As a family caregiver, you face challenges making healthy choices for yourself and the loved one under your care. If one or both of you have a special dietary requirement, your meal preparation becomes even more complicated. 

Since many family caregivers find themselves already stretched to capacity, improving your diet may feel like an impossibility. But read on for some easy to incorporate ideas.

Practical tips to maintain weight from a registered dietitian/nutritionist

We reached out to BayPath Elder Services registered dietitian/nutritionist Traci Robidoux, RD, LDN, who provided practical advice on simplifying the concept of dieting so that you can develop healthy habits and incorporate them into your everyday life.

Traci shared an interesting and proven approach to weight management. Forget about the scale! Take small steps toward adding healthy eating practices and activities into your life to improve your overall well-being. If you start small, you more likely to stick with it.

Traci suggests that we stop thinking of the word "diet" as an over-restrictive way of eating and instead think of diet as the food you eat daily. Start by focusing on your typical meals, then think about small adjustments you can make to increase your nutrients while decreasing your calories. Even if you only change one thing at a time. You are more likely to stick with it that way. 

So, to stay healthy as you age, try to eat nutrient-dense foods that give you a lot of nutrients and not many extra calories. Included in this category are fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Specific foods that meet these criteria and are not hard to incorporate into your everyday meals are:

• Oatmeal instead of sugary cereal
• Whole wheat bread instead of white bread 
• Brown rice instead of white rice
• Dairy products that are lower in fat
• Eggs
• Seafood, poultry, and lean beef
• Beans 
• Nuts and seeds
• Unsweetened beverages, including plenty of water

A healthy lifestyle is finding what works for you and establishing a path that reflects your own goals and health needs. 

Remember to be happy, healthy, and good to yourself, and the rest will follow! ~Traci