Strategies for Good Nutrition: When Finger Foods Should be on the Menu
There are times when finger foods might be just the ticket to ensure that your loved one gets the nutrition they need.
Nutrition is rarely perfect for any of us, and it’s even harder for our loved ones with dementia. As a caregiver you may feel added pressure to ensure they get adequate nutrition. Believe it or not, there are times when finger foods might be just the ticket to ensure they get adequate nutrition. In some cases, they allow a loved one to continue eating independently.
Consider adding finger foods for:
· Loved ones with tremors
· Loves ones with cognitive decline where utensils are confusing
· Loved ones who dislike sitting down for meals
Here are examples of easy-to-use finger foods from each major food group. To create a balanced meal, choose from 3 or more of the 5 food groups when planning a meal:
Grains and Starches Finger Foods
• Bagels – mini or regular cut in pieces
• Biscuit with jam
• Cereal bars – soft
• Crackers
• Croissant
• English muffin
• French toast sticks
• Fries
• Granola Bars – soft or chewy
• Mini cinnamon roll
• Mini donut
• Mini muffins
• New potatoes – halved
• Pancakes – plain
• Potato wedges
• Pretzel bites
• Sweet potato fries
• Toast – quarters or strips
• Tater tots
• Waffles – mini or cut into bite size pieces
Fruit and Vegetable Finger Foods
• Apple – sliced with peel on
• Banana – whole or chunks
• Blueberries
• Broccoli florets
• Cauliflower florets
• Carrot sticks or slices (cooked or raw)
• Cucumber – slices
• Green beans
• Oranges – slices
• Watermelon – sliced with rind on
Protein Finger Foods
• Beans – drained, pat dry
• Boiled egg-quartered
• Chicken nuggets
• Chicken – cubed
• Chicken sandwich
• Chicken tenders
• Deli meat – rolled up or on a sandwich
• Edamame – removed from shell
• Fish sticks
• Meatballs – halved or mini
• Mini burgers or sliders
• Mini quiche
• Peanut butter (sandwich or on crackers)
• Sausage – mini or cut into strips
• Salmon patty
• Tuna patty
Dairy Finger Foods
• Cheese cubes
• Cheese – slices or rolled up
• String cheese
• Yogurt tube
Combination Finger Foods
• Burrito
• Eggrolls
• Kebabs – removed from skewer
• Peanut butter & banana wrap – sliced
• Pinwheels – rolled with deli meat & cheese
• Pizza – bites, mini, or cut into pieces
• Quesadilla – cut into triangles
• Sandwich – halves or quarters
• Wrap – chicken or deli meat with cheese
Dessert Finger Foods
• Brownie – mini bites or squares
• Cookies – mini or regular
• Ice cream bar
• Ice cream cone
• Ice cream sandwich
• Mini cinnamon roll
• Mini donut
• Popsicle
• Pound cake – slices/cubes
As always, please consult your loved one’s primary care doctor about any specific dietary recommendations or restrictions.
The information in this article is derived from https://dementianutrition.com/list-of-finger-foods-for-dementia.
