We all know portion size is essential for maintaining a healthy weight, but it also plays a big part in how we consume our food. For the elderly, portion size can play an important role in their reaction to food: too much and the very thought of eating becomes overwhelming.

So how do you ensure older adults are getting the nutrients they need while keeping the portion sizes appealing and appropriate?

How many calories you should eat depends on factors such as your age, any medical conditions and your lifestyle.Based on these guidelines the average person over 65 should be consuming anything from 1,900 to 2,400 calories per day.

However, this can be a struggle for those who get progressively more tired as the day goes on and being given a large dinner to consume can be overwhelming and daunting — often leading to unfinished meals, wastage and missed nutrients.

While portion intimidation can be a key reason for lack of eating enthusiasm, it is also important to note some senior citizens may be apprehensive to eat for other reasons such as:

The obvious solution may be to reduce the portions, but doing this without knowing the nutritional implications can put older adults at risk of malnutrition. So before doing this, we recommend speaking to the person directly and asking them why they're struggling to eat their meals. Or if they are unable to articulate their concerns, talk to a trusted family member or their GP.

Assuming the issue is purely down to portion intimidation, the solution now is how to pack the right number of calories into a meal that not only looks appetising — but is also delicious and a manageable size.

Once you’ve established how many calories you need to pack into each meal, you then need to ensure all the meals are small but contain all the nutrients needed.

This can be tricky to measure and manage on a daily basis and requires quite a lot of meal planning and prep beforehand. That’s why we’ve developed an exclusive range called Mini Meals Extra to help make things easier. Mini Meals Extra contain over 500 calories and at least 20g of protein* per portion to help people meet their nutritional needs as well as being easy to prepare, delicious to eat and proportionally small.

The meals are designed for those with reduced appetite as well as people living with dementia, people who need nourishment after hospital treatment and people who need to maintain or put on weight.

* Range contains 501 - 522 calories and at least 20g of protein

We eat with our eyes as well as our mouths, so if you want to improve the eating habits of those with reduced appetite, you not only have to pack the right nutrients into small portions but also improve their association with food — and this includes improving their dining experience.

This can be tackled in two ways.

Dining in isolation can make people less enthusiastic about eating, and one of the easiest ways to rectify this is to create a sense of community around food. This can be anything from helping to prepare meals together to eating as group. After all, it’s been scientifically proven that social eating plays a crucial role in a person's happiness and has an essential role in the facilitation of social bonding.

Part of the eating experience is how food is plated and presented to the diner, and while high-end restaurants spend a lot of time and money on fancy plating — the same can be achieved on a budget and without much hassle.

Other ways to add interest to meals:

These small alterations can change the entire perception of a meal and goes a long way towards improving the dining experiences of those who are unenthusiastic about eating.

We've been helping people stay healthy and full since 1991 with innovative dining options like our Mini Meals Extra range - small portions, packed full of calories and at least 20g of essential protein to combat the effects of malnutrition for people with reduced appetites.

Get in touch today to discuss your needs with us and our friendly team will be more than happy to chat!