Healthy eating is simply a habit to get into over time, but needing to prepare quality foods for others, especially Seniorsor ailing family members and friends under your care, can seem like a stressful hassle.

Waking up and crawling out of bed in the morning to get ready for work, for school, or to hit the gym already takes enough time, so it’s tempting to serve up some sugary cereals, buttery muffinsor even skipping the meal altogether. Poor nutrition can is certainly do damage to a loved one under your care, and it’s not good for you, either.

There are a lot of ways to ease the comfort of a loved one suffering from heart disease. Private at-home nursing services like those offered by Integracare allow professional medical care to come to you, saving you time and worry.

Integracare Caregivers are not only educated in basic nutrition but also food preparation. “Our Caregivers focus on providing our clients the highest level of care as well as creating more joyful lives including meal preparation and dining experiences,” said Lee Grunberg, President & CEO, Integracare Inc.

A healthy diet and physical activity is vital to preventing and combating heart disease and stroke, butif you’re caring for someone with restricted mobility, diet is of the utmost importance. Grabbing super salty convenience foods packed full of preservatives and trans fat is easy.

But eating right only takes a little more work and time, and the benefits are immeasurable. You just need the right fresh ingredients, some variety, and a few simple tools. Many online recipes get too complex and fancy (we’re not all gourmet chefs!).

So, below are a few easy, flexible ideas that you can tailor to your loved one’s preferences. Personal nurses like those mentioned above are happy to offer advice on which ingredients are best for your family’s situation, so be sure to consult with them.

Granola

You can save lots of time buy mixing up batches in advance, and each mix can be different to add variety. This recipe from The Kitchn is easily adaptable. Nuts, seeds, rolled oats, and dried fruit are great for heart health, and natural sweeteners, particularly honey, add some flavour without the dangers of refined white sugar.Serve with skim or 1% milk, soy, almond, or coconut milk to reduce saturated fats.

Smoothies

Easy to prepare and consume!A seemingly endless combination of fruits and veggies can be blended whole (once removing cores, pits, and seeds) and the dietary fibre from the flesh is retained. Select fresh or small frozen fruits (larger ones don’t blend well and become a waste of time). Add non-fat, sugar-free yogurt, 100% real fruit juice, and protein powders like hemp to bolster the nutrition value.

Yogurt Parfaits

Grab a tub of fat-free and sugar-free yogurt and throw in fresh berries, cut bananas, nuts, and even some of the prepared granola from above. Super fast and delicious, making your own yogurt creations cuts the saturated fat and sugars added to prepared yogurt packs. Plus, there’s calcium and vitamin D to help prevent and treat osteoporosis.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be hard. If you need to prepare foods good for the heart for someone in your care, trying these ideas will help you and your whole family!