Top 5 Light Breakfast Ideas for Seniors (And One to Avoid)

As you get older, food doesn’t become any less important. Diet is arguably something that seniors should pay even more attention to because as you age your body changes and certain normal bodily functions weaken.

Metabolism slows down and so the amount of energy that is burned by doing various activities starts to lessen. As a result, the appetite will start to diminish which can often mean that the elderly are getting less of their essential nutrition.

Immune systems weaken too, which can increase the likelihood of food-borne illnesses. Older people are also more susceptible to conditions such as osteoporosis, and if you are lacking in the right nutrients then your bones become weaker, making this condition more likely. 

There’s also the fact that certain medications can’t be mixed with some specific types of food, which can limit one’s diet. Having a good breakfast can ensure a lot of nutrients enter your system early in the day.

And with a smaller appetite, it’s good to try and find some breakfast recipes which are light but also nutritious. Here’s a few to try:

1. Oatmeal & Berries 

Many older people will suffer from digestive issues due to a lack of fiber in their diet. A bowl of oatmeal is an excellent source of fiber and it can stabilize the digestive system for the day and ensure a healthy bowel movement.

It’s also packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C which can work together to bolster the immune system and are also good for a healthy heart. The berries will also be a good source of antioxidants and fiber.

The ideal choice as far as the berry aspect of this meal would be blueberries. Effectively a superfood, there are a ton of other benefits which come with eating blueberries including reductions of cholesterol and blood pressure.

2. Fruit Salad

For a meal that is simple to prepare and will be very easy to eat, getting together a number of different fruits together in one salad can make for a delicious breakfast with a lot of health benefits.

Because different nutrients are present in different fruits, you can get a strong mixture of them in the one meal if you have a nice variety in the bowl. You can include our old pal the blueberry for the antioxidants we mentioned above. 

Pineapple would be a good choice too because it’s high in Vitamin C, and then there’s also pomegranates which have anti-inflammatory effects and you can include strawberries, kiwis and avocados too, all of which have benefits of their own.

3. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a good source of essential bacteria known as ‘probiotics’. If you’ve never heard this term before, probiotics are organisms which thrive in your digestive system and help to support your immunity.

Probiotics are very important for ensuring that the good and bad bacteria in the good remains well-balanced. Not very many people are aware of its importance and as a consequence, a lot of us are lacking in it.

Eating Greek yogurt for breakfast is a good way to get your probiotic fix. You can have a bowl of it by itself, or you could mix in some of your favorite nuts or fruits too. Probiotics are so important, that I would even suggest you consider taking a supplement too, just to make sure your body is getting enough.

4. Spinach Omelette 

Popeye has been right this whole time? Of course he has, spinach is jam-packed with nutrients. Vitamin A which supports bone health, can prevent macular degeneration of the eyes and reduces the risk of certain cancers.

It has Vitamin C, which as we discussed is good for your heart and your immune system, Vitamin K which also supports your bone and heart and is good for your blood, and there’s also iron, calcium and folic acid.

Spinach by itself isn’t the most flavorsome thing in the world, and if it was the primary taste in the might meal it might make for a bit of a dull breakfast, which is why I would suggest making an omelette out of it.

5. Whole Grain Toast

Toast is such a popular breakfast food because it’s incredibly easy to make and easy to eat too. Though it may not seem like something which would be particularly nutritious, that’s actually not the case.

Especially not if you opt for whole grain toast. This is very high in fiber for one thing, but it’s also got lots of iron, magnesium, calcium and Vitamin B so even just a couple of slices of toast can have a lot of benefits. 

And what’s great about it is that you can include spreads and toppings such as peanut butter or avocado which have benefits of their own and can add to the taste if toast is a little too bland for you.

AVOID: French Toast

There are always going to be certain things that the elderly need to avoid in order to stay healthy and unfortunately that does sometimes mean cutting out some foods which generally taste better.

And French toast, one of the most popular sweet breakfast meals in the world, is one of those. The biggest issue presented by French toast is the fact that eggs in this recipe are usually somewhat undercooked.

No matter how old you are, you can get salmonella or other food-borne illnesses but as we discussed earlier, you are more prone to it as a senior and it can be more devastating if you do get it.  So it would probably be for the best to take French toast off the breakfast menu.

There is a lot to think about when planning out meals for the elderly, but as you can see, getting in as many nutrients as possible as early in the day as possible is more straightforward than you would think and you do have a lot of options.

No matter what your personal tastes are, you should be able to find something that is healthy and that you would actually enjoy as a regular breakfast.