Seeking ideas for finicky eaters

clkspace

I care for my wife who suffers from AD. A big family Thanksgiving dinner yesterday made me aware just finicky her eating has become. No to turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole. We ending up giving her two of her favorites - steamed green beans and blueberry muffins. Ice cream did go down easily as well.

I would welcome ideas other have found to be successful for their finicky eaters with AD. Nutritious items in particular

dancsfo

It's so personal so it's hard to recommend a particular item, but I realize that some ability to taste may decline, and favorite dishes from long ago may be favored. Is there a pattern to steamed green beans, blueberry muffins and ice cream? I can assume that the muffins and ice cream are sweet. What kind of ice cream was it? Maybe the flavor can give you a clue of what works.

harshedbuzz

Food can be difficult.

Approaches are going to depend on her personal preferences (which may have changed) as well as ability to self-feed.

In the middle and early late stage, dad started to eat more sweet foods which was very uncharacteristic of him. He also liked things with gravy and sauces. Cutting was starting to be a problem, so things cut into bite sized pieces he could spear with a fork were good. Fingers foods can work here too. Sandwiches cut into strips and a thing like nuggets are generally easy for PWD to manage.

You can up nutrition with protein powders added to foods as well as smoothies with fruit and veggies. At some point, it becomes more about calories in than anything else IMO.

HB

Emily 123

Mixed success here too. Yesterday I knew that a sweet veggie dish might go over well, so did glazed carrots, cutting the carrots into coins and cooking them until they were pretty soft. That was a hit! I do think that there's a component of gravitating towards the more familiar foods from when she was younger in her case. The turkey was eaten, and the pecan pie and ice cream was a big hit, so 3 out of 6. I just keep plying her with milkshakes. Between covid a few months ago and the disease she's just not eating a lot.

tigersmom

My DH cleaned his plate yesterday, but meals in general have become harder since he was diagnosed with AD and vascular dementia 2.5 years ago. Here's what I've learned since then. As many have said, sweet is almost always popular. So... mashed sweet potatoes with butter were very well received. Almost equally important is soft -- texture is a big concern for my DH. Last year's stuffing was rejected for being too crispy on top, so this year, I cooked it in a foil-covered casserole the entire time, which kept the top soft. Another win. So were steamed green beans -- he will eat almost any vegetable if it is steamed or boiled until tender. That said, I have given up on the stronger-tasting ones like Brussels sprouts and no longer roast vegetables, which he used to love. Since he does not eat meat, his main course was baked salmon, which disappeared (I have heard others say that meat is often one of the first things to go, but my guy gave it up 45 years ago). And he was a little wary of the fresh cranberry sauce -- I think because no matter how much sugar you use, those are going to taste tangy, but he ate it. He had seconds of stuffing and sweet potatoes. A soft date-nut torte with vanilla ice cream was finished quickly. Of course, YMMV. But I have found that sweet, mild, unspicy and soft things are all more likely to be accepted than their opposites. Best of luck to you.

clkspace

Thanks for the ideas. I'm putting together a grocery pickup order. I'll add some "experimental" items.

tigersmom

clkspace, meant to add that softly scrambled eggs are always welcome here, along with toast that is barely toasty. (It's only in there long enough to get warm.) Other high-protein favorites are peanut butter and jam, peanut butter and banana, and cheese sandwiches. Always on soft white bread; the sourdough ship has sailed, Cut the crusts off if they bother your DW. Omelets are popular, too, but he mostly gets those out. It took months to get the chef at our local diner to do the hash-browns soft. Again, good luck to you. When you find something that works, serve it often. My DH doesn't mind eating the same things over and over, as long as it is something he likes.

dancsfo

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/189464#Comment_189464

I totally agree on "doesn't mind eating the same things over and over". Your LO can say: "I haven't had scallops (for example) in such a long time!" (even though you served it last week). The question is whether you want to eat something over and over, if you want to eat the same dish together. Eventually, you may need to eat something different, for many reasons, but I can also see a desire to eat the same thing (and it's easier to prepare, of course)

Also, don't forget regional food from younger days that may have fallen off the diet if you move away. Examples are scrapple from Baltimore; grits, hush puppies from southern states, beignets from New Orleans, etc. It's hard to guess. You can ask, but it may be hard to get an answer, so you never know until you try. Sometimes, old photos can give you a clue.

mommyandme (m&m)

Mom did well with tuna salad and egg salad and ham and cheese sandwiches. I did cut the crust off and as time went on I’d cut the sandwich into bite size pieces. She like boiled veggies that were soft, squash, carrots, broccoli stems (the flowerette buds got in her teeth). Watermelon and cantaloupe, thinly sliced apples with no skin. Canned veggies and fruits worked too. She ate a lot of the same thing over and over again as she progressed. She was a rare steak and dark chocolate lover and I was surprised and saddened when she rejected those things. Food prep and presentation can become difficult. There came a time I didn’t ask her what she’d like, I’d just present her with her meal. Often she was pleasantly surprised and she’d usually eat it, even though she just had it. I hope you find solutions that work for both of you.

Marp

I've heard that serving food on a red plate often helps. Not sure why. Something about the color red.

clkspace

It must be the pits to be chef at a MC facility.

SDianeL

My DH no longer recognizes foods or knows the names of them. He no longer likes eggs, bacon, toast, chicken or salad. We're down to 2 breakfasts: waffles & I sneak in a piece of sausage or cereal with a banana. I think the what they used to eat is true. My DH asked for Raisin Bran cereal that he used to eat. He saw a commercial on TV and insisted I buy it. He will eat yogurt with fruit and puddings. He will still eat hamburgers. He likes McDonalds chicken nuggets and I get them once in awhile. I gave him 2 small pieces of pie Thanksgiving day and brought 2 pieces home for us for later. He took them and ate both of them and said to me that I didn't give him any earlier. 😊

grady74

I take care of the Wife. She use to eat about anything. I use to tell her she would eat a cow pie if I put it on the plate for her! :D ! Now she is very selective on what she eats, and every meal is new to her, even if she's already had it yesterday! I don't like to fix the same thing every night, although she don't remember she had it last night. I give her insure ( equate from Wal-mart, way cheaper) every day, so if she don't eat well, she still has her nurturance. I also sprinkle whey protein on her oatmeal in the morning.