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Home » Blog » Alzheimer's » Food And Alzheimer’s: How To Maximize Nutrition And Make Mealtimes Easier

August 13, 2018 By Rena McDaniel 1 Comment

Food And Alzheimer’s: How To Maximize Nutrition And Make Mealtimes Easier

an array of vegetables, pasta and spices.

Regular, nutritious meals are essential for good health at any age but may become a challenge for people with Alzheimer’s. It’s a condition which affects people differently, resulting in various nutritional challenges. For example, 58% of people with dementia forget to eat, while 54% forget they’ve already eaten and then eat again, a study by Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition reveals. This can cause further complications like weight gain, weight loss, worsened symptoms, and an overall loss in quality of life. It’s important to help Alzheimer’s patients overcome any nutritional challenges to keep them strong, fit, and healthy.

Salad ingredients

Nutrition tips

Serve healthy foods from different food groups to provide the full range of nutrients. If the patient needs to lose weight, reduce their caloric intake. Keep portions modest yet filling and snacks to a minimum. Alternatively, if they need to gain weight, increase how much they eat and serve higher-calorie foods, like nut butters and full-fat dairy. Your doctor can provide guidelines on daily caloric intake.

Include whole grains or starches, lean protein, fruits, and vegetables with every meal. In fact, a woman diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in late 2016 managed to improve her condition through diet alone. Her son fed her a healthy diet low in fat and high in whole foods like blueberries, leafy greens, and sweet potatoes. These foods are anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants which boost brain health and may even protect against damage to the brain caused by Alzheimer’s.

Brain-healthy foods are also good for you – the caregiver! You can enjoy eating the same meals as your patient and experience health benefits that can help prevent Alzheimer’s. Make kale, spinach, orange-colored vegetables a staple in your diet — these are great for brain and memory. You’ll also have the nutrients and energy you need to care for your patient on top of your other responsibilities.

Homemade pizza pie

Making mealtimes easy

Limit distractions: serve meals on a clean, uncluttered table in a quiet, calm environment — no TV or radio playing. This allows the patient to fully focus on food and eating. It also helps to establish a set mealtime routine, so they become accustomed to eating at expected regular times. 

Don’t be too rigid with food combinations. People with dementia may pair odd foods together. For example, a savory meal may be eaten with a dessert at the same time. But, ultimately, as long as the food gets eaten, it doesn’t matter how it’s gone about!

Visual and spatial awareness difficulties make it a challenge for Alzheimer’s sufferers to clearly distinguish food from the plate or the plate from the table. Help their food stand out by using white plates and bowls, and a plain yet contrasting-colored placemat.

Shish Kebab

Finally, make meals times fun! Not only is eating together nice for the patient, it’s also enjoyable for you, too. Mealtimes are a great way to socialize, bond, and retain a healthy sense of normalcy you both can benefit from. With enough patience and adjustments, you can help make mealtimes with an Alzheimer’s patient a success.

Guest post by Sally Phillips

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Filed Under: Alzheimer's, AWARENESS, CAREGIVING, GUEST BLOGGERS, RESOURCES, RESOURCES, TIPS, TIPS Tagged With: guest posts, midlife, nutrition, Sally Phillips, seniors

About Rena McDaniel

I'm a recovering Alzheimer's Caregiver, a former loving daughter, a current wife, mom, and grandma who remembers all too clearly what it is like on the front lines of Alz Caregiving. I provide real advice, pro tips, or excellent tools from my own experiences and other experts I find along the way. A community of caregivers supporting each other!

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Comments

  1. Haralee says

    August 15, 2018 at 5:56 pm

    The eating issue can be difficult. Great tips.
    Before my Mom was deep in the throes of dementia and she was living alone she was eating tea and toast for breakfast, lunch and dinner! When she moved to assisted living she gained some weight because she was eating well. We had to reassure her she looked great. Once she was in the dementia her sweet tooth came out and we told the staff if she wanted to eat ice-cream every meal, let her and luckily they were totally onboard to what ever it took to keep her weight up.

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