I could've called today's blog getting wards to eat their meals since the effort of getting good nutrition into the bellies of children can be just as challenging. Sometimes they don't want to eat balanced meals either.Before my mom needed my help with her life she was an excellent home cook and ate just about everything. Now that she has aged she's a much pickier eater and at times won't eat vegetables, potatoes, bananas, untoasted bread, apples ... the list keeps growing longer! This evening she refused to take a bite of spinach. She won't eat carrots anymore, and I'm a stickler for making sure she consumes enough protein. Health care experts cite a myriad of reasons why seniors become finicky eaters. Sometimes it could be dental problems or perhaps their ability to taste food diminishes. My German mother still loves her bratwurst and knackwurst, therefore I doubt in her case, the reason for refusing soft vegetables is dental issues. Moreover, she's a late riser who must drink 3 cups of coffee after she wakes up before she'll consider eating any breakfast. Somehow I must make all my mom's personal quirks and refusals work in her favor. How do I do it? Well ... I'm not above trickery.
I resort to Greek Yogurt Sundaes, a combination of 1 - 1.5 cups of Greek Yogurt that I mix with fresh and canned fruit: whatever I have on hand, such as pineapples, peaches, pears, grapes, banana (yes, I sneak in 1/2 banana!), blueberries (other berries when you have them) and topped off with a scoop more of Greek yogurt along with 1/4 cup or so of diced almonds, pecans, and walnuts; plus dark chocolate chips. A drizzle of locally grown honey helps too (we have a beekeeper friend). Dark chocolate chips are indispensable for your covert operations! You must outsmart them, or the gig is up.
It's best not to make food a battle. If all else fails gently push the dairy (protein) and fruit (vitamins and fiber)! Seniors need more protein, not less. Currently, the recommended dietary allowance for women 70+ years old is 0.36 grams for each pound of body weight or 46 grams of protein for a 130-pound woman. I serve skim milk with meals without asking. My mom can have fruit juice in-between meals if she asks for it. Luckily mam'ma eats nuts, which I give her for snacks also. Nuts have many benefits for old people, including they are good for their brains and hearts.
Eating right is the first and most effective medicine. I do my best to keep my mom healthy by limiting her sugar, increasing her protein and fiber, and mixing up the foods she eats. But!! Whoever said the ends don't justify the means never had to get the very young or very old to eat their meals. Niccolò Machianvelli agrees with me! Brazen, unabashed, fragrant, trickery ... it's what's for dinner!!😁
This is fascinating Debra, and you are amazing. What clever ways of taking care of your mother's dietary needs, and much better than she would get in an institution (at least in our country). I figure this means I need 50 grams of protein per day, but it will take a while to decide if I am getting that or not. Love the chocolate chips in the Sundaes, lucky Mom. Now I wonder what you give her for dinner :)
ReplyDeleteHere too, even the good institutions tend to give their patients white bread, Cokes and too many candies and high cholesterol goodies — eats we should have as treats, not daily if we don't want to develop other conditions that need medicine to control. Wish it wasn't so, but it is. My mother developed high cholesterol and was prescribed atorvastatin while she was in hospital. A month after leaving and changing her diet (which to be fair was tasty) her long-time doctor who had taken her off atorvastatin years ago (he got her to eat oatmeal every morning 1st which brought her cholesterol down) once again was able to take her off atorvastatin. Now when she gets tested, she's fine, and doesn't take medication, except for naproxen (for arthritis pain) as needed and a high dose vitamin D +calcium for thinning bones that unfortunately we all get as we age. Not bad for her years!
DeleteI must confess, I wish I didn't have to put so much thought into her meals. And I do give her knackwurst 4 - 5 times a week (either for lunch or dinner) to avoid battles. I never cave, however, on pushing the skim milk (protein) or limiting the sugar. Mindful treats only! And luckily she's never really drink sodas. She drinks too much fruit juice though, and its another area where I cave and look the other way. :)