Eating habits

Mary Scott

New member
Apr 3, 2020
1
0
Does anyone find that their partners eating habits are affected . One day my husband will barely eat at all , the next he can’t stop eating ,and he has lost the ability to chew so will spit out anything that he has chewed in his mouth and not swallow it ??
 

Shedrech

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
12,649
0
UK
hello @Mary Scott
a warm welcome to DTP
yes, my dad's eating habits slowly altered, so I went from cutting up food to even smaller pieces and a lot of mashed, stews, soups so he really didn't need to chew

also, sweet things can be preferred to savoury, think of those sweet puds of childhood which are easy to eat

do email his GP with this info and ask for a referral to the SALT ie Speech and Language Therapy team as they assess swallowing and may come up with suggestions for you
 

Cat27

Registered User
Feb 27, 2015
13,057
0
Merseyside
Welcome to DTP @Mary Scott
It’s very common for eating habits to be affected. Try your husband on softer foods like stew to help the chewing problem.
Please keep posting as you’ll get lots of support here.
 

nellbelles

Volunteer Host
Nov 6, 2008
9,841
0
leicester
hi @Mary Scott a warm welcome from me also
A nutritionist advised me ‘maximum calories, minimum swallows’
my husband loved Tinned rice pudding with Cream stirred in!
 

RosettaT

Registered User
Sep 9, 2018
866
0
Mid Lincs
I've noticed my OH has started to play with his food, he always had such a good appetite. He still has if I feed him. It's almost as tho' has forgotten what he should with a knife and fork. Give him an apple turnover or biscuits and it's gone in a flash.
 

CatAM

Registered User
Oct 2, 2018
23
0
Fife
I now make small portions of things which are easy to eat, back to his old favourites. Things which need cut up or are unfamiliar are too much like hard work for him. I was advised by the OT not to leave snacks in view, so hide the biscuit tin and try to leave fruit in easy reach. Some days he will eat and others it's a struggle. I find he doesn't even want snacks some days.
 

Justmary

Registered User
Jul 12, 2018
204
0
West Midlands
I've given up trying to get my husband to use a knife and fork. I give him everything in a bowl now and he eats with a spoon, he seems happier to do that on his own rather than being fed. Stews , mince and mashed potato, crumble and custard are all favourites. However he is eating less and less and has become quite skinny. He has also stopped drinking tea or coffee and prefers squash.
 

Twitchy

New member
Apr 3, 2020
3
0
My husband can eat two packets of biscuits in a day, I now have to hide them and ration them, he seems to have gone off proper dinners, unless its mushy and easy to eat with a fork. I am finding it harder to make meals which he enjoys, so I now have days where I just cook something I like, and if he does not facy what I am doing I will do him poached egg on toast which he really likes. He has lost weight too. I caught him drinking neat squash from the bottle the other day, when I pointed it out to him he got annoyed. I am having to adapt my own habits to ensure he does not poison himself, I have to watch him like a hawk, it is very tiring.
 

jenniferjean

Registered User
Apr 2, 2016
925
0
Basingstoke, Hampshire
I am having to adapt my own habits to ensure he does not poison himself, I have to watch him like a hawk, it is very tiring.
I do sympathise with you. It is hard to keep vigil over their eating habits. My husband will often open the fridge and just eat whatever he fancies. Sometimes it could be something that I had planned for the main meal and it would be missing when I come to use it. Because of that and also the worry of him eating something that wasn't meant to be eaten uncooked I bought a lockabox. It fits on a shelf in the fridge and has a 3-digit dial lock which so far has prevented him from opening it.
 

Twitchy

New member
Apr 3, 2020
3
0
I do sympathise with you. It is hard to keep vigil over their eating habits. My husband will often open the fridge and just eat whatever he fancies. Sometimes it could be something that I had planned for the main meal and it would be missing when I come to use it. Because of that and also the worry of him eating something that wasn't meant to be eaten uncooked I bought a lockabox. It fits on a shelf in the fridge and has a 3-digit dial lock which so far has prevented him from opening it.
 

Twitchy

New member
Apr 3, 2020
3
0
jenniferjean that sounds like a great thing to have, I will look for one online. One time hubby was about to try and eat a frozen fish :/ I despair sometimes, I am glad I am not alone in this I find it scary..
 

Jpcross

New member
Mar 24, 2020
7
0
Does anyone find that their partners eating habits are affected . One day my husband will barely eat at all , the next he can’t stop eating ,and he has lost the ability to chew so will spit out anything that he has chewed in his mouth and not swallow it ??
 

CatAM

Registered User
Oct 2, 2018
23
0
Fife
We're usually up early in the morning so I'm now trying out having our 'main' meal at lunch time. Trying to stop him snacking so much in the afternoon which means he doesn't want a meal at night. Hoping he'll get one decent meal a day this way and won't worry too much if he doesn't have much to eat later in the day. He doesn't really go looking in the cupboards and fridge, doesn't know where anything is but does forget if he's had a meal or not:
 

Fiona F

Registered User
Apr 12, 2020
43
0
59
Southampton
My 90yr old mum lives pretty much on biscuits, biscuits, cakes, more biscuits, & if I'm lucky on the odd occasion she will fancy what I call a 'mouse's portion' of something like toasted cheese sandwich, maybe a couple of fish fingers or chipolatas in a sandwich. But she eats like a small child, picking the sandwich apart with her fingers & getting a right mess. She likes jam sponge puddings & custard, & trifles, & has recently decided she does like rice pudding & jam again, having gone off it for ages. But proper meals are a thing of the past sadly.
 

Scrimjay

Registered User
Mar 31, 2019
24
0
Yes, my husband is like that- no problem with cakes , chocolate & ice cream! He will always eat a weetabix for breakfast every morning, fortunately & does like cheese with grapes. Any meals I try him with have to be in tiny portions, otherwise he won't eat. He seems to have also gone off tea and coffee, preferring instead, lemonade.. I try to give him more calories with a hot chocolate made with whole milk.. On a more positive note, he recently discovered olives & actually likes them!
 

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