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Thank you for these helpful suggestions. Some of these quick foods can even be combined, such as mixing fruit and yogurt into a smoothie, to have some variety in how the foods are eaten. It's also important to make sure that pickiness isn't being caused by a health issue or difficulty chewing or swallowing. It's important to watch for changes in eating habits and to make sure seniors are getting enough nutrients.
It kind of depends where your elderly loved one is in their journey. By the time my mother was on at home Hospice and I was puree-ing everything that wasn't already soft, (except pickles) I had to learn that no matter how much she liked something, her appetite could very often be nonexistent.
I am a senior citizen who lives independently. I have been a selective eater since infancy (huge issues for my mother in getting the baby formula "just right" so I wouldn't spit it out). My 30-year-old nephew is also a lifelong selective eater who grew up hundreds of miles away from me. Both my nephew and I have hyper-sensitive sensory issues in terms of odors, textures, noises, taste, etc. My ear, nose, throat doctor once told me he believes hyper-sensitive sensory issues are similar to allergies.
My greatest fear as I age is that some well-meaning individual will try to force me to,eat foods I literally gag on - which includes all cooked vegetables except potatoes (I do eat leafy salad greens, raw, crunchy cauliflower and carrots. I do not drink juice with pulp. Tomato sauce must be puréed. Slimy peaches? No! No to mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, fish (except shrimp) soft, slimy eggs.
So, please, honor your senior loved ones by allowing them to repeatedly whatever it is they will. I make a great scrambled egg in the microwave with 2 T heavy cream and 1/4 cup shredded cheese everyday. Love it! Sometimes I skip the cheese and add a packet of Splenda - instant custard! I love eating peanut butter right out of the jar for a snack (mix it with some cream and Splenda or sugar for peanut butter pudding). A one-minute microwave flaxseed muffin, sliced with chicken salad, cream cheese, or peanut butter on it gives me fiber. I make a little chocolate syrup with a bit of water, Splenda and unsweetened cocoa for a syrup in the bottom of a glass - stir in a cup of flax milk and a little cream and voila! I have a nice cold glass of chocolate milk (with fiber). And I love deviled eggs with the filling made with the yolks, cream cheese, mayo and mustard. I could eat a combination of these things everyday. I have to do low-carb and watch my sugar, or I'd easily do a grilled cheese for lunch everyday and oatmeal with a dab of maple syrup for breakfast. I also drink at least one Atkins French vanilla shake everyday (2 carb grams).
Don't fight over what to eat/what not to,eat with a selective eater. Also, do make presentation of foods a focus - I use fine china and sterling silver everyday. Makes me feel special - and I'm not breaking the bank by going to a restaurant.
So many good ideas. My father is never hungry and won't fix himself anything for dinner or lunch, but he loves breakfast and can fix it himself. Because he eats mid-morning, we often skip lunch and have an early dinner or I might make him a small snack. He's satisfied with a cup of Progresso Minestrone soup or 1/2 sandwich and fruit, cut into bite-size pieces. Sometimes cheese or tuna fish on crackers. Today we had blueberry bread. He doesn't have dietary restrictions. Dinner is usually small portions of meat, vegetables, fruit. Sometimes he has the Hormel microwave dinners, which are a little high in sodium but easy to keep around and cook. He likes the little ice cream cones. I keep little carrots, grape tomatoes and cut up celery on hand for snacking. Got him to try flavored yogurt with me by adding a little granola. He's always been a nibbler, so small amounts work well for him. The most important thing for him is someone to eat with. His sister would only eat cheese/crackers or noodles for dinner the last year or so. She lived well into her 90s.
I'm running out of ideas for my picky-eating mother. She has taught me not to ask if she liked an item because she likes just about nothing. She just eats because she must or starve. Her diet has become, toast with jelly, applesauce, a little meat (roast beef, side pork, bacon, hot dogs), lefse, choc covered peanuts or raisens, ice cream & some cookies. I keep trying to find other things, but just get discouraged because she says she doesn't like them. I'm very tired of this. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
What can a person fix for an elderly person who will not eat yogurt or cottage cheese, cannot eat nuts and will eat vegetables only very sparingly. This person cannot live on oatmeal and canned fruit and will eat them only about once a week. So far this person lives mostly on chocolate glucose control protein shakes and very little else. She is diabetic and cannot live on this diet for very much longer. Nor can she live on a hot dog or cup of soup once or twice a week along with that shake.
None of those suggestions will work for my mother who prefers the foods of her youth. These are very ethnic foods not all of which are necessarily the healthiest of choices. But if it's a choice of eat herring is cream sauce (which she LOVES dearly) or two bites of cottage cheese (which she is, at best, merely tolerant of) I'm going to give her what she likes.
Pretty does count, even for guys who are not conscious of it. I think of nicely presented food, but you are right, Paka, about interesting bowls, plates, cups, etc. Pudding in small footed sherbet glasses is somehow more appealing than pudding scooped out of a big bowl.
@nsiverson: Major hugs! I thought my mother was a picky eater, but you have much more to cope with!
My picky eater has two diet-related issues that we MUST deal with: constipation caused by pain medication and bladder infections that can no longer be treated with antibiotics (seriously). Water and fiber are musts in her diet, and it is a daily struggle to get her to consume them in adequate quantities. Strategies have included tough love ("It's your choice. Drink the water and have no pain, or don't drink it and start hurting"), bargaining ("Let's eat these veggies now. If you poop, I can make you a corndog for supper"), and "presentation." Mama has always been high maintenance and obsessed with appearances (think Hyacinth Bucket), so whether things are "pretty" matters a lot.
On one of our outings, I took her to a dollar store, where her shopping instincts kicked in. I pushed her around the store in her wheel chair while she held the basket and pointed to two "pretty" plates and a "pretty" bowl. These are now standard items, used first for breakfast cereal and meals.
I took the hint and bought some pretty dishes (a Corelle pattern called Watercolors that has coordinating but not matching plates, which gives more variety to the settings) that I use next in the rotation. I also dug out some plastic bowls that I once used for candy at seminars: bright yellow plastic with a happy face on the side. Those are cereal bowls now. Her cookies and treats (she seems to crave sugar) are in the Happy Bucket (another bright yellow item with the same happy face on the side).
Note that the bargaining can be two-ways. She may not remember that I am her daughter rather than her mother or, some days, a total stranger, but she does remember how to bargain: "I had a BM. Now I can have something good to eat!"
My 91 yo MIL has Alzheimer and is Very picky about her food - Breakfast = toast (no jelly or jam which she used till she was in hospital in February), canned fruit & Chocolate Milk from a carton (a must have, not made w/ Hershey's syrup) this is alternated w/ scrambled eggs & toast or blueberry pancakes (no blueberries - no pancakes) drowned in syrup (must put syrup on plate before pancakes go on plate then more on top. She has come back 2-3 times for more syrup because "they are dry". A bottle of syrup lasts us 2-3 breakfasts). No cereal, No breakfast meats! Lunch is the same way = grilled cheese (which she would eat everyday if we let her), Tomato soup only, peanut butter & sweet pickle sandwich, Tuna Sandwich. or cottage cheese & fruit. Would rather have KFC, Pizza or Chinese food over something homemade. Even if we use her recipes she doesn't like it & claims she has never had it before. However, a night can not go by without a dish of ice cream & Hot Green Tea (tired iced to get her to drink more water - no go on that)
There are some very good suggestions in this article, and also in Ruth's comment. Not all apply in all situations, of course, but the list is good to consider. Nuts not are a good choice for people who have trouble chewing. My mother can chew them but she simply would not eat them unsalted. Sometimes you have to judge which is worse, not eating, or eating something salty? The same with canned fruit with syrup. Frankly, if my mother weighed 85 pounds and wouldn't eat anything but canned fruit, I'd enourage use of the heavy syrup varieties. Since my husband eats well we use light syrup; I know he'll get additional calories from other healthy foods.
My mother,90, still lives alone. The only cooking she does is with the microwave. We've arranged for her to get meals on wheels, which she likes, and helps ensure she eats several healthy meals a week. I don't think we could count on that without the delivery service.
When hubby is not feeling like eating I can almost always interest him in a milkshake. To the ice cream and milk I add a Carnation Instant Breakfast packet, sometimes a banana and peanut butter, or whatever fresh berries we have on hand, or canned peaches. I'll bet my mother would like this, too, but living alone she is not apt to prepare it for herself.
Mom loves devilled eggs, so us daughters tend to bring a few when we visit.
Cold shrimp dipped in seafood cocktail sauce is something both my husband and mother find easy and appealing to eat.
V8 juice (which comes in a low sodium version) is another thing hubby will sometimes welcome even if he isn't eating anything but crackers with peanut butter.
One thing I have found which encourages my elderly clients to eat, is to serve very attractive food. Sounds like a "duh", but really... look at the plate! I take sliced turkey and put some shredded cheese and a little sour cream and salsa inside, roll it up, and put 3 - 4 of these "logs" in a circle on a little plate. In between I do matchstick cuts of fresh cucumber and carrot, with a couple of olives in the middle. This looks so pretty and not overwhelming in quantity, that it is well received. I have also made a sandwich and cut it into 1 inch pieces, placing a decorative toothpick into each piece. With that, freshly sliced tomato and onion arranged lying on top of each other. For very arthritic hands, skip the toothpick! When one of my clients said he was going to stop eating and let himself die, I said that wasn't on the agenda for that day, and got a bowl of canned, tropical fruit ready. He ate the whole thing and asked for seconds. Later he said, from the other room "I didn't mean it."
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I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
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APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
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You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Quick and Healthy Foods for Seniors Who Are Picky Eaters
My greatest fear as I age is that some well-meaning individual will try to force me to,eat foods I literally gag on - which includes all cooked vegetables except potatoes (I do eat leafy salad greens, raw, crunchy cauliflower and carrots. I do not drink juice with pulp. Tomato sauce must be puréed. Slimy peaches? No! No to mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, fish (except shrimp) soft, slimy eggs.
So, please, honor your senior loved ones by allowing them to repeatedly whatever it is they will. I make a great scrambled egg in the microwave with 2 T heavy cream and 1/4 cup shredded cheese everyday. Love it! Sometimes I skip the cheese and add a packet of Splenda - instant custard! I love eating peanut butter right out of the jar for a snack (mix it with some cream and Splenda or sugar for peanut butter pudding). A one-minute microwave flaxseed muffin, sliced with chicken salad, cream cheese, or peanut butter on it gives me fiber. I make a little chocolate syrup with a bit of water, Splenda and unsweetened cocoa for a syrup in the bottom of a glass - stir in a cup of flax milk and a little cream and voila! I have a nice cold glass of chocolate milk (with fiber). And I love deviled eggs with the filling made with the yolks, cream cheese, mayo and mustard. I could eat a combination of these things everyday. I have to do low-carb and watch my sugar, or I'd easily do a grilled cheese for lunch everyday and oatmeal with a dab of maple syrup for breakfast. I also drink at least one Atkins French vanilla shake everyday (2 carb grams).
Don't fight over what to eat/what not to,eat with a selective eater. Also, do make presentation of foods a focus - I use fine china and sterling silver everyday. Makes me feel special - and I'm not breaking the bank by going to a restaurant.
Just sayin - hope this helps.
My picky eater has two diet-related issues that we MUST deal with: constipation caused by pain medication and bladder infections that can no longer be treated with antibiotics (seriously). Water and fiber are musts in her diet, and it is a daily struggle to get her to consume them in adequate quantities. Strategies have included tough love ("It's your choice. Drink the water and have no pain, or don't drink it and start hurting"), bargaining ("Let's eat these veggies now. If you poop, I can make you a corndog for supper"), and "presentation." Mama has always been high maintenance and obsessed with appearances (think Hyacinth Bucket), so whether things are "pretty" matters a lot.
On one of our outings, I took her to a dollar store, where her shopping instincts kicked in. I pushed her around the store in her wheel chair while she held the basket and pointed to two "pretty" plates and a "pretty" bowl. These are now standard items, used first for breakfast cereal and meals.
I took the hint and bought some pretty dishes (a Corelle pattern called Watercolors that has coordinating but not matching plates, which gives more variety to the settings) that I use next in the rotation. I also dug out some plastic bowls that I once used for candy at seminars: bright yellow plastic with a happy face on the side. Those are cereal bowls now. Her cookies and treats (she seems to crave sugar) are in the Happy Bucket (another bright yellow item with the same happy face on the side).
Note that the bargaining can be two-ways. She may not remember that I am her daughter rather than her mother or, some days, a total stranger, but she does remember how to bargain: "I had a BM. Now I can have something good to eat!"
Mmm. Cornbread and milk! ;)
Lunch is the same way = grilled cheese (which she would eat everyday if we let her), Tomato soup only, peanut butter & sweet pickle sandwich, Tuna Sandwich. or cottage cheese & fruit. Would rather have KFC, Pizza or Chinese food over something homemade. Even if we use her recipes she doesn't like it & claims she has never had it before. However, a night can not go by without a dish of ice cream & Hot Green Tea (tired iced to get her to drink more water - no go on that)
My mother,90, still lives alone. The only cooking she does is with the microwave. We've arranged for her to get meals on wheels, which she likes, and helps ensure she eats several healthy meals a week. I don't think we could count on that without the delivery service.
When hubby is not feeling like eating I can almost always interest him in a milkshake. To the ice cream and milk I add a Carnation Instant Breakfast packet, sometimes a banana and peanut butter, or whatever fresh berries we have on hand, or canned peaches. I'll bet my mother would like this, too, but living alone she is not apt to prepare it for herself.
Mom loves devilled eggs, so us daughters tend to bring a few when we visit.
Cold shrimp dipped in seafood cocktail sauce is something both my husband and mother find easy and appealing to eat.
V8 juice (which comes in a low sodium version) is another thing hubby will sometimes welcome even if he isn't eating anything but crackers with peanut butter.