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Nutrition

 

Meeting basic nutritional needs helps you stay healthy, grow well, and avoid malnutrition or nutrient deficiencies. NOTE: Everyone enjoys unhealthy food sometimes. Think about what “reasonable” means, like avoiding foods you’re allergic to. A doctor or healthcare provider can help determine if you are meeting your basic nutritional needs. 

 

 

A supported decision-making plan is when you have a trusted person to help you with… 

  • …menu and meal planning, understanding food and medicine interactions, understanding and following a prescribed diet, and making decisions about substances such as alcohol, etc.  
  • … communicating your food preferences, any food allergies you may have, etc.  
  • … shopping, meal preparation, maintaining your kitchen and cooking equipment, etc.    

Click the image below to view and download the Supported Decision-Making Plan Resource Guide. 

Nutrition is another word for healthy eating. Nutrition education or talking with a nutritionist can teach you how to pick healthy foods and understand how they affect your health and happiness. 

Nutrition apps offer tools and resources to help you make food choices. Some are free, and some you pay for. They can focus on calories and weight or teach you about nutrition. Some apps cater to specific allergies or diets, and some are recommended by healthcare pros like doctors or dietitians. 

Meal Kits and Prepared Meal Services give you healthy meal options tailored to your tastes and diet. You can choose keto, vegan, or vegetarian meals, or ones without sugar, gluten, or lots of salt. Meal kits come with all the ingredients for your meals, along with recipes. 

  • You can find information about eating a balanced, healthy diet at the MyPlate website.  
  • You can find free visual recipes and other resources to help teach cooking skills to individuals with disabilities at the Accessible Chef website. 
  • You can learn about many nutrition apps at the USDA website.  
    • Keep a record of your diet by taking photos of meals 
    • Keep a record of your water intake 
    • Keep a record of your exercise and physical activities 
    • Keep a record of the things you do and how these make you feel 
  • Learn about meal services for older adults and persons with disabilities at the Meals on Wheels website. Meals on Wheels is a non-profit statewide network of senior nutrition providers committed to ending senior hunger. Some programs offer services to persons with disabilities.  

Homes can be made safer with items like smoke detectors, auto-shut off stoves, good lighting, and nonslip rugs.  

Click the image below to view and download the Home Safety Resource Guide. 

 

Assistive and adaptive technologies can help you eat and drink more independently. Examples include special cups with controlled flow, heavier utensils, spoons that bend, and plates and bowls that stay put on the table to stop food from sliding off. 

Kitchen assistive technology like timers, stoves that turn off automatically, or a microwave that talks can help you cook meals safely. 

Communication devices can help you express your food needs and likes using different technologies. Low-tech devices include cards, boards, or books with food pictures or words. High-tech devices include tablets with food apps that can speak, speech-generating devices, and eye gaze tech. 

Schedules, alarms, reminders, and checklists can help you remember when and how to prepare meals and meet your nutritional needs. They use words, pictures, or symbols to show tasks in order. 

Click the image below to view and download the Assistive and Adaptive Technologies Resource Guide.