Preparing Healthy Food

Small changes in ingredients, preparation, and serving methods can yield big results in the flavor, nutritional value, and quality of your meals. Find ideas and inspiration for creating healthy, appealing meals for older adults.

Don’t Fry! Give Healthy Cooking Methods a Try— Information on alternative cooking methods (American Heart Association)
Exploring Aquatic Foods— Information on nutrient rich ‘blue foods’ (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
Using Herbs and Spices — Matching flavors with foods
- Herbs and Spices— Resource on which seasonings go with which foods (University of Delaware, 2025)
- Herb and Spice Pairing Chart— Resource (Penn State Extension, 2024)
Ice Cube Tray Ideas— Tip sheet on using your ice cube tray for food prep (Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, 2019)
What About Sodium?— Fact sheet (Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, 2021)
Prepare Healthy Meals— Kitchen timesavers, organizing your kitchen, and more from MyPlate (USDA)

Creating Delicious, Healthy, Appealing Meals for Seniors — Incorporating food and nutrition trends (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2020)
Making the Case for Gluten-Free Senior Meals — Information about celiac disease, gluten free diets, and challenges for older adults (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2019)
Operational Considerations for Providing Gluten-Free Meals — Identifying gluten-free foods, risk areas, how to prevent cross-contact, and more (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2019)

Better Baking Mix— Recipes using whole grains and oil instead of solid fat (Washington State University Extension)
ChopChop Family Publications— Learning to cook as a lifelong skill (ChopChop Family)
Cooking Fresh Vegetables— Recipes for roasted, stir-fried, and steamed veggies (Washington State University Extension)
Cooking with Rice— Recipes and basic information on rice (Washington State University Extension)
Healthy Eating Recipes— Delicious Heart Healthy Eating resources (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)