Nutrition Month Toolkit 2025- Sysco Nutrition Services- EN
Message From Sysco’s Nutrition Services Team
Older adults, living within senior living can be at increased risk of unintentional weight loss and malnutrition. Both have an impactful influence on individual's overall health and quality of life. This resource will focus on helpful tips to optimize the dietary intake of seniors to manage malnutrition and/or unintentional weight loss and feature topics such as:
• The Food First Approach
• High Protein High Energy Diet
• Supporting Intake Beyond Food
Also included are Fortified Recipes found in Synergy Tech Suite and product listings. Please reach out to your Sysco Sales Representative for more information.
Note: The information provided within this toolkit are suggestions and should be implemented in consultation with a Registered Dietitian or Nutrition Manager and in accordance with your home specific policies
- Sysco Canada’s Nutrition Services Team
Senior Malnutrition & Weight Loss
Older adults are at risk of poor dietary/nutritional intake causing weight loss due to a variety of reasons including physical, cognitive or psychological changes, along with social factors:
Sensory
Malnutrition is defined as the deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in an individual's intake of energy and/or nutrients. Poor
Unintentional weight loss and malnutrition are possible consequences of poor nutritional intake from food and fluids among older adults living in senior living settings.
Food First Approach
The Food First Approach is a practice used to help manage poor dietary intake and the consequence of unintentional weight loss using everyday nourishing foods and beverages.
The majority of resident's nutritional needs should be met by the menu. Further individual nutritional needs should be met by nutrient-dense foods and beverage interventions.
Achieving a Food First Approach
Optimize the Main Menu
• Adapt menu to meet resident • preferences and cultural needs
• Create opportunities for resident’s to be active in mealtime
o Resident choice days
o Incorporate resident recipes
Assess Individual Needs
Understand individual food preferences upon admission through individual or family interview. Include ongoing assessment and follow up.
• If resident assessment identifies the need for additional nutrition, consider a High Protein High Energy intervention that uses nutrient dense foods.
• If High Protein High Energy food items are not tolerated or not effective, consider usage of nutritional supplements to complement the Food First Approach
High Protein High Energy Diet
A High Protein High Energy (HPHE) intervention focuses on increasing protein and energy intake through foods, beverages or supplements, without increasing the volume of food consumed.
Food and beverages can be fortified with high protein and/or high energy options.
Here are some tips to fortify foods & beverages to increase protein and energy intake.
• Add extra meat/fish or eggs to meals like pasta, salads, soups, stews, etc.
• Add plant-based options such as tofu, tempeh and legumes to meals
• Add spreads like hummus to sandwiches or snacks
• Add cheese to sandwiches and snack options
• Grate cheese over vegetables or rice/pasta dishes
• Add skim milk powder to soups, smoothies, puddings and other desserts
• Add butter or oil to vegetables, rice, pasta or potatoes
• Add butter to bread and crackers
• Use extra cream in cold or hot cereals, soups and sauces
Added Protein Added Fat
High Protein High Energy Recipe Ideas
Breakfast Lunch
• Flax Fruit Oatmeal: Add 1 Tbsp of flax meal to 180mL of oatmeal prepared with whole milk or cream
• PB & Banana Smoothie: Blend banana, whole milk, peanut butter and high fat, high protein yogurt
• Cheese & Ham Omelette: Add cooked ham and cottage cheese. Top with shredded cheese and serve with buttered toast
• Turkey Taco Soup
Add extra beans like black & pinto for added protein. Top with a high fat sour cream
• Chicken Salad Sandwich: Mix chicken with high fat mayonnaise and top with avocado & tomato slices
• Cobb Side Salad: Elevate a side salad by adding elements of a cobb salad like boiled eggs, diced chicken or feta cheese. Top with ranch dressing
Dinner Snack
• Pasta & Meat Sauce: Add ground beef or pork to tomato sauce. Top with added shredded cheese
• Lentil Beef Stew: Add lentils and diced potatoes to the stew. Serve with buttered bread
• Potato Fish Cakes: Add mashed potatoes to fish cake mix. Serve with high fat mayonnaise tartar sauce.
• Yogurt Fruit Bowl: 125mL of higher fat, high protein yogurt with fruit of choice. Top with peanut butter, granola or honey.
• Hummus with Crackers: Serve crackers, hummus spread and cucumber slices
• Carrot Loaf & Cream
Cheese Icing: Top carrot loaf with a cream cheese icing made up of high fat cream cheese, cream, butter, icing sugar & vanilla
Nutrition in Disguise
Nutrition in Disguise (NiD) is a research project completed at the Research Institute for Aging focusing on creating nutrient dense recipes by adding healthy ingredients to common foods that older adults enjoy
Most older adults are not consuming enough key nutrients to stay healthy and are at risk of micronutrient deficiencies.
While protein/energy intake are often a central focus when considering senior’s health and risk of malnutrition – it is important to consider micronutrient intake and the influence of micronutrient deficiency on overall health.
NiD create recipes that focused on micronutrients that are important to adult health. Ingredients that contain key micronutrients were incorporated into recipes.
All Nutrition in Disguise recipes are available in Synergy Tech Suite!
Oatmeal Cookie Berry Parfait
Includes raspberries – a great source of fibre & vitamin C
Spinach & Cheese Quiche
Includes spinach – a source of vitamin K, vitamin A & folate
For more information on Nutrition in Disguise or the Research Institute for Aging click here
Supporting Intake Beyond Food
Ensure all meal components are accessible & within reach
• Where appropriate, open all packaging including condiments, cutlery and straws
• Assist with preparing items for consumption including:
o Spreading margarine & jams on bread
o Preparing beverages like coffee and tea
o Cutting up proteins, vegetables and bread
• Ensure cutlery, napkins and beverages are within reach and where individual’s prefer
Practice different methods to create a positive mealtime
• Encourage socialization during mealtime:
o Pair residents with close friends at their table
o Encourage team members to interact with residents during meal service
• Create a welcoming and relaxed dining environment:
o Create a calm ambience with warm lighting
o Play soft music in dining rooms or personal rooms
o Add a flare to table settings with coloured napkins and placemats and beautiful center pieces
o Reduce loud noises like dish scraping or kitchen noise
Ensure residents are regularly assessed by a registered dietitian to ensure they receive appropriate diet order based on their needs
Presented by Heather Keller RD, PhD, FDC, FCAH
Dysphagia increases the risk of malnutrition, aspiration, and respiratory infections. Malnutrition causes longer hospital stays, higher re-admission rates, higher in-hospital mortality rates and accounts for $2 billion in health care costs in Canada.
Join us to learn more on how to prevent, detect and manage malnutrition in adults living with dysphagia.
DATE/TIME
To secure your spot for this Live Webinar register by Monday April 17th, 2023.
This webinar is complimentary and is funded
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• To have a better understanding of the risks of developing malnutrition in patients living with dysphagia
• Be familiar with the methods used to detect malnutrition in people who may be at risk
• Feel empowered to support families and patients with dysphagia with practical tips on how to manage mealtimes
• Learn more about the tools and resources available to assist families and patients with dysphagia who are malnourished.
®
Stay Hydrated & Nourished!
DID YOU KNOW?
Almost half of long term care residents may experience dehydration.1 In addition, malnutrition is prevalent in long term care.2
BOOST® Fruit Flavoured Beverage is a delicious and refreshing way to help improve hydration while also providing protein, energy and micronutrients.
Please contact your Nestlé Health Science Sales Representative or call
at 1 800 565-1871 for any questions.
For use under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
BOOST® Fruit Flavoured Beverage is nutritionally complete and provides a non-creamy alternative to traditional supplements.
In every 237 ml serving, enjoy:
9 g of whey protein
22 vitamins and minerals
180 calories, 0.5 g fat
Available in 3 refreshing flavours.
®
SUPER OATMEAL 10g Protein & 6g Fibre!
Use at breakfast time drives high nutrition when residents eat the most.
A 50/50 Recipe offers 8g Protein & 5g Fibre!
Use as a budget-friendly mix of Super Oatmeal and Traditional Rolled Oats. COOKING WITH SUPER OATMEAL!
For pennies on the plate, create high protein & fibre foods for every meal period.
More than a Super Food! We’ve also got a Super Support System!
