Poor diet

[jknight]

Mum doesn't eat well.
She has weetabix for breakfast.
She makes a sandwich at lunchtime (yes, I have left notes saying a cooked lunch is coming, to no avail)
Hot meal delivered! She eats the meat and pudding but won't touch the veg.
I go in seven days a week. Between me and the carers we make good, nutritious sandwiches, for tea

 

[Sam Luvit]

Mums early stages, picks out what she likes, leaves the rest. I do nag her while eating about the good bits, but if I'm honest, she's eating, so balanced diet be da**ed, at least she's getting energy from the potatoes, calcium from the milk shakes & I top up where I can

Fight the battles you can win, she doesn't want the veg, so try different ones, suggest she try cream with her weetabix, mum loves it , I wouldn't stress on the vegetables, just so long as she's eating

 

[Lemondrop]

Mum got to eating almost nothing...her staple was her bowl of porridge in the morning. I was told to whisk an egg white into it...made it creamy and after not liking porridge for so long (only way to get mum to swallow her tablets)! She actually liked it more. Hope this helps.

 

[Pear trees]

In the early stages my 90 yearold mum would only eat fruit pies by the packet, spicy curries and pasta meals, porridge, satsumas and KitKat and refused anything green. But at least she was eating something and enjoying it.
Now she has no appetite and has to be prompted and helped to eat a small porridge for breakfast, a mini meal for lunch and a pudding with custard for tea.

 

[netsy22]

Not hungry.

My mum eats beans on toast for breakfast -sometimes- and is supposed to have a sandwich for lunch, but rarely does unless someone puts one in front of her. She snacks on cake and biscuits all day and evening. She is supposed to have a Wiltshire ready meal for her tea but was not always doing this, or sometimes not microwaving it for the correct time, so I got carers to come in and do this for her. They also make her a sandwich for the next day, which she sometimes eats. They also weigh her weekly.
I think soon I will have to get the the carers in to give her breakfast. She always says she is not hungry, but if you put a meal in front of her she eats it. She put on half a stone when she was in hospital earlier this year, because she was getting 3 good meals a day. This is another reason why I am going to start looking at care homes!

 

[Tragicuglyducky]

Something I'm looking at the moment is nutient shakes. Dad has lost quite a bit of weight recently because he's lost so many teeth. He also can't always be bothered to make proper meals for himself. Our community matron suggested getting him into the habit of a shake a day just to try and keep his vitamins and minerals topped up. Like the others have said sometimes it's better that they're eating something than nothing at all. I was also advised that at their age and their low level of activity they don't need 3 square meals' worth of nutrients, they're bodies can absorb many of the good stuff we try to get in them, and while it would be good for them to have good nutritious food, it's less important for them. I don't know how true that is but it gives me comfort and it's certainly much easier to ensure they're eating something rather than stress you both out with making them eat what they don't want, or worse still, turning them off food altogether?

 

[jknight]

Thank you, all! You have confirmed my opinion that calories are more important than fruit & veg when one is nearly 87!
Oh, today I visited & a large black forest gateau had been taken out of the freezer (best before 2014 - serves 10-12?) Less than a quarter remaining! On top of that, a large roll, 3 slices of Turkey & a pork pie. Mum also has meals on wheels. She eats the meat & pudding but won't touch the veg. Should I continue with meals on wheels or should I let mum live on sandwiches?
Thoughts gratefully received!

 

[Georgina63]

Thank you, all! You have confirmed my opinion that calories are more important than fruit & veg when one is nearly 87!
Oh, today I visited & a large black forest gateau had been taken out of the freezer (best before 2014 - serves 10-12?) Less than a quarter remaining! On top of that, a large roll, 3 slices of Turkey & a pork pie. Mum also has meals on wheels. She eats the meat & pudding but won't touch the veg. Should I continue with meals on wheels or should I let mum live on sandwiches?
Thoughts gratefully received!

Hi jknight
Sounds like you are doing all the right things. My Mum went through a period of not eating well so we would try and leave finger food around to graze on. We also had meals on wheels which would sometimes get eaten (or hidden in drawers). The advice from the consultant was not to worry about nutrition, but just any food that might appeal! My folks use to have some interesting meals, but looking back in the grand scheme of things, not so much of a problem. Hope you find a good solution. Georgina x