Meal Plan for an Elderly / Senior Person


The following example meal plan has been designed for a typical elderly individual. It's nutritionally balanced to suit an elderly person who is moderately active and in reasonable health in order to maintain their weight. Obviously this is based on an average elderly person, and there may be significant variation in activity, mobility, weight, appetitive, etc, so like all plans, it is merely an example and needs to be adapted to suit an individual's own lifestyle, daily routine and nutritional requirements. Use this to give you an idea of what are healthy nutritious foods to include, but don't forget to vary your food choices.

One particular concern in the elderly is obtaining sufficient fluid intake. Following retirement it's not uncommon for people to drink less, as they no longer have scheduled coffee breaks at work. The plan below includes drinks, but it's also recommended to drink more water throughout the day. Some old people also have difficulty in passing stools, therefore a good fibre intake is encouraged.

It's even more important that elderly people try to stick to meal and snack times, as sometimes motivation to prepare food can be low, especially if you're only preparing meals for one. With increased age and the onset of disease, some assistance may be required with preparation and feeding.

If you're elderly and have a medical condition, please see the relevant plan for your medical condition on our Meal Plans for Illness and Medical Conditions page.

Breakfast
High fibre cereal (like Weetabix, bran flakes, Shreddies, muesli, porridge, etc) + 200ml skimmed milk + 1 tsp sugar
200ml fruit juice
Mug tea/coffee
Mid-morning
2 digestive biscuits
Item fruit
Drink
Lunch
Sandwich: 2 slices wholemeal bread + olive oil-based spread + slice chicken/ham
or 2 eggs (poached / scrambled / boiled) + 2 slices wholemeal toast
Mixed salad
Low fat / low sugar yoghurt
Drink
Mid-afternoon
Item fruit
Drink
Evening Meal
Medium chicken breast or 200g white fish (cod / haddock / plaice / hake) or lean cut beef / pork / lamb
and 1 medium jacket potato or 3-4 small boiled potatoes / mashed potato
and loads of veg
Gravy – optional
Tinned or stewed fruit
Drink water
Evening
Hot milky drink
Plans for people with illness or medical conditions in no way should override advice provided specifically for you by your doctor, clinical dietitian or other clinician. We advise that you seek the advice of a suitably qualified physician before commencing any exercise regime, following any dietary or nutritional regimen or beginning the use of any dietary supplements, legal or otherwise. The information provided on the Website is intended as information only and does not constitute advice. Therefore, it must not be relied on to assist in making or refraining from making a decision, or to assist in deciding on a course of action.