Seeking ideas for finicky eaters

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

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, 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.

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.

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.