Celebrate Fall with Healthy Orange Foods
There are many things we associate with fall, like colorful leaves, cooler weather, and pumpkins. In fact, at times it can seem like pumpkin is everywhere – pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin flavored donuts, and even pumpkin pie yogurt! Sometimes it seems like overkill, but the truth is that there’s a lot to be said for the health benefits of orange foods, including pumpkin.
Caregiver Darby PA – Celebrate Fall with Healthy Orange Foods
Health Benefits of Orange Foods
The nutrient most often associated with orange foods is beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is essential to eye and skin health. Orange foods contain lots of other nutrients, too, such as:
- Flavonoids.
- Lycopene.
- Potassium.
- Vitamin C.
- Vitamin A.
These nutrients provide many health benefits, including:
- Reduced risk of macular degeneration.
- Decreased bad cholesterol levels.
- Reduced risk of prostate cancer.
- Improves health joint.
- Lowers blood pressure.
- Improves the immune system.
- Improves bone health.
Orange Foods to Add to Senior Diets
While pumpkin might be the orange food we most often think of in the fall, there are many other orange foods that caregivers can add to senior diets to celebrate fall and improve overall health. Here are some foods to try:
- Mangoes: Mangoes are loaded with vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber. They help improve both the immune system and the digestive system. They also help prevent cancer.
- Orange Juice: Drinking just one 8-ounce glass of orange juice provides more than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.
- Cantaloupe: This melon is a great low-calorie sweet treat. A quarter of a medium-sized melon has just 50 calories. They are also a great source of vitamin A and vitamin C.
- Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are versatile and low-calorie. A medium sized potato has 105 calories. They are rich in vitamin A and vitamin C as well as potassium.
- Apricots: Apricots are a good source of fiber and potassium. Although you can’t get them fresh year-round, dried apricots are also a healthy snack.
And, let’s not leave out the pumpkins! They’re not just fun to carve into jack o’ lanterns, their also tasty and full of nutrients. One of their benefits is an antioxidant called lutein, which is important for healthy eyes and skin.
Professional in-home caregivers can get seniors into the fall mood by preparing lots of dishes with healthy orange foods. They can either prepare the meals on their own for seniors who are no longer able to cook or who don’t enjoy cooking. Or, caregivers can assist seniors to prepare their own meals, helping with the parts of cooking that have become too difficult.
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/2010/10/eating-by-color-orange
If you or an aging loved one are considering Caregiver Services in Darby PA, please contact the caring staff at True Direct Home Health Care today.
Doc, as he is called by everyone - staff, patients and clients - first experienced home health care and hospice care while as a colleg student at King's College as he cared for his mother every day while she first battled COPD and then lung cancer. It was during this time that he came to understand that caring for a patient was more than just clinical expertise.
"Admittedly, my strongest attribute is my communication skills and the simple fact that I love to help people. Even the smallest thing you can do for someone really can mean so much to them long term. In fact, it could change them forever. That's what providing quality personal home health care should be all about."
In his spare time, he cooks for homeless shelters and children's music and arts events. He also is highly involved in his local youth sports soccer academy as a coach and Board member.
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