He usually only eats half or less. He is in moderate Alzheimer's and at times, relatively ok, just forgetful. He does drink Boost, but has anyone had good luck with something else?
If he is otherwise healthy- I add protein powder (from Costco or Walmart) in a fruit shake. Or give or make milk shakes like boost. Can take one in the morning and another in the afternoon on top of what he eats.
How are his bowels? Is there a problem with absorption? Ask his doctor about these things. If he has gastric discomfort it may be the reason he doesn't like to eat. A hiatal hernia can cause discomfort if he eats or drinks more than a small amount. In that case, he will do better with multiple small meals instead of 3 larger ones. As everyone else has advised, try to offer calorie dense foods. Unfortunately there are many GI conditions that can make it painful to digest foods that are high in fat or fiber. His doctor needs to be involved to know what is best.
I would try adding extra protein powder or plain full fat greek yogurt in his shakes and whatever foods he will eat. Research nutrient dense foods to make the best choices. Texture is important because he may just get tired of chewing. Keep his foods on the soft side.
Here are some ideas in case you ar interested. Add hidden healthy fat like the olive oil which says "mild tasting" or a little butter if his triglycerides are not an issue. Coconut oil is great on and in baked products and popcorn, while palm oil is good during baking to keep dough moist and soft.
Avocado has a 14g fiber yet is probably 99% fat, so that could go in casseroles & he wouldn't even notice. A person can live a long time while lean but it's good to have "bribe foods" on hand, like puddings, pastries, etc... for times when he just won't eat.
Lard contains a lot of sustaining fat energy and huge amount of the hormone vitamin, Vit D, but it is high in cholesterol. So, you can add real bacon bits, or a tad of lard. My dad used to like those junk food pig ear things. I recommend a little fried liver once in a while, with sauteed onions. It is a very fatty meal.
Milk chocolate and white chocolate (cocoa butter) are loaded with fat and carbohydrates. You can live weeks on chocolate alone but of course that's not a good idea, but it tells you how valuable chocolate is. If you are using fake sugar in his coffee, might want to use honey because it is high calorie while not too bad for health. Always put a little chocolate syrup or creamed chocolate baking powder in his coffee for extra carbohydrates from the cocoa bean, which is loaded. You can make a slurry of peanut or almond butter and a few TB of coffee, then add his creamer and coffee to come out with a wonderful peanut butter latte which is full of calories and very tasty. You will save money on creamer because the creamy nut butter is creamy too already.
Nuts and nut butters are almost all fat, and very sustaining. So imagine his favorite nuts dipped in chocolate, or adding a little smooth peanut butter to his last cup of coffee each morning. Keeping those individually wrapped mini-candy bars on hand can help, too.
Soda is very fattening, and the lighter colored ones are better for our organs.
A lot of manufactured foods are prepared in oil, like sardines, mackerel, salmon, oysters, artichokes (good for lowering triglycerides), etc... For him, don't buy the ones packed in water, but get the oily ones.
Few men will turn down the most expensive canned steak chili soups, or a warmed up Dinty Moore "beef stew" either from a can or from their long-shelf-life plastic microwavable trays.
Deep frying is easy and some people use the oil a couple times so it's less expensive. Almost anything can be deep-fried, and the oils that I think are best are mild-tasting olive oil & coconut oil. Or butter, for sauteed mushrooms, which are full of Vit D and Vit B. You could make a habit of preparing some sautee (fry) food and just add it to the contents of almost any dinner recipe. For instance, a pint or two of soft, creamy fried garlic, onions, bit of mushrooms, maybe some bell pepper for flavor, celery for health - should last a week in the fridge & you can freeze one for next week. When done correctly, in sparse moderation, he shouldn't even notice anything but a little added flavor. He might appreciate the extra flavor, since older people don't get the full taste of their food due to aging of the taste buds.
Cheeses are very flavorful & sustaining. Brie is almost all fat, and buttery, so he won't even notice it melted in his food. In the stores, notice the hard cheeses, soft cheeses, individually wrapped cheeses you can set near him, shredded cheeses, sliced cheeses, and even low-sodium spray cheese in some stores. The shredded cheeses nowadays can be found as affordably as the old chunks you had to buy. Cheese can be a little binding, as can nuts, so if constipation is an issue you might need to adjust these ideas. Whenever you make a meal, use a little of your prepared stir fry base, then add the savory dish, then top it off with creamy sauces, melted cheese, crushed nuts, avocado slices. Consider making Chicken Mole once to see if he likes.
He may be developing swallowing difficulties, so do check on that. Ensure might help, and root beer floats with whipped cream! Banana splits. Ice cream. If you only make what he says, maybe he only says what he can remember. He might respond to new recipes or favorite foods he's enjoyed before.
My Mom likes to eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Tapioca pudding (Kozy Shack makes a decent cold one in single serving cups).
Bananas and cream (or home-made whipped cream).
Use the sweeter salad dressings (like Western, Catalina or French) to dip veggies or chicken nuggets.
Fettuccini alfredo (Butoni makes a good sauce found in the cold case). Just make any pasta and gently microwave enough sauce to cover. You can add leftover steamed broccoli and roasted chicken, too.
Salmon or steelhead trout
Chili con carne with beans, topped w shredded cheese or sour cream
Pasta (or rice) with butter and parmesan cheese
Scrambled egg with cheese or cream cheese mixed in.
Take all that diet advice you have absorbed through the years and reverse it. Concentrate on calorie dense food in small potions - Mashed potatoes loaded with real butter or cream. Ditto in soups and custards. Everything is better with a cheese sauce or gravy. Peanut butter or other nut butters. Peanuts and mixed nuts and seeds for snacks, or trail mix. Avocado if that's your thing... chips and guacamole There are tons of smoothies - make them with full fat Greek yogurt, bananas etc French fries, sweet potato fries and all those other diet no nos Beverages can add a lot of calories Dessert is always appealing
He may do better eating smaller snacks several times a day rather than trying to eat more at meal times. And those people like to diss supplements like boost and ensure but this is what they were made for and can make a huge difference.
One other thought - check if he may be having difficulty with his teeth or chewing properly or swallowing, there are strategies to cope with all those too.
indubuque, let's not forget that as we all age we tend to lose our sense to taste. I remember getting my Mom's grocery list and the vast majority of items were those that had a sugary taste. Pies, cakes, Hostess cupcakes, Little Debbie treats, chocolate chip muffins, soft cookies, oh my gosh all the ice cream, etc.
I feel as we are older, might as well enjoy the sugary items, as long as one doesn't need to limit sweets due to certain medical reasons. The fact that your hubby likes Boost, which is sweet tasting, could be a clue.
Also, as we age, if one isn't active with sports, running, jogging, the gym, then one doesn't need as many calories. Since retiring, I pretty much sit in front of my computer, or on the sofa, I have cut back on the size of my meals.
"Many of us have heard that as we age our taste buds disappear, however, the “sweet buds” remain the strongest over time which leads to a heightened desire for more sweets. By the age of 70 we have lost 2 out of 3 of our 10–15K taste buds and many seniors also have a dry mouth, which adds to craving sweets.
And...studies show that dementia attacks the area of the brain (prefrontal-cortex) responsible for self-restraint in food choices. This leads to choosing the instant gratification of having something sweet or sugary instead of healthy foods."
Avocado has a 14g fiber yet is probably 99% fat, so that could go in casseroles & he wouldn't even notice. A person can live a long time while lean but it's good to have "bribe foods" on hand, like puddings, pastries, etc... for times when he just won't eat.
Lard contains a lot of sustaining fat energy and huge amount of the hormone vitamin, Vit D, but it is high in cholesterol. So, you can add real bacon bits, or a tad of lard. My dad used to like those junk food pig ear things. I recommend a little fried liver once in a while, with sauteed onions. It is a very fatty meal.
Milk chocolate and white chocolate (cocoa butter) are loaded with fat and carbohydrates. You can live weeks on chocolate alone but of course that's not a good idea, but it tells you how valuable chocolate is. If you are using fake sugar in his coffee, might want to use honey because it is high calorie while not too bad for health. Always put a little chocolate syrup or creamed chocolate baking powder in his coffee for extra carbohydrates from the cocoa bean, which is loaded. You can make a slurry of peanut or almond butter and a few TB of coffee, then add his creamer and coffee to come out with a wonderful peanut butter latte which is full of calories and very tasty. You will save money on creamer because the creamy nut butter is creamy too already.
Nuts and nut butters are almost all fat, and very sustaining. So imagine his favorite nuts dipped in chocolate, or adding a little smooth peanut butter to his last cup of coffee each morning. Keeping those individually wrapped mini-candy bars on hand can help, too.
Soda is very fattening, and the lighter colored ones are better for our organs.
A lot of manufactured foods are prepared in oil, like sardines, mackerel, salmon, oysters, artichokes (good for lowering triglycerides), etc... For him, don't buy the ones packed in water, but get the oily ones.
Few men will turn down the most expensive canned steak chili soups, or a warmed up Dinty Moore "beef stew" either from a can or from their long-shelf-life plastic microwavable trays.
Deep frying is easy and some people use the oil a couple times so it's less expensive. Almost anything can be deep-fried, and the oils that I think are best are mild-tasting olive oil & coconut oil. Or butter, for sauteed mushrooms, which are full of Vit D and Vit B. You could make a habit of preparing some sautee (fry) food and just add it to the contents of almost any dinner recipe. For instance, a pint or two of soft, creamy fried garlic, onions, bit of mushrooms, maybe some bell pepper for flavor, celery for health - should last a week in the fridge & you can freeze one for next week. When done correctly, in sparse moderation, he shouldn't even notice anything but a little added flavor. He might appreciate the extra flavor, since older people don't get the full taste of their food due to aging of the taste buds.
Cheeses are very flavorful & sustaining. Brie is almost all fat, and buttery, so he won't even notice it melted in his food. In the stores, notice the hard cheeses, soft cheeses, individually wrapped cheeses you can set near him, shredded cheeses, sliced cheeses, and even low-sodium spray cheese in some stores. The shredded cheeses nowadays can be found as affordably as the old chunks you had to buy. Cheese can be a little binding, as can nuts, so if constipation is an issue you might need to adjust these ideas. Whenever you make a meal, use a little of your prepared stir fry base, then add the savory dish, then top it off with creamy sauces, melted cheese, crushed nuts, avocado slices. Consider making Chicken Mole once to see if he likes.
Sit with husband to remind, redirect, (basically nag) to eat what he's got.
He could be so distracted that he forgets to finish eating.
Now you are talking Geaton and Cwillie! You just listed my favorites!
Tapioca pudding (Kozy Shack makes a decent cold one in single serving cups).
Bananas and cream (or home-made whipped cream).
Use the sweeter salad dressings (like Western, Catalina or French) to dip veggies or chicken nuggets.
Fettuccini alfredo (Butoni makes a good sauce found in the cold case). Just make any pasta and gently microwave enough sauce to cover. You can add leftover steamed broccoli and roasted chicken, too.
Salmon or steelhead trout
Chili con carne with beans, topped w shredded cheese or sour cream
Pasta (or rice) with butter and parmesan cheese
Scrambled egg with cheese or cream cheese mixed in.
Mashed potatoes loaded with real butter or cream.
Ditto in soups and custards.
Everything is better with a cheese sauce or gravy.
Peanut butter or other nut butters.
Peanuts and mixed nuts and seeds for snacks, or trail mix.
Avocado if that's your thing... chips and guacamole
There are tons of smoothies - make them with full fat Greek yogurt, bananas etc
French fries, sweet potato fries and all those other diet no nos
Beverages can add a lot of calories
Dessert is always appealing
He may do better eating smaller snacks several times a day rather than trying to eat more at meal times. And those people like to diss supplements like boost and ensure but this is what they were made for and can make a huge difference.
One other thought - check if he may be having difficulty with his teeth or chewing properly or swallowing, there are strategies to cope with all those too.
I feel as we are older, might as well enjoy the sugary items, as long as one doesn't need to limit sweets due to certain medical reasons. The fact that your hubby likes Boost, which is sweet tasting, could be a clue.
Also, as we age, if one isn't active with sports, running, jogging, the gym, then one doesn't need as many calories. Since retiring, I pretty much sit in front of my computer, or on the sofa, I have cut back on the size of my meals.
"Many of us have heard that as we age our taste buds disappear, however, the “sweet buds” remain the strongest over time which leads to a heightened desire for more sweets. By the age of 70 we have lost 2 out of 3 of our 10–15K taste buds and many seniors also have a dry mouth, which adds to craving sweets.
And...studies show that dementia attacks the area of the brain (prefrontal-cortex) responsible for self-restraint in food choices. This leads to choosing the instant gratification of having something sweet or sugary instead of healthy foods."
Source: https://medium.com/illumination/why-seniors-crave-sweets-395885a38607