Nutritious 7-Day Meal Plan for Elderly People (And Why It Works)

No matter your age, maintaining a well-balanced diet is crucial. However, as you get older and aim to spend more time enjoying life, spending hours in the kitchen might not align with your goals. It's still essential to make eating an enjoyable part of your day, though, and balancing tasty and nutritious meals can be challenging. Below, you'll find a seven-day meal plan for elderly adults designed to combine simplicity, enjoyment, and healthy eating while meeting your potential dietary needs.

Seven-day meal plan for older adults

Monday

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit (e.g., strawberries, blueberries, cranberries) and nuts (e.g., pecans, walnuts, almonds)

• Lunch: Vegetable soup, whether homemade or from a store-bought can.

• Dinner: A salmon filet, lettuce, chopped tomato, and diced onion wrapped in a wheat tortilla.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Strawberry-banana smoothie with blueberries, low-fat Greek yogurt, almond or peanut butter, and baby spinach.

• Lunch: Canned tuna mixed with tomatoes and diced red onions and topped with sliced avocado.

• Dinner: Whole-grain pasta topped with chicken and veggies (e.g., zucchini, roasted red peppers, broccoli).

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with diced onion, tomato, and green peppers, served with a side of whole-grain toast.

• Lunch: Quinoa topped with greens such as spinach or kale, chopped chicken, red peppers, and mushrooms.

• Dinner: Chicken breast with brown rice or a baked potato.

Thursday

• Breakfast: Multi-grain bagel topped with almond butter or peanut butter.

• Lunch: Hard-boiled egg, tomato, and cucumber on whole-wheat bread.

• Dinner: Thinly sliced sirloin combined with slices of sauteed onion, zucchini, and mushrooms.

Friday

• Breakfast: Low-fat yogurt topped with chopped nuts (e.g., pecans, walnuts, cashews) and fruit (e.g., bananas, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries).

• Lunch: Canned tuna mixed with tomatoes and diced red onions and topped with sliced avocado.

• Dinner: Chicken breast with brown rice or a baked potato

Saturday

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit (e.g., strawberries, blueberries, cranberries) and nuts (e.g., pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.).

• Lunch: Chickpeas topped with crumbles of feta cheese, diced tomatoes, and diced onions.

• Dinner: Baked sweet potato topped with low-sodium black beans, diced tomatoes, peppers, and melted cheese.

Sunday

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with diced onion, tomato, and green peppers, served with a side of whole-grain toast.

• Lunch: Lentil and vegetable soup, whether homemade or from a store-bought can.

• Dinner: Whole-grain pasta topped with chicken and veggies (e.g., zucchini, roasted red peppers, or broccoli).

15 healthy foods for older adults

Eating healthy isn't all about fruits and vegetables- there are several types of foods you should incorporate into your diet for healthy meal planning. You can use the following ingredients to create your own meals. You can also mix and match these ingredients to modify the above meals to your liking.

1. Leafy greens (e.g., spinach, kale)
2. Colorful fruits (e.g., berries)
3. Lean protein sources (e.g., chicken, fish, tofu)
4. Nuts and seeds (e.g., almonds, flaxseeds)
5. Legumes (e.g., beans, lentils)
6. Lean cuts of red meat (e.g., sirloin)
7. Avocado
8. Eggs
9. Low-sodium canned vegetable
10. Low-fat dairy products (e.g., yogurt, milk, cottage cheese)
11. Oats
12. Whole-wheat bread
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Whole grains (e.g., brown rice, quinoa)
15. Olive oil

Why is a special meal plan for older adults important?

As you get older, your body goes through many changes, and your diet should evolve to accommodate those changes. A specialized meal plan can make choosing and preparing appropriate meals much easier. Here are some additional reasons why using a special meal plan for older adults is beneficial.

1. Nutritional requirements

As you age, your body requires different amounts of key nutrients. For example, your ability to absorb vitamin B12 decreases as you get older. This means you'll need to eat more foods that contain high amounts of this nutrient, such as seafood. A specialized meal plan helps ensure you're consuming enough vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, and proteins while closely monitoring your intake of saturated fat.

2. Health conditions

Many older adults, especially those around or over the age of 85, are prone to chronic health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Carrots, squash, leafy greens, fish, and whole grains can all help combat these conditions. A customized meal plan helps you incorporate these foods into your diet while helping you regulate your blood sugar levels and manage your salt intake.

3. Muscle maintenance

Muscle mass tends to decline with age, and consuming adequate amounts of protein is key to promoting muscle mass, strength, and function. A tailored meal plan can ensure your protein intake is appropriate and support your overall mobility.

4. Appetite and taste changes

Age-related changes in taste perception and appetite can make eating less enjoyable. With a specialized meal plan, you can focus on enhancing flavors and textures to improve your appetite and overall satisfaction with meals.

5. Cost savings

By using a meal plan, you give yourself a detailed grocery list of all the ingredients you need from the store. This helps you avoid buying unnecessary or excess items, minimizing wasted food. Since everything is already planned out and written down, you can better stick to your budget while getting the foods you need.

6 tips for making meal plans for older adults work

Here are some tips that can make planning your meals more effective and beneficial.

1. Choose meals that align with your dietary needs

There are several types of diets, and yours might be unique to you based on your physical and nutritional needs. For example, if you're pre-diabetic, you might be on, or considering starting, a low-carb diet, which includes lots of proteins while limiting simple carbs. If you have trouble chewing or swallowing, you might adopt a diet primarily comprising soft food for older adults.

Whether you're following a set diet or you're simply trying to meet nutritional standards, make sure the meals you choose align with your dietary restrictions. This way, you know for sure that you're consuming the foods that are best for your health needs.

2. Consider any medications you're taking

Some medications can interact with certain foods. For example, if you're taking the anti-anxiety medication BuSpar, your psychiatrist will tell you to avoid grapefruits and grapefruit juice. An enzyme in this fruit can exaggerate BuSpar's effects and increase the likelihood of adverse side effects.

If you're taking, or are planning to start taking, medication, consult with your healthcare provider to identify any foods you need to limit or avoid. This way, you can be confident that the foods you work into your meal plan don't conflict with your medications.

3. Include meals that account for physical limitations

If you have physical limitations, it's important to choose meals that are easy to prepare and consume. Oatmeal with berries, yogurt with nuts and fruit, and grilled salmon paired with roasted vegetables are all examples of meals that don't require the use of many kitchen tools. They also don't demand an extended amount of time standing over the stove, making them convenient choices if you have physical limitations.

4. Prioritize your dietary needs

You'll need to ensure your selected meals are nutrient-dense and that they provide the appropriate amount of calories for your body type. While physical activity can affect your target intake, those assigned female at birth over the age of 50 generally need 1,600 calories per day. Those assigned male at birth in this same age group generally need 2,000 calories per day.

5. Choose enjoyable meals

Always select meals you know you'll enjoy. Catering to your personal taste preferences is essential to maintaining your appetite and helping you feel satisfied at mealtime. Opt for a variety of meals that incorporate familiar ingredients and flavors while introducing some diversity to your diet. This way, you can explore new dishes without straying too far from your comfort zone.

6. Buy in bulk

While you should avoid excessive purchases, consider buying non-perishable items- and ingredients you plan to use often- in bulk. For example, if you enjoy meals that use chicken, buy uncooked chicken from the supermarket in bulk. This is often more cost-effective than buying smaller portions of items. Plus, you can store any perishable items you don't plan to use soon in the freezer to prevent waste. There are other ways to save money on meal planning, too- and some don't require any cooking.

Simplify meal planning with Meal Village

With Meal Village, you no longer have to worry about prepping and cooking ingredients and assembling them into meals. Instead, every week, you can choose from more than 130 meals made fresh in Meal VIllage's Chicago-based kitchen. Your meals are then delivered to your door the day they're made- as soon as the same day that you placed your order. Browse the Meal Village menu now to get started- it's the easiest way to mix quality nutrition and ample variety into your diet.