Easy to Swallow Recipes for Senior Citizens

Easy to swallow foods are those that require little to no chewing. This is beneficial for the elderly who have trouble chewing food due to lack of teeth and this may lead to many nutrient deficiencies which can be detrimental to their health.

Bajra, Whole Moong and Green Pea Khichdi

However you should not compromise on the nutrients, but only the texture of the foods. Foods can be made soft by grinding, grating, stewing and mashing them to make it easier to swallow.

Tougher foods can be swallowed easily if they are boiled or steamed. Further control the amount of spices being added to the meals as excess spice may lead to acidity and cause stomach upset. Eat smaller and frequent meals and snacks which are nutrient dense instead of 3 larger ones. And completely eliminate crispy and fried food from your diet like potato chips, wafers, chivdas.

Whole Masoor and Chawli leaves Soup

Easy to Swallow Breakfast for Senior Citizens

Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day. It’s worth eating a nourishing breakfast to stay energetic through the day. Kickstart your day with healthy breakfast which is packed with protein, carbohydrates and other key nutrients.

Avoid those crispy toats, they may hurt your throat and may be difficult to chew as well. Further they aren’t really loaded with any nutrients too. Instead try Ragi Upma, it is a great breakfast option. It gives you enough protein and iron. A good level of iron ensures a good hemoglobin count which helps to supply oxygen to all parts of the body. This will, in turn, ensure that you do not feel fatigue in the later part of the day.

Ragi Upma ( Iron Rich )

Another iron rich option is Jowar Ragi and Date Porridge. This is a soft food as a substitute to Muesli.

Pancakes are an alternative soft food too which can be made in a jiffy and taste the best when they are served off the tava. Avoid using refined maida and instead a variety of other flours like jowar flour, bajra flour and try with quinoa flour as a variation.

We have created 2 varieties of soft flavour-filled pancakes to be enjoyed by senior citizens – Mini Quinoa Pancake and Mini Jowar Pancakes. Do try them!

Mini Quinoa Pancakes, Ibs Recipe

Idli, a South Indian breakfast, is now-a-days famous in most other parts of India as well. Soft , fluffy idlis are one of the best breakfast senior citizens would love to dwell into.

Of course, you must have tried making the regular rice and urad dal idli, but we have something new for you to try and enjoy - Multiflour Idli and Moong Dal and Spinach Idli, which provides you enough protein, calcium and iron.

Moong Dal and Spinach Idli

Juices and Smoothies for Senior Citizen

Whole fruits and vegetables are definitely the best option to rely on. But for senior citizens this is a big challenge, especially if they have issues with chewing. But that doesn’t mean you give up fruits and veggies. You can rely on juices and smoothies. They are definitely easy to swallow, there is no doubt about it.

While you can surely go ahead and try your own choice of combos, it would be best to consider a few pointers to go healthy with them. Firstly avoid the use of sugar completely – whether you are whipping a juice or a smoothie. These are empty calories and may cause tooth decay too. You can’t afford an added dentist visit anyways at this age. Secondly when making juice, try and avoid straining them to retain the much needed fiber.

Carrot and Red Pepper Juice

Spinach and Mint Juice at the beginning day would help to cleanse your system, while Carrot and Red Pepper Juice can be an option for in between meals when you feel slightly hungry.

To make sugar-free smoothies, make use sweeteners like dates and sweet fruits like apple, banana or melon. Try Antioxidant Rich Blackberry Banana Smoothie or Oats Apple Almond Milk Smoothie.

Blackberry Banana Smoothie Recipe, Antioxidant Rich

Easy to Swallow Main Course for Senior Citizens

Main Course makes up a major part of nutrient intake of the day. It typically consists of dal, rice, subzi and roti. But many senior citizens find it difficult to eat this huge meal or find it tough to chew for a long time. They need not despair though. They can yet make up for all their nutrient intake in a small meal. A One dish meal can be equally nourishing! Learn the art of combining a cereal and/or a pulse with a handful of veggies to create a soft or semi-soft food which you can completely enjoy. In fact, such foods can be comfort foods at this age.

Try Gehun ki Bikaneri Khichdi or the extremely soft Paushtic Rotis. Serve them with a bowl of curd or kadhi like Gujarati Suva Kadhi. Well if you can chew a little, even Bajra Whole Moong and Green Pea Khichdi is an energy dense meal with the goodness of protein, calcium, B vitamins, potassium and magnesium. While protein and calcium are needed to support bones, potassium and magnesium will support heart healthy and the B vitamins will help in cell metabolism keeping your energy levels up and boost brain function as well.

Paushtic Roti

Eating the tiny nutri-bound sprouts is another challenge for elderly people. We have solution for that as well. Sprout, boil and mash assorted sprouts and add them to flours to make wholesome rotis. Gain all your nutrients the easier way…

We have tried this too and come up with a healthy variant Mixed Sprouts and Bajra Roti, which has a bouquet of spices that cannot fail to please you.

Mixed Sprouts and Bajra Roti

All types of subzis can be enjoyed by senior citizens too. Limit the consumption of raw vegetables and tough to chew veggies with thick skin such as carrot, corn kernels, radish etc. The fiber can get stuck in the throat and may cause you to choke if not chewed well. Some may also find the seeds of the veggies like tomatoes and eggplant irritating in the teeth. Cook the veggies very well… is the only piece of advice you need to follow. You can enjoy any vegetable of your choice. Methi Pithla as well as Cauliflower Greens Methi and Palak Subzi are simple exceptionally soft options for those who have extreme chewing problems. While others can try soft, well-cooked subzis like Gavar Pumpkin Vegetable.

Methi Pitla ( Healthy Subzi)