My Grandmother!

Hi Everyone...my grandmother is an 82 year old woman who needs much assistance these days.  She is a 4"11 little Italian lady who definitely ate like an Italian her whole life.  She's a healthy woman, but it's becoming increaslingly difficult for us (her family members) to help her b/c of her weight.  I'm not sure exactly how much she weighs...but I'm going to say definitely around 175-180.  Is it OK to put an 82 year old on a diet, or at least help her to change the way she eats?  And, how do we go about chosing the correct foods to properly nourish her?

 Any suggestions anyone?

i think this is one of the main reasons there are doctors...

consult them before you do anything to the poor old woman.

Its not OK to do anything to a rational adult without their consent.  At 82, your gramma has forgotten more about life than you know at this point.  I know you love her, so discuss it with her....  respectfully...   see what she thinks. 

Are you cooking for her? Does she live with you? If she is independent there isn't much you can do, and she is an adult. Being old does not mean that you should be treated like a child. If she lived with you and she was grossly overweight and couldn't get to the fridge herself, then I would say, yes, monitor what you bring her and make it healthy. But if she is on her own and in her own mind, then you really have no right to tell her what to do.

The best bet is to discuss your problems and concerns with ther and see if you can get her on board with your plan.

It really is up to her.  You can make sure she has plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in the house, but if she's still independent and living on her own, then she'll have to decide if she wants to lose weight.

If you do all her grocery shopping and cooking for her, then you can start by making at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. You can also make sure there are no snack foods in the house.  I would make these changes without comment.  Don't try to convince her, just cook good, low fat food. I don't think you're going to have any luck changing her tastes however. 

I'm sure she ate all her life like an Italian American - that's my family to a tee.  But Italy has less obesity than most other European countries, because they eat like Italians - small servings, lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, fresh seafood, very little meat, and no snacking.  They dont' serve dessert with meals.  Sweets might be served in the mid afternoon or on special occassions, but not every day.  In Italy, pasta is a small course at the begining of the meal, not the entire meal and neither is pizza.  It's only when Italians adopt American eating habits of huge portions and junk that we get fat.  We could all learn a lesson from Italy.

She's 82.  It's quite possible that she simply wants to enjoy the rest of her life, and eat what she wants.  Certainly you could discuss any health issues with her, if you wish.  But wanting to slim her down just to make her more easily movable is a bit much.  It's not as if shes the 800 lb woman after all.

let the woman eat and die happy

I've worked with the elderly before...and trust me, some of them certainly looked forward to their meal times!! haha XD  they were such a fun group..

That being said, as it's been mentioned above, try talking to her.  I don't know what her cognitive level is, but if she's past the point where you can rationalize a healthy life-style with her, try cooking a healthy, well-balanced meal and see how she responds.  Personally, I believe home-cooked food (even if it's made in real butter, full fat etc) made with all real ingredients is always going to be better than pre-packaged foods. 

Perhaps you may just want to prepare good, hearty, home cooked meals.  That way, they'll be "healthy", have real ingredients, she can get all the proper nutrients she needs, and it will be TASTY!

If you can though, the elderly have very different needs, so check with a doctor :)

You can't force your 82 year old grandma to do anything she doesn't want to.

That said, obesity rates in Italy are rediculously low. If she's obese, she's not "eating like an Italian" these days. Provide her with fresh seasonal fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, raw nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fish. Help her eat with her senses, not with prepackaged American foods. I'm sure she'll love it, and her health will improve because of it.

If you can't get the hang of that eating with your senses thing, pick up the book "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Merielle Guliano.

when im 82, im gonna eat whatever i like :D if i live to be that old...damn straight im gonna eat what i like...haha..that said

talk to her, but if she isnt receptive to a diet plan....let the women eat!

smalo, I think you need to clarify who is preparing her food.  The responses assume that she still chooses and prepares what she eats.  Is that correct?

Actually manewell, you're right- -she is NOT preparing food herself.  She has an aid and she is NOT independent.   Her Dr. wants her to eat healthier, unfortunately she is stubborn with the issue.

She's not from Italy either, she's a first generation American - I was being a little bit "funny" when I said she eats like an Italian...i didn't mean that LITERALLY...if you were Italian, you might understand what I mean, because obviously I am.  I'm not saying anything "wrong" about those in Italy - it sounds like people took offense to that.  I am VERY aware that Italian have a healthier more proportionate diet than we do.

And also, we do have to move her around and help her get dressed and all of that, so even though she isn't 800 lbs. as one of you responded...she is at a weight where we are having much trouble moving her around. 

I already knew all of these things, but thanks for the input

If she's not eating chcolate cake and gelato everyday then I'll let her enjoy her life and eat whatever she likes. Maybe you can eat with her more and let her eat your food, so she knows healthy food could be yummy too!

I actually have a grin on my face when I read your post. Your grandmother must be a lovely happy old lady who enjoys her life and appreciate the joy of eating.

You may want to talk to her doctor about what she should eat.  I would say that whether you're 2 or 82, the human body needs the same vitamins and nutrients it's always needed.  If anything, you just need more of some nutrients when you're older (like fiber!)  I don't see any problem with giving her more nutritional food.  Maybe you'll even find something she never knew she liked so much!

You could even make healthier substitutions.. if she likes pasta, give her whole wheat pasta. 

Good luck!