Fiber is a big part of healthy eating, but your elderly family member might not know how to easily increase the fiber in her diet. These tips can help you and your elderly family member to gently increase her fiber intake without taking drastic steps.

Pick Foods that Are Naturally High in Fiber

Some foods are just naturally higher in fiber than other foods are. Whole grains are higher in fiber than processed grains, for instance. So, brown rice has a better fiber count than white rice has. Whole wheat bread is higher in fiber than white bread is, because more of the grain is removed to make white flour. Whole fruits and vegetables, nuts, and legumes are all other examples of higher fiber foods. Incorporating more of these into your senior’s diet can help her to get more fiber easily.

Sometimes the Skin Is the Best Part

When you’re trying to focus on fiber counts, keeping fruits and vegetables as whole as possible is a good idea. So, eating the skin along with the baked potato increases the fiber count for that meal, just by making that small change. Peeling an apple before eating it reduces the fiber count, because a good bit of fiber is in the skin itself.

Fiber Needs Water

If your elderly family member is increasing her fiber intake, she also needs to be increasing her water intake. This is crucial because fiber needs water in order to move through her intestinal tract. Talk to your senior’s doctor about how much fiber and how much water are right for her. Once you’ve got a goal, you can work toward those numbers.

Talk to Her Doctor about Supplements

Something else you might want to consider talking to your elderly family member’s doctor about is fiber supplementation. Increasing her fiber count through food itself may not be feasible for a variety of reasons. If your elderly family member has trouble eating, or eating specific foods, she may not be able to change her diet much. But bumping up her fiber through supplements could be a much easier way to get results for her quickly.

It’s important to realize that changing your senior’s eating habits even a little can mean bigger changes in terms of how her meals are prepared and what goes into cooking.

Bringing home care providers in to cook for her can make all the difference. They can handle the workload, while she just concentrates on enjoying her meals.

If you are considering home care in Galesburg, MI, for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at Fresh Perspective Home Care at (269) 329-4717. We are here to help!

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Shelly Nutter

Area Vice President at Fresh Perspective Home Care

Shelly Nutter has been a driving force in the Fresh Perspective Home Care team since 2008 and is currently the Area Vice President. She began caring for others at a young age and has never looked back. Her strong faith and family values drives her passion for helping others. Shelly says she never found a career that fulfilled a "bigger purpose" her previous jobs until begin her home care career with Fresh Perspective Home Care. "Here I found growth, purpose, and a career to match my personal ambition of making a difference in the lives of others." Shelly is native to the Kalamazoo/Portage, Mi area and has been married for over 25 years Together they have three children that she believes have benefited from watching Mom work hard to help others, advocate for others, and give to others. She also holds a bachelors degree in Accounting and an associates degree in Business Management.

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