How do you treat anemia in elders? Iron intake is not only important for young girls but also for elders. When my MIL came to spend spend a few days with us last month, I knew immediately on her arrival that something was wrong with her. For a person her age, she used to be very active, but she felt very tired and sleepy all the time. When we returned from a 2 day holiday after visiting her close friend, she fell sick and the doctor diagnosed that it was the heat plus she was anemic. It did not surprise me at all as she was only eating idlis and curd rice. Last year she had gone in for a full Denture and she is not feeling comfortable with her artificial teeth, so she never keeps it on complaining of headache. As a result she had resorted to eating food that is easier to swallow without having to chew and which will not give indigestion.
Though the Doctors did give her Iron supplements, there is no better healer than real food. But she had to be careful in what she eats. Luckily for her she does not suffer from Diabetes, BP that are people of her age endure. But as she was overweight, she had to watch what she eats because of the calories. We made sure that she drank a lot of my Papaya Iron Punch as both papaya and jaggery are a good source of Iron. And I made this milkshake also for her daily as a part of her diet, 2 times a day in addition to the supplements she was prescribed.
The dates and figs used in this milkshake are a rich source of Iron. See the Notes section on how to adapt this milkshake for kids.
Dry Fruits Milkshake Recipe
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: Nil | Makes: 2 Glasses
Cuisine: Indian | Category: Beverages
Cuisine: Indian | Category: Beverages
Ingredients:
- Dates – 10
- Dried Figs – 5
- Raisins – 10
- Quick cooking Oats – 2 tbsp
- Honey – 3 tbsp
- Low fat Milk (2%) – 2 cups
- Vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp
Instructions:
- Remove the seeds from the dates and chop finely. Roughly chop the figs as well.
- In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup milk, oats, raisins, chopped figs and dates and let it soak for 1/2 hour.
- Meanwhile place the rest of the milk in the freezer.
- Using a food processor or a blender, grind the soaked ingredients to a smooth paste. Add the iced milk, honey, vanilla extract and blend well.
- Pour into tall glasses and serve immediately.
Notes:
- I prefer seeded dates as it is soft, moist and absorbs liquids well. It is easier to grind as well unlike the hard pressed seedless dates.
- Using oats not only increases the fibre content but also gives the much needed thickness to the milkshake without increasing the calorie.
- Use sugar in place of honey and also adjust it according to your taste buds.
- If making this for kids, use full fat mil and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream while blending. You can also add chocolate syrup while blending.