breakfast is an important meal, so it’s not one they should be skipping. Home care services cover things like grocery shopping and meal preparation.

If your parents don’t like to eat by themselves, caregivers can be on hand to join them for a meal and do the dishes after. Home care aides are friends and helpers who will keep your parents happy and engaged. Call to learn more.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Clayton, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

The post Better Breakfast Month – Pantry Staples for Healthy Breakfasts appeared first on Golden Heart East Bay.