Eventually, most of us find that we are cooking for one or two. Unfortunately, unless we love to cook, when that day comes we often do not cook healthful foods—or we don't eat properly. Perhaps we feel that we can't afford nutritious foods. Maybe we have physical problems that make cooking difficult. Often we don't feel hungry when it's time to eat.

However, good nutrition as we age can lessen the effects of disease or improve the quality of life for those with diseases such as osteoporosis, obesity, or high blood pressure. Here are some suggestions to help you eat more healthfully:

• Maintain regular eating patterns. Set a kitchen timer or an alarm clock to remind you when it's meal time. Remember that five or six mini-meals may digest more easily than three larger ones.
• Creative shopping often is the key to preparing healthful foods. Take a few minutes at the beginning of each week to write down what you'd enjoy eating. Decide on a few entrees that sound good and build from there.
• Larger grocery stores usually have sections of ready-to-serve vegetables. Buy small portions, saving the expense of buying larger amounts that may spoil before you use them.
• Look for bulk bins of dried beans, peas, pasta, and nuts and purchase exactly as much as you need. Health food stores and large-scale groceries usually offer these bulk food options.
• Bags of loose-pack frozen vegetables offer an easy alternative to fresh produce. To prevent freezer burn, reseal the bags securely before putting them back in the freezer.
• When shopping for meat and poultry pieces, purchase money-saving family-size portions. Then divide the meat into meal-size portions and wrap in moisture- and vapor-proof paper or foil and freeze. Be sure to label and date the packages.
• To freeze a single serving of a casserole or pasta dish, line a one-portion casserole dish with heavy-duty foil. Add the food and wrap tightly with the foil. When the food is frozen, remove the casserole dish and leave the foil packet in the freezer. When you're ready to use it, just pop the foil packet into the casserole dish and bake it (or thaw it in the refrigerator before baking). Hint: If a food contains an acidic ingredient such as tomatoes, cover the food with plastic wrap before covering it with foil, as a reaction could occur between the foil and the food during storage.
  Because flavors can become stronger during freezing, use a little less seasoning when you're going to freeze a dish. Be sure to cool the newly cooked food thoroughly before freezing.
• If you prepare one or two main-course recipes that create leftovers, you can incorporate them into other meals. This helps avoid the boredom of eating the same thing every night.
• Make-ahead meals (to be frozen in small batches and reheated later) save time and bring variety to your dining. Possibilities include chili, lasagna, soups, and casseroles.

Now, armed with these ideas, you will find that cooking for one or two can actually be easy—and maybe even fun!