Food!

jeanlcraig

My husband is on the late end of middle stage and I have had such a hard time caring for him with food. All he wants are milkshakes, ice cream bars, cookies, pastries. I have always enjoyed cooking and had an enthusiastic family but he complains about every meal I make. I am starting to resent this, take it too personally, and now am not enjoying eating. I read somewhere to add sugar to foods, which sounds both revolting and also contrary to what I read about sugar exacerbating memory loss. Any suggestions, please?

JanLaxton

Sorry I don’t have any suggestions. I have the same issue with my husband. I love to cook and he loved to eat my cooking. He always loved sweets, but he also had a healthy appetite. With the dementia, all he wants is cookies and ice cream and Zero Coke. I still cook a couple times a week and he will eat very small meals. He usually likes what I make, but I don’t push him to eat a meal because he’ll get angry.

Chance Rider

I don’t have any advice but definitely understand.

My husband, late 4 early 5, went through a period of eating mostly sweets. We’d shop at Costco and he’d want muffins and turnovers, (three 8 pack boxes each week) and then buy donuts on the way home. If I intervened he’d get angry. During this time he quit eating previously favorite foods, baby back ribs, sushi. Now, he’s really slowed down on the pastries but the volume of what he will eat has increased. It’s challenging to keep up with what he will or won’t eat but I don’t try to restrict him. Less anger and agitation from him this way.

One weird thing is that he started drinking coffee creamer by the glass. I’ve offered substitutes but he hasn’t been interested. What’s weird about it is that his 99 year old mother (very late stage ALZ) does the same thing.