Nutrition for Caregivers & Families
You don't need to cook everything from scratch or prepare elaborate meals to eat well. Keep simple foods on hand, use frozen or pre-cut ingredients, cook extra portions, and plan a few easy meals to save time on busy caregiving days.
Need Help Finding Meals or Food Assistance?
Contact your local Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) or Tribal Aging Unit to learn about home-delivered meals, dining programs, nutrition education, and other food and nutrition resources available in your community. Eligibility requirements and availability vary by program. Find Help Locally
Easy, Healthy Meals for Busy Caregivers
American Diabetes Association – Quick & Easy Recipes
Quick, no-cook, one-pot, slow-cooker, and budget-friendly recipes.
American Heart Association – Cooking Tips for Caregivers
Practical strategies specifically for caregivers to make healthy meals easier.
American Heart Association – Quick & Easy Healthy Recipes
Simple, healthy recipes for busy schedules.
Food & Nutrition Archives - 4-C
Helping Communities Help Children. Food & Nutrition.
Diabetic Friendly Breakfast Recipes
Full Plate Living is a small-step approach with big health outcomes. It's provided as a free service of Ardmore Institute of Health.
Find Meal & Nutrition Services
Caring for someone else can make it difficult to find time to shop, cook, and eat well. Whether you are looking for meal assistance for an older adult or need easier ways to prepare healthy meals for yourself and your family, these resources can help.
Administration for Community Living (ACL) – Nutrition Services
Information about Older Americans Act home-delivered and congregate nutrition programs.
Connects older adults and caregivers with local aging, meals, and nutrition services.
Meals on Wheels America – Find Meals & Services
Search for local Meals on Wheels providers and services.
Respite Care Association of Wisconsin (RCAW) – Healthy Meals, Healthy Minds Respite Grant
Wisconsin respite grant program that helps family caregivers access healthy meals and caregiver well-being.
USAging – Eat Well. Live Well. Age Well.
Nutrition information and resources for older adults and family caregivers.
Make Eating Well a Little Easier
A few shortcuts can make meals more manageable during busy caregiving weeks:
- Cook once, eat twice. Make extra portions and refrigerate or freeze them for another meal.
- Use healthy convenience foods. Frozen vegetables, pre-washed greens, canned beans, rotisserie chicken, and microwaveable whole grains can significantly reduce preparation time.
- Keep a few emergency meals available. Soup, eggs, whole-grain pasta, frozen vegetables, canned beans or fish, and other pantry/freezer staples can become a meal quickly.
- Plan around your busiest days. Save cooking for days when you have more time and use leftovers, freezer meals, or very simple meals on demanding caregiving days.
- Don't forget the caregiver. When you're focused on another person's meals and health needs, it can be easy to overlook your own. Simple and nutritious is enough.
The American Heart Association – Quick Fixes for Family Meals When Time Is Tight offers additional time-saving ideas, including prepared vegetables, rotisserie chicken, pantry staples, and cooking extra food for later meals.
