Home > News October 16, 2021

by Rita Barbieri, BASc., RD & Tracy Morris BA, BASc.

As we age, it is important to maintain a healthy weight. If an older person lives alone, eating enough can sometimes be a challenge. Cooking for one or two can be tough. Food may not be as interesting and may not even taste as good because we lose our ability to fully taste food as we get older.  This can make it hard to maintain your weight if you don’t feel like eating.

Lack of proper nutrition affects how well we fight disease. It also limits our energy levels, preventing us from enjoying our everyday activities.

But there is good news.  By simply making some wise food choices and watching portion sizes you can be on your way to a healthy weight and feeling great!

Eat a variety of healthy foods each day

Follow Canada’s Food Guide. Eating from all food groups ensures that you make wise food choices. Enjoy a variety of foods from each of the four food groups:

• Have plenty of vegetables and fruits
• Eat Protein Foods
• Choose Whole Grain Foods
• Make Water your Drink of Choice

If you are trying to gain weight, try these tips:

• Eat 3 meals a day. Include 1-2 snacks between meals.
• Add sliced fruit to yogurt or cereal.
• Add skim milk powder to prepared cream soups, hot cereals, or stews.

Healthy weight and your plate

The ‘plate method’ is a way to help you plan your meals and balance your portion sizes.

Choose an 8-inch dinner plate.

Designing your plate:

• Half of the plate should be vegetables. Aim for 2 types if you can.
• One quarter of the plate should be grain products. Include whole grains like brown rice or a whole-wheat dinner roll.
• One quarter of the plate is for lean meat or alternatives like fish or tofu.
• Enjoy with a cup of low fat milk or yogurt that is less than 2% milk fat.
• Add a piece of fruit for dessert.

Tasty snack ideas

Hungry between meals? Try these tasty snacks!

• Unsweetened apple sauce
• Low fat popcorn
• Frozen yogurt with berries
• Toast and peanut butter
• Unsalted nuts and seeds
• Veggies and a low fat dip

Tips for more enjoyable meals

Relax and enjoy each meal. Find a comfortable place to eat. Invite family or friends over. Try a new recipe, or new spices and herbs that add a little kick of flavor. Join a cooking club and learn more!

About the Authors

Rita Barbieri, BASc., RD
EatRight Ontario Contact Centre Dietitian
Tracy Morris BA, BASc.
Dietetic Intern, Sunnybrook Hospital

Click Here for print PDF file – Healthy Eating – Ismealtime just not the same anymore?

---

October 8, 2021

A unique non-profit organization called Kéroul has dedicated itself to promoting tourism for people with physical disabilities within the province of Québec. Accessibility is a key issue for the disabled and elderly, and Kéroul offers more than 200 tourism experiences that meet its standards, forming what is called The Accessible Road.

Kéroul has trained 1400 people in the hospitality and tourism industry in the principles of accessibility through its program Welcoming Ways.

photo by Kéroul

To be part of the Accessible Road, establishments must meet these criteria:

• Staff trained in the Welcoming Ways program to guarantee quality service
• Full access to the site
• An entrance free of any obstacles.
• Doors with at least 76 centimetres of width clearance for a wheelchair
• Corridors free of obstacles and with at least 92 centimetres of clearance for turning in a wheelchair
• Public restrooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms with at least 1.5 m X 1.5 m of manoeuvring
• Outdoor paths of a least one meter width
• Grab bars for toilets, showers, and bathtubs
• At least 68.5 centimetres of clearance beneath washbasins.

A sample outing: Le Beau Markon

For instance, if you’re planning an outing, why not go to the île d’Orléans, the cradle of French America? To discover the local specialties, take advantage of fully accessible activities at the farm Le Beau Markon, located in Sainte-Famille. This agritourism farm offers apple picking and many enjoyable farm activities. A significant portion of its clientele comes from long-term care centres. Even if you are 100 years old, this outing is for you.

photo by P. Markon

Owners Dominique Le Beau and Philippe Markon are accreditated by Kéroul as providers of Welcoming Ways. They welcome you with a smile and accept only one group at a time, reserving a section of the orchard for each group. This means that each group can easily pick apples from low-hanging branches. Dominique and Philippe ensure that the orchard is free of obstacles, including fruit that has fallen to the ground. They take care to have easy-to-navigate slopes, grass, and trails.

Once you have picked and tagged your bag of apples, they go in a cart and are delivered to your bus, leaving you unencumbered as you explore the orchard. And there is no need to rush your outing for lack of a fully accessible washroom. All this is taken care of. The rustic beauty of the site becomes the perfect backdrop for a picnic. You can have a close look at the farm animals and discover all that happens on the farm.

Fun even on a rainy day

Groups love coming to Le Beau Markon, even when it’s not very nice outside. The staff pick several varieties of apples in the morning and display them in the reception room, where you can take your pick. In the barn, you’ll listen to a presentation (supported with photos) about the life of the farm over a one-year period, including the orchard in flowers, the sugar shack, and the production of apple juice and maple syrup.

Under the large sloping roof adjacent to the barn, the horse and the dog will greet and entertain you. After that, it’s fresh apple juice tasting and a draw for different products of the farm.

So much to take away

Not only will you be able to pick your own basket of apples, but you will learn all about the different varieties and their features. And while you’re there, why not add to your basket a bottle of the farm’s delicious fresh apple cider, some pears grown in the orchard, a few maple products, or a container of their home-made sauerkraut?

A memorable day at the orchard in l’île d’Orléans is just one example of the many accessible outings that Kéroul promotes. In 2011, the organization won the Ulysses Award for Innovation in Non-governmental Organizations from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Lyne Ménar, Assistant Director at Kéroul.
https://www.keroul.qc.ca/en/home.html

Click Here for print PDF file – Active living – apple picking within everyone’s reach

---