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My 81-year-old dad has tremendous sugar cravings. I've got him on stevia for his coffee, he loves it because it's super sweet. But cookies, candy, etc., he will eat them at any time. The other day I made a big breakfast for him and my mom, and after they both ate their fill, he started eating cookies. I mean *right* after breakfast. I'm not sure if it could be a reaction to medications. He takes 25mg seroquel at night, and is also on aricept, buspar, atenolol, and simvastatin. I first noticed that he was craving too much sugar about 2 years ago; at that time he was on everything but the aricept and seroquel. It gives him pleasure, so I don't try to stop him, but I wonder if there's something else he could eat or drink that would help keep him from craving sugar so much. He's not in the least overweight -- probably more the opposite -- but I understand that excessive carbs don't help the brain. I wonder sometimes if he just does it out of boredom, but the fact that he went for cookies right after eating breakfast made me think twice about that. Any ideas?

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I am going through the sugar craving thing right now with Dad. He didn't start eating all the sugary stuff in sight until a month ago. He is in very poor health. I have been reading and finding some answers to some of the things that I am experiencing with him but as far as the sugar cravings go. I have researched and found sugar cravings are bad when you are a diabetic, when you are dehydrated because hunger is a mask for being thirsty ( Dad doesn't drink water like he should) and FTD dementia causes cravings also. I hope this passes soon though because after Mom passed away 3 months ago our budget is tight and it is costing a lot of extra money to keep up with the sugary snacks.
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Sugar is super addicting. If it were a drug just coming out now, it would be banned. It’s hard to get an addict off their addiction. Sometimes the best we can do is not to follow their example. Use the addict as a teacher, who teaches through negative example. And BTW, 81 does not have to be old!
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My sister is in a rehab facility following several strokes. She has always liked her sweets but it seems to have really amped up lately and weight gain along with it. She drinks cokes and eats junk food all day. At first I tried to counteract this by taking healthy meals but I live farther away than other family members and everyone, even staff, have given up and just let her have her way. The last visit I took a wonderful holiday meal; called ahead with my arrival time and even kiddingly said, "No junk; wait for me!" but when I got there she was eating this nasty honey bun thing that she often eats and wouldn't stop even while I was heating up her plate (which she knew had a lot of her favorite foods.) So of course she ate very little of the good dinner. I don't know the answer but I finally realized that whatever it is, it's no longer within her control at all. Still it's sad and annoying. It's nothing I can control either so I suppose I am just venting.
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All that medicine he is on mixed together with no research on what happens when a person takes all kinds of pills together will do more damage then sugar. And at 81 LET HIM EAT what ever he wants.....WE all LOVE dessert! No one is ever going to stop me from eating things that make me happy and bring me JOY! My Dad ate 4 gross processed packaged Danish every morning for the last 40 years, he was on no medication and he is 92! He eats his dessert at the NH first along with the other 5 old men at his table. They all do, their not stupid. The rules are when you reach 80 you get to do what ever you want. I'm wearing my pajamas to the grocery store when I'm that age......LOL
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My mom craved sugar until she got some Januvia in addition to her insulin (type II, severe insulin resistance). But she was often satisfied with sugar-free stuff, though she did not need the calories adn a lot of sugar free is not low calorie at all. Now between Seroquel, Aricept, and a statin, he's virtually guaranteed to have raging appetite problems and none of those make diabetes any better either...but that might not be enough reason to consider changing meds if he really needs them. The data on statins doing that is more recent. If weight gain does become a concern, try things like apple juice, cranberry juice, fiber drinks, and maybe even estrogenic foods like soy, apricots, alfalfa sprouts, and anything made with hops that is OK for him to have, which will take the edge off that a bit. And yes, protein and "good" fats can help too. Saturated fats though just make my appetite take off like a rocket, and I noticed that with my mom too.
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I have noticed the same with my father.. He has dementia and lives in assisted living.. He has always in the past before his dementia became a part of his life been very strict with his diet.. He ate healthy and didn't include many sweets in his diet, he was always afraid of gaining too much weight.. Now all has changed, he is actually craving sweets. He loves cookies , ice cream, puddings and cake.. He has a little refrigerator in his apartment and I keep a few snacks in there for him... He is not overweight and the way I look at it, his life is nothing like it was before and I'm sure not much fun for him. And if eating sweets makes him happy and it's something he can enjoy ,then I will continue to buy them.. He eats 3 healthy meals a day there at the facility and if his weight and blood sugars are good then I see no harm being done.
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Consider also replacing regular flour with coconut flour, which is much more nutritious. There are free coconut flour recipes on the web.
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He has diabetes so it's a real challenge. I include cake or cookies and sometimes something different - ice cream or tapioca are served about 4 days per week. I rotate hiding spots and make things that are easy to hide. Cookies are easiest, some cake is next in line, and other items like granola bars are also included. Good hiding spots are those he can't get to because of physical limitations. Sometimes I store it among items of non-interest like rice or oatmeal or if in the refrigerator, I'll put a well sealed bowl of tapioca in the crisper among the veggies. When stored you must be sure it is properly sealed - tight lid containers or zip locks for example. He can't sleep many nights. He admits he's usually not hungry but eats anyway. Maybe the sweets become a comfort food at this point?? I want to keep him as healthy as possible, but strike a balance that will still provide the quality of life through choice and give some sense of control over his destiny. I sometimes remind him at mealtime that I never serve him anything I wouldn't eat myself and this helps him to eat healthy. I make sure we have the cookies or cake together which helps. I do search for recipes that have a smaller percentage of sugar and fats, so adjusting traditional recipes is part of my method. I'm trying to use healthier fats in any food preparation too. I realize it's up to me to compromise - because he won't limit the amount of sugar otherwise.
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Protein in moderation is important, true. But the body converts too much protein into sugar, in a process called gluconeogenesis. Investigate the low carb-high fat diet, also known as the ketogenic diet.
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It is sort of bittersweet (no pun intended!) that most elderly folks love sweets. The stevia is a good idea too. As babies we are born with a taste for 'sweet'. It is our primary craving (breast milk is very sweet). As we get older other tastes come into play more and more and as we reach old age, many of our senses go 'dead'. What remains in the tastebud category is usually sweet. The old saying about 'our second childhood' seems to apply. I am sort of the opinion that when you get very old really, so what? Especially if you are making smart choices like subbing sugar for stevia. Also, fyi, we are not born with a taste for 'fat'. We develop that. The reason why fried foods are so addictive. My mother in law passed away at 93 recently. She had a master's degree in nutrition and was a home ec teacher all of her career. And all she wanted the last few years was dessert! We indulged her. Why not? Her life had become narrow and confined and she enjoyed what she enjoyed.
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Be sure he is getting enough protein. This can be a challenge with an elder, especially if they don't like large meals, or cannot chew properly, so you will have to work at it. Protein at every meal. Check labels and buy those items with more protein. Not so much protein that it overloads his kidneys though. For example, use greek non-fat yoghurt, which is high in protein, then make your own fruit and stevia mix to put in it. Serve up a protein drink or shake as a snack with crackers. Do this for a month and see whether his sugar cravings start to subside. In slightly younger people (later 60s) such sugar cravings are a sign of diabetes, or pre-diabetes, and for many of them they find that improving their diet with good quality protein and fresh vegetables and fruit, reduces the sugar cravings.
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Sounds like your dad needs more quality fat in his diet. When fats are removed, the natural tendency is to replace them with carbohydrates (sugars and starches). Good fats include butter, olive oil, coconut oil, and yes, fatty meats. Stay away from hydrogenated/trans fats. Check out the ketogenic diet on YouTube. Excellent presenters are Drs. Jeff Volek, Stephen Phinney, and Perlmutter.
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Yes, I am sure he is losing his taste! I have noticed that Alzheimer patients seem to lose their sense of taste, but for some reason they can still taste the sweetness. My brother in law lost all of his sense of taste. But he could still taste his coffee, and sweets and also pickles, (sour). Yes, I know that the sugar is terrible for the brain. But if they already have Alzheimer's, and that is one of their few pleasures, I am certainly not going to deny them from the sweets. I do try to get in all the nutrition first, but as you said: My husband can eat his full and still finish up with candy, cookies or ice cream right after a big meal! He refuses veggies, but loves salads and coleslaw, broccoli salad, etc. I put good stuff in his salads and hope he is getting his nutrition that way! Right, "Let em eat cake!" Why not at this point in his life. I want him to be happy and he normally is happy!
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My husband is 78 and was diagnosed 5yrs ago. He was always big on sweets (we have known each other 18yrs, married 12) but it does seem like the cravings have gotten stronger in the last few yrs. He also takes Seroquel and Aricept. He is a bit overweight. Maybe 10lbs. But his numbers are all good. His primary has remarked that he wishes he was that physically healthy. ;-) The way I see it, most of his life sucks so if sugar makes him happy so be it. I like to cook so I make sure he eats the good stuff at least once a day, but if he can find room for cookies etc after dinner then I let him. Also, his main beverage is OJ so he gets Vit C with some of his sugar. This disease leaves so little room for "happy". And I really like the idea that maybe it takes him back to a happier time. God Bless you and keep you on this journey. And of course I cant end this without adding "let em eat cake"
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Most elderly people crave sweets. For one, as we age we lose our taste buds and by the time someone is elderly they have much fewer taste buds than they once had. Secondly, sometimes eating sweets can take the elderly person back in time when mom made cookies or trips to grandma's always meant candy.

Also, elderly bodies lose their fat (you said he was the opposite of overweight). Sweets are high in calories so they can increase an elderly person's weight.

There's really nothing wrong with elderly people eating sweets (unless they're diabetic). We've been trained all of our lives that sweets are bad for you and maybe for someone my age or your age it's true but not necessarily in the elderly. If your dad wants to eat cookies let him eat cookies.
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