Parent Snacking

memoisaaclo
memoisaaclo Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys, I know that this might be an odd question but I was wondering if you guys had any snack ideas for my parents. They are very active but are getting older now. They, my dad especially, loves to snack, especially on a lot of sugary foods, he’ll eat whole packages of Chinese desserts. They know they shouldn’t eat too much, but I know they really enjoy it. My idea was to substitute some of the bad with some healthy snacks they might love, so if you have any in mind please tell me, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Replies

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Check out Eat This Not That, books, websites, podcasts. They give healthier (lower cal, lower sugar, etc) alternatives for many foods.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I really like fruit and yogurt or cottage cheese.

    A favorite night time snack of mine is 80 g raspberries, 114 g vanilla Greek yogurt, and 25 g granola.

    For an afternoon snack, I like a 4 oz tropical fruit cup with 114 g cottage cheese.

    These are plenty sweet, but have more protein, fiber, and volume for less calories than something like full-fat ice cream.

    I find 138 calories of cottage cheese and fruit more satiating than 1,200 calories of ice cream.
  • Jacq_qui
    Jacq_qui Posts: 443 Member
    My dad eats crackers and cheese. And he'll eat cornflakes any time of day (although he still adds a spoon of sugar)

    What about oat /cereal bars - might be less sweet/calories, but still enough satisfy their sweet cravings?
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited October 2020
    My dad is pretty bad about this, too. The two worst things to have in the house for him are cookies packed like Oreos, where he can take whole rows at a time out of the package, or full size bags of chips, where he can just grab the bag, take it in the living room, and mindlessly grab handfuls. To him, one serving = as much out of the bag as he wants. Mom doesn't buy packaged cookies anymore, but they do still have chips in the house. Having individually wrapped portions of chips or cookies helps though...maybe try that instead?
  • memoisaaclo
    memoisaaclo Posts: 5 Member
    Harper, no I’m not. SuzySunshine, they say they want to change their habit, but nothing really happens. I agree, I’m just looking for creative solutions to help start them up.

    Thanks everyone for your quick replies!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    memoisaaclo wrote: »
    Harper, no I’m not. SuzySunshine, they say they want to change their habit, but nothing really happens. I agree, I’m just looking for creative solutions to help start them up.

    Thanks everyone for your quick replies!

    If they like sweets, try things like fruit or dried fruit. (The latter are somewhat calorie dense, so might not be a great choice if they're overweight . . . and they do need adequate fluids if consuming significant amounts of dried fruit.) Fruit tends to be more filling for the number of calories *for some people* than things like cookies or candy.

    If they're open to non-sweet things, popcorn might be good (even lightly-sweetened versions, if they have that sweet tooth). There are various relatively low calorie commercial popcorn options.

    Personally - speaking as an old person myself - I do like salty snacks, and find things like crispy chickpeas or broad beans quite tasty and filling. Pickles of all sorts are also good in the salty-snacks category. (Obviously, not a great plan if they have high blood pressure or some other contraindication.)

    As others have said, it would help to know more about your parents weight issues, healthy issues, preferences, etc.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited October 2020
    memoisaaclo wrote: »
    Harper, no I’m not. SuzySunshine, they say they want to change their habit, but nothing really happens. I agree, I’m just looking for creative solutions to help start them up.

    Thanks everyone for your quick replies!

    Ohhhh...heh, so they aren't really asking for help. You're just wanting to see what you can do.
    Of course you can try to do what you can, but I'm saying this gently...and this is coming from a nearly 40 year old woman dealing with aging parents...if they aren't down, you'd probably have better luck nailing jello to a tree...lol
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    My dad loves cafe vanilla frappuccino. I bet if I made him a similar flavor protein shake he'd drink it! The key is to make it something they like and enjoy. Maybe try something as a treat or gift to start. My step mom used to make black bean brownies, for example.
  • PAPYRUS3
    PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
    Since your Dad enjoys packaged desserts, perhaps source out some of the new healthier packaged items that are everywhere now. Why not just buy a few you might think they would enjoy and see how it goes?

    If you are into making stuff, do the same.

    Good luck:)

  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    How old are they?
    Do they have their own teeth or dentures?
  • memoisaaclo
    memoisaaclo Posts: 5 Member
    In short, my idea wasn’t to substitute anything myself. Just to get some snack ideas I could make for them.

    Sorry for being unclear.
  • memoisaaclo
    memoisaaclo Posts: 5 Member
    edited October 2020
    Okay, here are my replies for all the food tips:
    PAPYRUS3 wrote: »
    Since your Dad enjoys packaged desserts, perhaps source out some of the new healthier packaged items that are everywhere now. Why not just buy a few you might think they would enjoy and see how it goes?

    If you are into making stuff, do the same.

    Good luck:)

    Thank you! I’ll be on the lookout. I’m not the greatest baker, but I’ll see what I can do. :)

    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    My dad loves cafe vanilla frappuccino. I bet if I made him a similar flavor protein shake he'd drink it! The key is to make it something they like and enjoy. Maybe try something as a treat or gift to start. My step mom used to make black bean brownies, for example.

    That’s a great tip! I appreciate it.


    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    memoisaaclo wrote: »
    Harper, no I’m not. SuzySunshine, they say they want to change their habit, but nothing really happens. I agree, I’m just looking for creative solutions to help start them up.

    Thanks everyone for your quick replies!

    If they like sweets, try things like fruit or dried fruit. (The latter are somewhat calorie dense, so might not be a great choice if they're overweight . . . and they do need adequate fluids if consuming significant amounts of dried fruit.) Fruit tends to be more filling for the number of calories *for some people* than things like cookies or candy.

    If they're open to non-sweet things, popcorn might be good (even lightly-sweetened versions, if they have that sweet tooth). There are various relatively low calorie commercial popcorn options.

    Personally - speaking as an old person myself - I do like salty snacks, and find things like crispy chickpeas or broad beans quite tasty and filling. Pickles of all sorts are also good in the salty-snacks category. (Obviously, not a great plan if they have high blood pressure or some other contraindication.)

    As others have said, it would help to know more about your parents weight issues, healthy issues, preferences, etc.

    My mom has a high blood pressure probably because we really like salty food too lol.

    Those are really good tips, as my mom loves popcorn, but unfortunately like I said, high blood pressure. I might try doing some kind of not so salty trail mix for them.
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    My dad is pretty bad about this, too. The two worst things to have in the house for him are cookies packed like Oreos, where he can take whole rows at a time out of the package, or full size bags of chips, where he can just grab the bag, take it in the living room, and mindlessly grab handfuls. To him, one serving = as much out of the bag as he wants. Mom doesn't buy packaged cookies anymore, but they do still have chips in the house. Having individually wrapped portions of chips or cookies helps though...maybe try that instead?

    Thank you for all your input. Maybe if I make something I’ll try to wrap them individually too.
    jacqQ2017 wrote: »
    My dad eats crackers and cheese. And he'll eat cornflakes any time of day (although he still adds a spoon of sugar)

    What about oat /cereal bars - might be less sweet/calories, but still enough satisfy their sweet cravings?

    Hmm, I do want to try experimenting broth oat bars. I’ll look up some recipes online, thank you!
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I really like fruit and yogurt or cottage cheese.

    A favorite night time snack of mine is 80 g raspberries, 114 g vanilla Greek yogurt, and 25 g granola.

    For an afternoon snack, I like a 4 oz tropical fruit cup with 114 g cottage cheese.

    These are plenty sweet, but have more protein, fiber, and volume for less calories than something like full-fat ice cream.

    I find 138 calories of cottage cheese and fruit more satiating than 1,200 calories of ice cream.

    Wow that sounds great! I think my parents really like fruit. Thanks for sharing.
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Check out Eat This Not That, books, websites, podcasts. They give healthier (lower cal, lower sugar, etc) alternatives for many foods.

    That sounds like just what I’m looking for, thank you!

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