The key nutrients, the Simple Plate Framework, a list of practical weekly staples, and the warning signs that nutrition may be slipping — on two pages you can stick on the fridge.
Nearly 38% of Canadian seniors are at moderate-to-high nutritional risk — and most of them don't know it. The warning signs are subtle: smaller portions, fewer food types, weight loss that seems gradual. By the time malnutrition is obvious, it's already affecting energy, healing, immunity, and cognitive function.
This checklist gives you the essentials: the nutrients that matter most after 65, a simple visual guide to building a balanced plate, a short list of affordable weekly staples, and the warning signs that mean it's time to act. Stick it on the fridge or keep it in a meal-planning notebook.
Protein, Vitamin D, B12, calcium, and hydration — the five areas where seniors most often fall short, and what adequate intake actually looks like in practice. Includes specific targets, not just general advice.
A visual guide to building a balanced meal without calorie counting or complicated planning. One plate, four zones — and why frozen vegetables count just as much as fresh ones.
Six affordable, easy-to-prepare foods that cover most nutritional needs — chosen for real homes, not nutrition textbooks. Each one is available at any grocery store and requires minimal preparation.
The specific numbers and changes that mean it's time to act — plus Meals on Wheels programs, registered dietitians accessible through provincial home care, and 211 for local food programs in every province. Searchable by postal code.
Seniors who want a simple visual guide to eating well without complicated meal planning. Caregivers who are preparing meals for a parent and want to make sure the basics are covered. Anyone who has noticed a loved one eating less, losing weight, or sticking to only a few foods and wants to understand what to watch for.
This checklist is a companion to the Healthy Eating for Seniors guide — a full six-chapter resource covering why nutrition needs change after 65, managing appetite loss and medication effects on eating, building a sustainable meal routine, and using community food support programs across Canada.
Healthy Eating for Seniors
6 chapters. Covers age-related nutritional changes, appetite loss, managing eating with chronic conditions, building a realistic meal routine, and community food support programs across Canada.
See the full guide