How Many Calories Should Your Mom Aim for After Menopause?

By Jamie Shapiro | October 20, 2020 | Comments Off on How Many Calories Should Your Mom Aim for After Menopause?

Caloric intake varies throughout your lifetime. The calories your mom needed as a child, teen, and new mom are different from what she needs now. After menopause, her diet needs to focus on the changes her body’s gone through. Take a closer look at the calories she needs and the foods she should be focusing on.

How Many Calories Does She Need?

Caregiver Deerfield, IL: Calories After Menopause

If your mom is active, she’ll need 2,000 calories per day. If she’s not she should aim for 1,600. That recommendation starts around the time that menopause starts or around the age of 50. it doesn’t change after that.

To make sure she’s not taking in too many calories, you might want to show her how to use a calorie tracking app like Lose It or MyFitnessPal. Lose It is especially helpful if your mom has a phone with her when she shops. She can scan the bar codes on foods in a grocery store to see how many calories are in a serving.

She wants to aim for foods that give her the nutrients she wants. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins are important. Dairy and foods enriched with calcium and vitamin D are also important. Cutting calories won’t help her stay healthy if she’s not getting the right balance of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.

Problematic Foods She Needs to Avoid 

When she’s working on getting the right amount of calories, she also needs to learn how to read a food label. The can of soup she finds is easy for lunch may have added sugar and too much sodium. It’s always better to make soup from scratch and control the ingredients.

She shouldn’t worry about leftovers. They can go into the freezer for quick meals on busy days. Whether she’s making the meals or has caregivers helping her, cooking from scratch will help her meet her nutritional goals and give her complete control over the quality.

Is It Time to Have Caregivers Helping Her With Meal Planning and Preparation? 

Would your mom benefit from having help with meals and grocery shopping? That’s one of the many services caregivers provide. She could sit down with her caregiver, come up with a weekly menu, and shop for items needed for those meals.

Talk to a home care agency about the different ways caregivers can help your mom with her dietary needs and age at home goals. You’ll find out more about prices and make the appropriate arrangements. 

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering a Caregiver in Deerfield, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas. 

 

Sources: 

https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines/guidelines/appendix-2/ 

Jamie Shapiro
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