How Much Protein Do I Really Need After 60?

Host Darleen Mahoney chats with dietitians Lisa Johnson from Homestyle Direct and Kelee Hansen, owner of S&S Nutrition, to dish on the new USDA guidelines and what eating well actually looks like after 60. With tons of experience in the nutrition world, Lisa and Kelee share easy tips and real-life stories about how your plate needs to change as you get older.

With practical suggestions—like customizing Greek yogurt, using chia seeds, cooking with lentils, and making meals a social occasion—this episode empowers caregivers, seniors, and families with actionable steps for healthier living. 

SeniorLivingGuide.com Podcast sponsored by LivDry & Terrabella Senior Living

 The background music is written, performed, and produced exclusively by purple-planet.com. https://www.purple-planet.com/ 

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Transcript

Darleen Mahoney [00:00:04]:

And today we are joined by Lisa Johnson. She's been a guest on our podcast multiple times bringing incredible information and she is here with us again. She has been a dietitian for 40 years, working in many areas of nutrition spectrum including critical care, nutrition, veterans health, long term care, director of food services, diabetes care, eating disorders, and most recently medically tailored meals and menu development for Homestyle Direct. And we have a bonus this episode we have Kelly Hansen. She'll be joining us as well. She is the owner of SNS Nutrition Network, which provides registered dietitian clinical and food services consulting to healthcare, senior living and residential living facilities and MEL programs across the country. She has over 25 years of acute care, long term care, rehabilitation care, senior living and child nutrition programs. I am super excited to have both you ladies on the episode today because we're going to talk about something that is changing. It's really breaking down the latest USA USDA dietary guidelines when it is referring to the best interests of seniors.

Lisa Johnson [00:01:30]:

Good to be here.

Darleen Mahoney [00:01:30]:

Thank you for joining us. Yeah, absolutely. It's all about really eating well after 60 and what nutritionists they recommend and how it's changed in the guidelines because we had some big guideline changes this year. But really how it, it affects seniors practically. Yes, yes.

Lisa Johnson [00:01:52]:

And one of the, I guess, misconceptions maybe as we age is that we tend to focus on say memory loss or we focus on chronic disease, or we focus on whether the person is frail and might fall and break their hip. In reality, all of those things that we focus on which are important as you age are have their root in nutrition. So frailty can be, let's say, because maybe a person has osteoporosis, not getting enough calcium and vitamin D, maybe they're not getting, they're dehydrated, not getting enough fluid, not, not enough protein in their diet. So at the end of the day, really how well a senior ages is tied to directly to the nutrition and diet and what they're eating. So your needs go down in terms of total calories required, but your nutrient needs specific to protein or fluid or vitamins or minerals actually increase.

Darleen Mahoney [00:03:00]:

Yeah. So it does make a difference. As you age, your nutrition needs change, right? Yeah, absolutely. And so I think that that's something we really need to recognize when we're reviewing like the new USDA guidelines that some of the guidelines might be a little bit, they might vary based on the needs of an older adult.

Kelly Hansen [00:03:21]:

One of the things that I'd like to add too is as we age and our nutrient Needs change. We also have some physical changes going on, like our metabolism slows down and our appetite declines, and our taste buds and our senses may diminish. And so these two increased needs and changes that our bodies are getting used to means that every bite counts and

Darleen Mahoney [00:03:51]:

it's like two worlds collide, right?

Kelly Hansen [00:03:53]:

Exactly.

Darleen Mahoney [00:03:54]:

Yes. Yes. And the metabolism totally changes. I'm sure it does for both men and women. I really don't know if it does for men, But I know 110% it does for women, so. So I think that that's something to recognize as well. And I know sometimes seniors, elderly people, you'll kind, especially more frail people, they seem to, they. They tend to eat less. It seems like they'll, like, they'll nibble on something and they're good to go.

Kelly Hansen [00:04:20]:

Yeah, I had a good example of that yesterday. I went to a community senior center and. And was. Had lunch with seniors and, you know, watched them nibble on their food. And, you know, some left half their plate and some took some home for later. But, you know, compared to someone our age, you know, they may be eating half the quantity that they used to.

Darleen Mahoney [00:04:49]:

Yeah, for sure. I remember my dad when he. My dad loved chicken wings. He loved all the things my mom told him not to eat. So I will tell you if she went on vacation or, you know, you know, she wasn't home for dinner, he was up at Publix getting chicken wings or going to Popeyes or, you know, all the different things, all the stuff he wasn't supposed to be eating. And he. After my mom passed. So he was making his own food choices without any, you know, any pushback. He would just. He could eat a lot. But as his dementia, in all honesty, progressed the way that he was able to eat severely diminished. It was. It was quite evident that he was having issues with eating larger portions.

Lisa Johnson [00:05:34]:

The other thing that happens as we age is life happens. And so there are things like, say, the death of a spouse or maybe you lose your driver's license or you no longer want to drive. And so your ability to get to the grocery store to buy foods, especially healthy foods to make and. Or the fact that you're eating alone and so cooking, for one, all impacts a person's ability to prepare and eat and be happy eating. And so sometimes things as simple as being able to eat with others or having someone come into the home to share that experience are certainly helpful in increasing intake.

Darleen Mahoney [00:06:19]:

Yeah. So, Kelly, tell me a little bit about what the new dietary guidelines for Americans actually suggest, because I haven't dove into it a lot, but I do know that protein is one that has been highlighted more so than it did in the past. I would love for them to say carbs go all carbs all day long, but I know that the protein got a little bit. I'm living in a dream world, but yeah. So as far as, like, the recommendations, how, how, how has that been suggested?

Kelly Hansen [00:06:53]:

So with the new dietary guidelines, there is a recommendation to prioritize high quality protein. And this for most Americans and, and even most seniors, you know, we've had a higher protein diet for quite some time. And some people this means that that won't change, and others maybe that a senior that does have a diminished appetite and does have some of the things that we were just discussing really does need to focus on making sure they're including protein at every meal. And, you know, it may be very easy to do so at lunch or dinner. It may be different if someone was just eating like a cereal for breakfast or something like that. So we want to focus on including a variety of animal and plant based proteins and mixing it up from day to day. One of the other elements of the guidelines is to minimize some processed foods. And so some of our protein choices in the morning, maybe some of those processed foods. And, and by mixing it up, we can incorporate some things that may traditionally be eaten at breakfast, like eggs and Greek yogurt, and we can also incorporate some things that we're not used to eating at breakfast. So when I visited San Antonio, I loved that they served beans for breakfast because it was something I wasn't used to. But I realized, hey, I really like this and I'm going to do that at home from, you know, sometimes. So high quality protein is a key emphasis. The, the second thing that the new dietary guidelines suggest for us is to choose those nutrient dense foods. When we talked about every bite counting for seniors, we got to make sure every bite has the nutrients we need. So of course, this comes back to fruits and vegetables and whole grains. And our serving sizes in the dietary guidelines went up and the required quantities went down, but it still means that we're looking to try to get three cups of vegetables into our daily intake and one and a half to two cups of fruit into our daily intake. And, and that takes effort and it takes concentration. So if we skip vegetables at breakfast and maybe even skip them at lunch because we have a sandwich, we're, we're going to have a tough time getting them all in in the day. So looking for a variety of colors and Textures that really make eating those vegetables and enjoying those vegetables a great thing for us.

Darleen Mahoney [00:10:07]:

Yeah, yeah. And to me, that doesn't sound like a lot. It does sound like, you know, portions that if it's for the entire day, I think that you can pretty much get that in a meal. I think that that's pretty nice. But it is, I think a lot of times, especially with seniors, it is the planning, it, the grocery shopping, it is all the things that make it, I don't want to say a job, but it makes it more work that maybe they just would rather have something that's just easy to do and it's just turnkey because they are maybe cooking for one or they may have some physical disabilities that make standing up and working in a kitchen uncomfortable. Or in some cases, they may have cooked for their family for years and years, didn't really enjoy it and they're good to go on, not to continue. So there's all kinds. There's a variety of reasons, for sure. But I did want to mention, I really like the fact that you mentioned plant based because I think that when people are thinking protein that they have to go, you know, all in on meat, you know, animal based. But plant is absolutely a fabulous option. And I know that one way that I get, you know, some of my protein is with, with the yogurt and some different things that have, I buy peanut butter bars that have high protein, those types of things. So there are different options. And I think that's really important to know that you don't have to go like chow down on a hamburger every single day, because that's probably not the best idea.

Kelly Hansen [00:11:42]:

Well, and with our, you know, some of the proteins like the peanut butter, even dairy, like cottage cheese or the Greek yogurt, those are all easy proteins to consume because they don't take a lot of preparation. So that's something that seniors can have a little bit of and have a variety of items. There's other plant based items that are quick to prepare too, and a lot of times we don't think of them. But like lentils is a great example where you can have lentils either as a side dish or as a main entree, such as a lentil taco or a lentil pilaf or things like that. And you can prepare those in under 30 minutes. So it's something else that is also affordable and easy to have as a staple on the shelf in the pantry.

Darleen Mahoney [00:12:44]:

I like that. Affordable and easy. Those are two, two great combinations. So, yeah, that's perfect. And I don't know that I've ever cooked lentils. So I'm gonna have to. I'm gonna have to look into that.

Kelly Hansen [00:12:55]:

Yeah, there's some great YouTube videos to YouTube.

Darleen Mahoney [00:12:59]:

I will tell you, I. Everything I cook anymore comes off of some kind of a video of sorts. So because I'm not a good cook, I don't particularly enjoy it and I can do a recipe and then it still somehow it doesn't taste or look like it does. So I get where you can watch the videos and it's very specific, so it's harder to mess up. So I do appreciate that. As far as, you know, micros and fluid and fiber. So we're talking about like the basic nutrients. Lisa, is that kind of what those would be considered?

Lisa Johnson [00:13:35]:

So fiber and fluid probably don't fall into the micronutrients, but they are terribly important. They don't. They're not a macronutrient either. So fluid generally we. We calculate that the average adult over 65 may be upwards of 50% deficient in their fluid requirements for the day. So six to eight glasses of water is what's recommended for a glass, typically being an 8 ounce portion. So about 64 ounces. Coffee and tea don't really fall in that count because they are diuretics and they cause dehydration and make it worse. Not that you can't have those things, but you're really looking for a zero calorie fluid source for those six to eight glasses. And then you can factor in juices and other beverages on top of that. So that's a lot. And even as a younger, older adult, I have to be mindful of that. So filling some type of a water bottle, I always have my Nalgene bottle with me so that, you know, I've got to drink two of those in a day so that you don't feel like you have to drink it all at one time, but you're keeping track of the amount that you're getting in. Highly important. Probably 30 to 50% of hospitalizations in the older adult have some tie to dehydration and fluid imbalance. So that's really important. And then you have to factor in your geography and what you're doing. So if you're hiking out in the Mojave Desert, you're going to the beach for the day, you're out and about taking a power walk. Need to make sure they have extra fluid on board. As far as fiber goes, fiber was one of the things that was really not emphasized in the New dietary guidelines. But fiber needs are critically important. And there are a lot of different online fiber calculators that you can go into, plug in your age, your gender, whatever, and. And actually calculate out what the recommendation is for you. Generally speaking, for someone over 65, we're shooting for about 30 grams, somewhere between 25 and 35 grams a day. And we figure that in that age population, they're probably getting 50% or less of what they need. So being mindful and aware of the foods that you're eating and the fiber content of those foods is really important. But fiber in the older adult, in combination with fluid needs, can affect things like constipation, stool impaction. Increased fiber will help to. To offset and manage things like diabetes and heart disease, because the fiber flushes cholesterol, flushes blood sugar through the system, and keeps you more balanced. So really important those two things. And then we talk about micronutrients. So we talk about things like B12, which is necessary for brain health. We talk about magnesium, which is also necessary for brain health and for solid sleep habits. Calcium, vitamin D, both important for bone health. So there are some targeted micronutrients that are really important in the older adult and making sure that you have a colorful diet and a very. That you're including all the food groups that you're not, you know, eliminating, let's say, all fats, because you've heard fats are bad because there's essential fatty acids that are important. And so a healthy amount of fats is also a good thing in the diet.

Darleen Mahoney [00:17:34]:

Yeah. So I will tell you the. I drink a ton of water. I drink a ton of coffee in the morning. And by the time I'm done doing that, I am really thirsty, and I am thirsty the rest of the day. That's pretty much all that I drink. And I found, as you mentioned, I avoided the trend of the Stanley. And I know that there's different, exact same styles, different brands, but that has been a game changer for me because I get the big one, I fill it up, and all day long I drink and drink and drink. So if you've got it right there and it's handy, you're more apt, I think, than if you have to go and get glasses of water. Glasses of water. I think then that's when you kind of. You'll fail on that. I did have a question on the fiber. What are some good examples of high fiber as far as types of food?

Kelly Hansen [00:18:22]:

So I'll take that one, Lisa, because I skipped over whole grains earlier. And one key element of these new dietary guidelines is that the requirement for grains actually decreased, but the encouragement of whole grains increased. So the recommendations are 2 to 4 servings of grains per day. But we need to emphasize those whole grains. That's the whole wheat or whole grain breads or baked goods. It's brown rice, it's whole grain pastas and things like that. And some of our seniors are very used to eating whole grain bread or whole wheat bread because they grew up on it. And some have become accustomed to, you know, the refined grains are their favorites. But that the whole grains combined with our fruits and our vegetables are really our best sources of fiber. And even little tricks like, you know, eating the skins on fruits and vegetables, eating the, you know, some of the. Rather than the perfect little broccoli stems, eating some, or, excuse me, florets, eating some of the stems and eating some of the. Including beans in our diets that have a high source of fiber, all of those things can help us increase that fiber content. And it's something that we should evolve over, over some time. You don't want to go from what Lisa was saying of eating half the amount of fiber on one day to the full amount of fiber on the next day, or it's going to cause some GI distress. But increasing the amount of fiber we eat on a weekly basis does help us to achieve that goal of the 25 to 35 grams of fiber. And seniors will see a noticeable effect when it comes to relief of constipation and feeling of fullness and better blood sugar control.

Darleen Mahoney [00:20:38]:

Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. So, Lisa, you mentioned the fiber calculator. So I just did want to mention to our listeners, I'm going to include that link in the description so that they can easily access that. So I think that'll be really great. I think that's something that, you know, if you can look at it and kind of see what those needs are, it. It kind of can help you.

Lisa Johnson [00:21:01]:

Well, and there's. So as far as fiber goes, there's some simple things you could do too. If you, let's say you like to have yogurt in the morning or you're making a smoothie, you can add chia seeds, you can add some fresh berries to, say, a smoothie. All of those things are going to increase the fiber content of the item that you're eating. Generally, the recommendation is don't change more than 3 to 5 grams of fiber per week. So let's say you're eating 15 now, you know, shoot over the week to get to 20, then to 25. And make sure as you're doing that that you're getting adequate fluid because it will help with constipation. And unless you're not getting extra fluid in your diet, in which case they make the constipation worse.

Darleen Mahoney [00:21:52]:

Yeah, for sure. For sure. So I did want to ask you this question. What are your thoughts? I know that my grandmother used to take, I think not Mucinex. What is it?

Lisa Johnson [00:22:07]:

Metamucil.

Darleen Mahoney [00:22:08]:

Metamucil. Thank you. I was going to say, I know it's not Mucinex, but something very similar. Is that something that you can utilized to fill in the gaps? Is that something that's recommended if you're struggling to get the fiber naturally through your food?

Lisa Johnson [00:22:24]:

Sure. And Metamucil comes in a variety of different ways. You can, you can take a capsule, you can get a powder, generally some type of flavor like a orange flavor that you drink a glass of a day. Don't go hog wild on Metamucil and increase the fiber in your diet because you're doing double duty there. But it certainly is a way to increase the. Like you said, fill in the gaps and give somebody an extra serving of fiber in a day.

Darleen Mahoney [00:22:59]:

Perfect. Perfect. So I did love the fact that you mentioned the calcium, vitamin D and B12, because as I've started getting older, I've started definitely adding those into my diet. And then also the magnesium for sleep, that's been a game changer for me. So anyone listening that's having some like sleep, either waking up at the middle of the night or they're just not getting a good quality sleep. I will tell you that is something that's really made a big difference with me with the magnesium. But I did want to ask you, so I know that there. Which magnesium is it? Because I feel like there's multiple magnesiums and one might have more stuff that's not just specifically for sleep. Or do you recommend a magnesium that's got the different.

Lisa Johnson [00:23:42]:

So I believe that the. The current recommended as far as magnesium is just a vitamin, is magnesium. Glycanate is okay. Is the type of magnesium to take. But anymore magnesium is. Is being added to so many different things. So I went to a natural food show about three weeks ago and the new thing and I was actually really surprised that I liked it is mushroom coffee.

Darleen Mahoney [00:24:16]:

Mushroom what?

Lisa Johnson [00:24:17]:

Coffee. So it's coffee coffee that is made for mushrooms and tends to have added magnesium in it. I was surprised that it didn't taste like mushrooms to me. It's a softer coffee flavor, but still has the coffee. And then there are some different sleep beverages, I guess, if you will, that include extra magnesium. But I would always offer up that probably the best way to do this is to do it naturally, to do it in foods that you include. Magnesium is high in nuts and grains. It tends to come from plant based things as opposed to coming from animal food. Tends to be in chocolate.

Darleen Mahoney [00:25:05]:

So.

Lisa Johnson [00:25:05]:

And not that I'm encouraging eating a bunch of chocolate, but if you are a dark, dark chocolate lover and you want to have a chocolate bite before you go to bed, that may actually be a sleep help.

Darleen Mahoney [00:25:20]:

Wow. Because I always think chocolate caffeine, so I avoid anything with chocolate in the afternoon. But I'm not a lover of dark chocolate. It's a little bitter for me. So is there a difference between dark and.

Lisa Johnson [00:25:33]:

In terms of heart health, there is a difference between chocolate and milk chocolate. I'm right with you. But Gutard at this food show now has a line of what they call less intense dark chocolate. So they have four different Gutard baking chocolates that are milk dark is what they essentially are. So they're, they're dark, but like 45% dark. And they are actually quite tasty. So for those of us that like to bake, that may be an option is to do something that's kind of a mix between the two.

Darleen Mahoney [00:26:11]:

No, I love that it's a hybrid.

Kelly Hansen [00:26:13]:

Yeah.

Darleen Mahoney [00:26:14]:

So, yeah, really chocolate covered raisins are the only thing I can really manage with the dark chocolate. It just cuts the. That raisin cuts it. So I'm pretty good to go there. So. So we've talked about the things that we should be eating and how, you know, the benefits of those. What are some things, Kelly, that we should not be eating or should minimize? I should say one of the things

Kelly Hansen [00:26:39]:

we want to look at is the sugar and the sodium content of our foods and so definitely want to look for added sugar on the nutrition facts, labels, the products we buy. So we've talked about yogurt a few times during this podcast and all yogurts are not made equally. So we want to look at, you know, not only the protein content we were talking about, but what the added sugar content is. And the dietary guidelines Recommend Less than 10 grams of sugar per meal, which I think for lot of seniors and a lot of Americans, that's a lofty goal to work towards. I don't think we're going to get there overnight.

Darleen Mahoney [00:27:28]:

I agree with you there.

Kelly Hansen [00:27:30]:

Taking a glance at the added sugar of the Yogurt and, you know, comparing one that maybe has 16 or 18 grams of added sugar to finding one that has less than 10 grams of added sugar while still having a flavor that you enjoy, good idea. Same thing with cereals or even our peanut butter that we talked about. You know, looking at the added sugar of the peanut butter and choosing a lower sugar variety. You know, one of our keenest senses in seniors is their sweetness sense. So they, they do enjoy sweetness, but we want to have some, but not too much is. Is really what we're looking for. So finding the flavor without all the added sugar. And the same applies for the sodium content. You know, we. Recommendations, whether you're talking about dietary guidelines or the American Heart association or in the 2000-2300 milligrams per day on average, probably most Americans eat about 4000 milligrams a day. So there's room for people to try to reduce the sodium content. And I'm talking more than just, you know, adding salt at the table, just the content in our food. So looking at those, and if you're buying cottage cheese, comparing labels, if you're buying, you know, high sodium items like canned soup is a good example. Looking for a lower sodium variety or considering trying to make that soup at home to. To control that same things with our snack foods. You know, the sodium content can vary widely there. One of the best recommendations I can give there is when you're flavoring food, because seniors need flavor, looking at the herbs, the spices and things that have, you know, acidic flavors like vinegars and lemon juice and other items that way to get the flavor they crave without the sodium content.

Darleen Mahoney [00:29:56]:

Oh, interesting. I never thought about that. That's a really good recommendation.

Kelly Hansen [00:30:01]:

Yeah, that sharp taste of the acids, whether it's lemon or vinegar, really gives a lot of good taste to our vegetables or our salads or things like that without you know, having to add a high sodium, either salt or dressing or something like that.

Darleen Mahoney [00:30:20]:

Right, right. I wanted to go back to the yogurt. So is there a difference? Do you. And I don't know the answer to this at all, but I enjoy Greek yogurt. So is there a benefit to a Greek yogurt versus, I mean, is there something special about that?

Kelly Hansen [00:30:36]:

Greek yogurts generally have about double the protein content.

Darleen Mahoney [00:30:43]:

That's why I pick it. So. But the sugar is the sugar. It just varies by brand.

Kelly Hansen [00:30:47]:

Maybe it varies by brand and variety. So there are some Greek yogurts. I mean, plain Greek yogurt has no added sugar or very, very Little. There's some brands that have very little, you know, one, two, or three grams of sugar. There's also some brands that may have, you know, 20 plus grams of sugar, depending on, you know, what's been added from a flavor perspective. So they're all not created equal. And we got lots of choices in the grocery aisle to.

Darleen Mahoney [00:31:20]:

And I think you kind of gear towards one that's got more flavor. So you're like, oh, I'm gonna get the one with fruit. And it's turnkey. Open it, and you've got your fruit. But I think it's really beneficial to just add your own fruit.

Kelly Hansen [00:31:35]:

Yeah, yeah.

Darleen Mahoney [00:31:36]:

Versus. Because that's a lot more sugar.

Kelly Hansen [00:31:40]:

Yeah. And our own fruit, like the blueberries or strawberries, you know, those are natural. They don't have this added sugar that we're talking about. Right. Whereas the fruit that's added to yogurt may be a combination of the fruit plus a fruit syrup or something like that, too.

Darleen Mahoney [00:31:59]:

Yeah. Delicious.

Lisa Johnson [00:32:01]:

You could add chia seeds. You could sweeten it with a little bit of honey or agave. You could add vanilla to it to give it a little kick. If you want to go the savory route. I had a wonderful savory breakfast sample at a food show on Wednesday where they did yogurt, and then they put peanut butter mixed with balsamic vinegar and pea shoots and chia seeds in it. So you got all the fiber, you got all the savory and sweet flavors going on there, and you've got the increased dairy. It was really tasty.

Darleen Mahoney [00:32:42]:

Yeah. I am so glad you brought up the chia seeds, because I know that that's been something in the past that we've talked about, and I always forget about it. I feel like if I just buy it and put it in my pantry, then I'm going to be using it more often because it does work with a lot of different things.

Lisa Johnson [00:32:58]:

It has 300 milligrams of magnesium PER. Per, like, half cup of chia seeds. Not. Not that you would ever use a half cup of chia seeds in anything, but I. I mean that a spoonful of chia in whatever you're eating is going to increase your magnesium significantly in that food item.

Darleen Mahoney [00:33:20]:

Yeah, No, I appreciate. Yeah. Too many chia seeds. You'd be picking them out of your teeth, I think. So that could be problematic. So I do want to go ahead and wrap this up, but I. I wanted to mention one of the things that I think is important, especially with our seniors. A. They're living Alone or they're eating by themselves. And I think that that's probably when they're eating less and maybe eating less healthy. So I think it's important if you're a caregiver for senior or if you have seniors in your family to include them in the dinners that you're eating. Because I think when you eat, sometimes you eat because it's social. So you may be eating at a restaurant and you're talking and things are going on, so you're just eating and you're not even like. It doesn't become a chore, it becomes part of an experience.

Kelly Hansen [00:34:13]:

Yeah. The socialization part of eating is so valuable to seniors. So whether, like you said, you know, eating with family or, you know, bringing the neighborhood, you know, single seniors together to our widowed seniors to eat together or, you know, even like we did in the pandemic, you know, jumping on a zoom or a teams call and eating with family and chatting while we eat are all helpful things. And I will put a plug in here for the community congregate meals and senior centers, too, to get out and talk with friends and meet new people. And they all have to follow the new dietary guidelines as well and the meals that they offer, too. So it's a good opportunity to get some fruits and vegetables and protein and everything we've just discussed.

Darleen Mahoney [00:35:12]:

Yeah, I absolutely love it. Is there anything else that we missed that you two ladies wanted to share?

Kelly Hansen [00:35:22]:

I think food is still one of the pleasures of our life. And so I encourage seniors to, even if it seems like it's a chore or mundane, to mix it up and find ways to keep it interesting, because our food is something that we can look forward to while we're nourishing ourselves.

Darleen Mahoney [00:35:48]:

That's a fantastic note to end on. Absolutely. I do, for our listeners, want to share, and I'll let Lisa start. Homestyle Direct is partnered with the seniorlivingguide.com podcast and they provide meal deliveries. Fantastic meal deliveries. So I'm going to include the link for Homestyle Direct. Is there anything else you wanted to add, Lisa, that I didn't mention that services Homestyle Direct provides.

Lisa Johnson [00:36:15]:

So the remote meals that Homestyle Direct provides fill a necessary need in addition to congregate eating for the person who maybe is eating alone or can't get out of the house. Each meal provides the quality ingredients and food groups that are required with the new dietary guidelines. And it is another option for people to get the required nutrients.

Darleen Mahoney [00:36:42]:

Yeah. Very turnkey. Very turnkey. And Kelly, did you want to share a little bit about yourself and your company.

Kelly Hansen [00:36:50]:

Yeah, basically we do work with Homestyle Direct and we do some nutrition counseling with seniors and helping them manage whatever chronic, chronic illness or, you know, even some of their activities of daily living and help them make choices within meals that they have available, whether it is the medically tailored Homestyle Direct meals or Congregate meal or they're going to the grocery store. But helping them find these important nutrients in their, in their diet and help them manage their diseases or meet their nutrient needs.

Darleen Mahoney [00:37:39]:

Yes, because we all know that nutrition is a big part of some of the chronically. I'm not even sure I'm saying that diseases that people have, that can be a big game changer over medications and treatments and things like that, that can be a lifestyle change that can really manage some of those diseases for a better quality of life, which I think is the most important at the end of the day.

Kelly Hansen [00:38:03]:

So yeah, absolutely. We want people to feel as good as they can and have the quality of life they deserve.

Darleen Mahoney [00:38:11]:

100%. Couldn't said it better myself. Thank you so much ladies. I really, really appreciate this time with you today. I hope our listeners were able to gain some additional knowledge and some helpful tips. I know I definitely did. I'm going to be buying some chia seeds real soon. But thank you so much and if you are listening and you enjoyed this episode, we have over 120 episodes available anywhere. You listen to music, Spotify, Apple, GoodPods, you name it. You can find us and subscribe, follow us and subscribe. Thank you so much. Thanks for listening.