Caregiver to Caregiver

With this column I will be completing an overview of some thoughts about the importance of good nutrition for caregivers and their loved ones, based on the adage, “Bless this food to our use.” For simplicity’s sake, I used the acronym BLESS. Let’s review: B – eat BETTER; L – eat LESS; E – eat EARLY; S – eat SLOWLY; and today, S – eat SIMPLY SMART.

My daughter Amy, who proofreads my columns before I submit them, reminded me after she read this of something I told her when she was just a little girl and I a young mother. It really hurts to admit this, but way back then, I told her that a certain snack food was “healthy” because the first ingredient was refined enriched flour. Oh, my. Obviously, I had some notions about nutrition in those days that were not sound. But at least I had begun to read nutrition labels. Come to think of it, I do not recall either studying or being curious about nutritious until I was an adult. Food was food. And then, the world of food changed dramatically. 

Thomas Edison (1847-1931), often considered America’s greatest inventor, made this bold declaration: “The doctors of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” Today, researchers have determined that an unhealthy diet contributes to many chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis and some cancers. There is also evidence that there is a correlation between nutrition, especially deficiencies, and the onset and progression of dementia. And of course, during the current pandemic, we have been reminded often that there is a correlation between coronavirus and obesity, both in vulnerability and outcome.

Nutrition is a science, but it does not require a laboratory or Einsteinesque intelligence to master the basic facts in order to benefit your own health and that of your loved ones. I suggest investing in one book that covers the fundamentals. Keep it simple – guidelines you can understand and put into practice. Check the credentials of the author (should be an expert in the field of nutrition, not a celebrity that has shed a few pounds) and avoid books that are trying to sell a product, as it may just be a sales pitch. 

Make it your goal to become smart about nutritional issues by researching topics such as:

• The hundred healthiest foods. Keep a list and make these sources of sustenance the mainstays of your kitchen. Included will be apples, berries, cantaloupe, cucumbers, spinach, avocados, potatoes, oats, whole wheat, brown rice, beans and legumes, salmon, tuna, sardines (sorry), nuts, seeds, grass-fed cheese and milk, eggs and about 80 other edibles.
• Which condiments should you limit or avoid? These are often overlooked as nutritional hazards. For example, one tablespoon of soy sauce has thirty-seven percent of the daily allowance of sodium. Check out the labels on mayonnaise, ketchup, Sriracha sauce and mustard. Surprised?  
• The fifty-plus names for sugar used in ingredient lists (including fructose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, and corn syrup). The American Heart Association recommends no more than nine teaspoons per day for men and six for women; yet the average American consumes about 20 teaspoons every day; a 12-ounce serving of cola has about 10 teaspoons or over eighty percent of the maximum amount of sugar you should consume in one day.
• Alternatives to resorting to a fast-food meal. Take-out meals have become the norm for many families during the past few months. I have noticed several burger joints (if that doesn’t sound appetizing, that’s my intention) advertising “family sized specials.” Oh, my…grease, grease and more grease. Sadly, the rate of childhood obesity is the highest that has ever been documented – almost twenty percent of children ages 2 to 19. Forty percent of adults are considered obese.  There definitely appears to be a correlation between the proliferation of fast food restaurants and the increase in obesity.
• Ideas for simple, healthy meals. It is neither necessary nor more nutritionally sound to spend hours slaving in the kitchen to prepare a proper meal. That doesn’t mean you should just open a can or two and it definitely does not mean tossing a prepared frozen dinner in the oven. It does mean using natural ingredients in the most unprocessed way possible to provide the nutrition your body needs. In fact, sometimes the more you cook and add ingredients, the less healthy the outcome. Consider a baked potato at 160 calories (hold the butter and sour cream) versus a serving of a cheesy potato casserole at about 400 calories. A serving of fresh fruit, a wedge of low-fat real (not processed) cheese and a handful of nuts or a homemade bran muffin counts as a nutritionally sound meal. 

Thankfully, I have learned a lot about nutrition since I told Amy that refined, enriched flour was a good thing. I hope I have piqued your interest concerning the food choices you make for yourself and your loved one and that you will continue to learn and put into practice guidelines for healthy eating.

As you do, remember this prayer; “May God BLESS this food to our use.”

Caring Quote: “It’s easy to buy into some pretty popular nutrition misconceptions – myths and half-truths that ultimately find us making far fewer healthier food choices than we realize.” Samantha Heller, MS, RD, NY University nutritionist