Healthy Living

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How to get better nutrition to live a healthy life
By Chaplain Dan Langerock

As you grow older, you don’t eat as much as we used to, and sometimes don’t feel like preparing a meal at all. This can be due to medication, never cooked much before, and a variety of other reasons. Here are a few suggestions to help you get the nutrition you need, and maybe inspire you to cook more.

Imagine trying to run your car without gasoline. This is what you are doing to your body when you don’t eat when you should. Let’s say you eat dinner at 6 o’clock in the evening, and a snack at 9 p.m. You eat breakfast at 9 a.m., so that is twelve hours without any food, and fifteen hours without a full meal. If you don’t eat a balanced breakfast, like a sugary cereal or breakfast drink, your body is trying to run on minimal nutrition.

If you are taking medications, it is important to eat meals that will be enough to let those medicines do their job without hurting you. A piece of toast and a banana are not enough to facilitate this. There are cookbooks and magazines galore that will help you get a good breakfast, besides what the internet has to offer. Two websites come to mind: meals.com & allrecipes. You can put in an ingredient or dish you like in the search feature, and everything with that classification will be listed for you to copy it if you like.

If you know a neighbor or relative who likes to cook, ask them to make a plate for you, and pay them for it—probably two-or-three dollars would suffice. You would spend at least that if you went to a restaurant. Work out a menu with them, and you both will benefit.

If you live close to a couple of people who like to cook, like in a mobile park, take turns preparing a meal for the others or you could each make a course and eat together if that is suitable. One of the main complaints of people who don’t want to cook is that they have to eat alone. You could even cook together at each other’s homes for a change of venue. Cook and fellowship together, then clean up together as well.

You don’t have to make a big meal each time you cook, but something that will give you energy and stamina during the day. There are many ideas out there for one dish meals, crockpot cooking, five ingredient dishes, etc., but you have to search them out. If you can’t spend a lot of money, a used bookstore usually has an ample supply of cookbooks. Magazines like Cooking Light or A Taste of Home will give you other ideas, and you will get new material each month to tempt your palate if you choose to subscribe. Besides, they are much less expensive this way than buying them off the rack where you shop.

If there are other symptoms happening like depression, etc., seek help if you need it. It is normal to feel depressed from time to time, but not to live in this condition on a daily basis . Know yourself well enough that you can determine when something like this is happening to you.

You don’t need to be a gourmet chef to have good nutrition. Start simple and teach yourself as you go. If you cannot do this, ask a friend or reelative to help you learn the basics of cooking. Just a few simple implements will get you started like mixing bowls, a collander, measuring cups and spoons, basic cutlery and pans.

You are the only one who can make this happen, but take small steps as you learn or relearn what you need to know. Don’t be shy about asking for help. You will have a better life if you will work on the nutrition you take in each day. You will feel so much better because your body has something substantial to work with instead of snack-type foods. I believe you can do it, but you must take the steps to make it happen. I am sure it will be a tasty journey for you. Bon Appetit !!

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