Lettuce Salads

Salads seem to be an uncommon part of the senior diet. Lettuce can be hard to chew and swallow, and it wasn't a common food back in the day when our current old folks were youngin's.(Click for Brief Salad History)

In previous homes I've worked in, dinner salads were unheard of, and the salad bar's lettuce and fresh vegetables would go unnoticed next to canned beets, jello and fruit cocktails.

One of my grandfather's chief complaints about senior food was lack of lettuce. He had quite the palate for an 80-sum year-old.  Other than enjoying a giant cookie and beer that my mother would sneak into his nursing facility, he loved a fresh crisp salad. And I know there are more seniors out there with taste buds like Papa Bob.

At my current place of work, we make entre salads at least once a week and small side salads almost daily, with few complaints.

Several of my residents are missing entire sets of teeth, which make chewing rather difficult. For these residents, and others with chewing and swallowing problems, I chop the lettuce or salad greens up very small. For seniors I chop it up small anyways, but for these special cases I mean really tiny. And then I chop up all the toppings just as little. Presentation is still important though, (you eat with your eyes before you eat with your mouth) so I arrange the confetti of toppings on in an attractive manner.

So don't let a few sour apples spoil salads for everyone.  I have one resident who won't eat lettuce, but she'll eat the rest of the salad, so I make her a special plate without it. If you're working in a community, I urge you to give it a try and see how it goes over. Get feedback. If you're cooking for less, say a parent, grandparent or personal client, ask them how they feel about salads- see what they like and don't like about them. We're here cater to their dietary desires, and it's easy to make a few adjustments.

A note about...
Onions: Lots of people in the general public do not like raw onions. The senior population is no different. Be wary.
Bell Peppers: I've heard complaints from several elderly residents that these wreak havoc on their digestive systems. Use sparingly.
The Foundation: There is so much more variety of amazing greens on which to build your salad than iceberg lettuce. Try spinach, mixed greens, romaine, bib lettuce, and others- they actually all have unique flavors and textures.