Immunity-boosting foods are joining the menu at the Heritage Care Home

Heritage Care Home Senior Living has been working hard to make the reopening of our communities safe and exciting for our residents as COVID vaccination rates are rising and the country is starting to open up again. The dining room has been one of the areas where we've been busiest.

Our residents' favorite comfort meals, regional flavors, and trademark dishes all play a part in the dining experience at Heritage Care Home, which has always been about healthy eating. As soon as the rules allow it, our communal dining rooms will start to reopen, and we'll be adding a new focus: excellent science in the form of new menu dishes brimming with flavor and immune-boosting nutrients.

It's a focus that can increase our people's resilience and resistance to COVID and other diseases. Our new featured recipes contain all of these ingredients and more, as well as vitamins C and B12, polyphenols and flavonoids, proteins, and minerals like iron and zinc, which do much more than just satisfy the palate. Additionally, they increase immunity, assisting in the defense against diseases like COVID-19's causative virus, SARS-CoV-2. They consist of superfoods," including olive oil, almonds, and leafy greens. These and other substances provide vitamins and minerals that safeguard the skin, eyes, heart, and kidneys, according to a study. Additionally, they can aid in weight management and offer protection from obesity, which nutritionists regard as yet another "pandemic," particularly in the US.

From stir-fries to smoothies, new menu items that improve immunity

According to the Dining Services at Heritage Care Home, "A healthy immune system is one way to give your body extra protection, even though you may not be able to completely prevent an illness this season." "You and your family can stay ahead by concentrating on nutrient-rich foods and healthy lifestyle behaviors," says the author. Dining Services is launching four new, immunity-boosting menu choices for the spring season—three dinners and one enticing smoothie—to assist residents in doing exactly that. (To download our recipe for grilled salmon and spinach salad with strawberries, almonds, and almonds, see below.) Each of these delectable restaurant-quality options is created to have the most flavor and nutrition with the fewest calories.

But when our dining rooms reopen, Dining Services is doing more than just offering fresh cuisine for people to sample and enjoy. In order to provide residents with a comprehensive approach to health, we're collaborating with community program directors and our assisted living fitness training partners. "That strategy includes a novel dining encounter."

So that home cooks may make the new healthy foods in their own kitchens, for instance, recipe cards have been created. The recipes also include details on how particular components may increase immunity, prevent heart disease, and offer a variety of other health advantages.

Chef Chats, in which neighborhood Heritage Care Home community chefs demonstrate live cooking while introducing the new menu items, is another new feature. Residents will have the chance to learn more about healthy eating, including techniques for preparing nutritious food and how to choose fresh ingredients. Chef Chats are a part of Heritage Care Home's brand-new Wellness Wednesdays, which also include exercise classes led by Assisted Living physical therapists and fitness instructors that are intended to help residents rehabilitate after months of decreased physical activity due to the pandemic.

Good science meets good eating

Residents at Heritage Care Home frequently compliment the high caliber of our meals, which are thoughtfully prepared for wholesome, healthy eating. We think that the foundation of excellent eating is being nutritious: beneficial for your body and mind without requiring effort, making every calorie count. Good food should not only taste delicious but also entice the senses with tantalizing fragrances, the clink of wine glasses, and the delicate scrape of cutlery on glazed stoneware. In addition, produce with vivid reds, greens, and other rainbow colors is pleasing to the eyes and indicates that the meal is as fresh as the day. A satisfying meal can improve and deepen one's quality of life.

Now, healthy eating also aids in the maintenance and defense of the amazing machine that is the human body, owing to the new menu choices being introduced in Heritage Care Home dining rooms across the nation this spring. Good appetite!

Across the table to you: Try one of our fresh dishes

Our newest menu choices are packed with fiber, other heart-healthy nutrients, immune-boosting vitamins, and minerals. They are also rich in nutrients that are excellent for your skin and the rest of your body, so you may look as wonderful as you feel! To discover more, download our most recent recipe card.