Unfortunately, nursing home food is usually pretty lousy. Since budgets are tight, most nursing homes cannot afford to buy the best quality products. Buying food in bulk usually means sacrificing taste. Another reason why nursing home food is not great is because many people in the nursing homes are on restricted diets that limit the amount of sugar, salt, and fat they can have. This means flavor cannot be added to the food.
Many nursing homes rely on spices to give the food more flavor. But even then, they must be careful about how much they put and the kinds they use. Nursing homes cannot serve five-star meals. Most meals are prepared using simple recipes to produce meals that will feed sixty or more.
Home
When visiting a nursing home, look at the food as it comes out. Presentation is very important when serving a meal. If the meal does not look appetizing, the elderly person will not eat it. Although the food will taste a little bland, there is little an elderly person can do except add a little salt if they are allowed to. As people age, their taste buds begin to lose their ability to distinguish flavors. This is made worse by the fact that the food served has very little taste.
In nursing homes, the dietary staff must also follow strict cooking guidelines such as cooked eggs, and temperatures for the meat. There are no rare steaks served in nursing homes. The elderly can get sick much more often and they can get more food borne illnesses than younger people. While the food may not be the greatest, it is usually healthy.
Nursing Home Food
Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of justeldercare.com. Visit Jeanette's site to learn more about nursing home food.