Older adults sometimes lose interest in preparing meals and can tend to opt for not-so-healthy choices such as canned soup or frozen meals. Avoiding malnutrition is important to healthy aging but often the sense of taste or appetite can be altered by medication, problems with chewing or due to changes in the body.
Sipping a smoothie, with the right ingredients, can help seniors get a healthy combination of protein, vitamins, minerals and even disease-fighting antioxidants. When nothing else appeals, try breaking out the blender and giving some of these smoothies a try. The recipes usually serve two people.
Green Smoothie – Vitamin C Boost
1 peeled orange
2 chopped kiwi
1 cored pear
2 cups chopped leafy greens (kale, spinach or chard)
4 to 6 oz filtered water.
Blend leafy vegetables with water first to liquify, then add fruit until smooth. The fruit flavors will help hide the taste of the greens. Spinach and Romaine lettuce are more “neutral” tasting and a good choice for green smoothie newbies.
Source: Tracy Russell
Chocolate Protein Smoothie
1 frozen sliced banana (toss over-ripe bananas in the freezer to have on hand)
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 soy milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 tablespoon honey
Blend – add more liquid if needed.
Source: EatingWell.com
Berry Brain Health Smoothie
3/4 cup frozen mixed berries
1/4 ripe avocado
1 cup plain yogurt – non-fat
1/2 banana
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp wheat germ or ground flax
3-5 ice cubes
Blend ice first then add other ingredients, adding protein powder if desired.
Source: Heather Schwarts, MS, RD
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