Hey guys! I have heard the temperature is finally coming off from third digits. Yay! How’s your September been treating you so far? Mine has been in turmoil, but I strongly believe life will be better soon! This September, our Veg-Up blog going to talk about dementia and food.
Dementia is one of the major health concerns to the public. We had previously discussed about nutrition that benefits for brain health. This month we are however going to focus on the type of food for people with dementia.
There are a few points that we are facing when it comes to dementia:
First off, the biggest challenge as a person aged, he/she gradually losing the appetite.
Other than the poor appetite, we also have difficulty time of chewing the food related to missing teeth/dentures, poor fitting dentures, or sore gums.
Tips to meet nutrient needs for maintaining our weight and muscle
Always try to practice small frequent meals. By doing so, we create windows for food (nutrient) intake in meeting our daily needs. I know it is easier said than done, but lifestyle is a habit, it DOES REQUIRE practices! Make yourself a mealtime schedule may help to keep yourself on track for adequate food intake. SUGGESTION: you may want to try to eat every three to four hours, something light but packed with calories and nutrients.
To ease the chewing part, may be considered foods that are soft, cook in extra gravy/sauce, and/or foods serve into bite-sized pieces.
Eating can be even more challenging when there are distraction, too many choices, and change in perception, taste, and smell. SUGGESTIONS: Keep distraction (noise, unnecessary table setting) away and try eating together. Serve one or two food items at a time. Use white plates/bowls with a contrasting colored place mat to help distinguish food from plate. Try finger foods. Serve food at room temperature. REMEMBER, it requires patient while caring for a person with dementia.
Ideas for food:
1. Roll Ups: Peanut Butter and Banana Roll Ups, Taco Tortilla Roll Ups
· For Peanut butter banana roll ups, I adapted the recipe from Eating Well. It is the best morning snack I have found so far.
· As for Taco Tortilla roll ups, I referred to Sweet Spicy Kitchen for the recipe. It is an easy snack idea, which contains shredded chicken, sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, cilantro, and taco seasoning.
2. Sandwich: Avocado egg salad sandwich
I found Two Peas & Their Pod has a simple avocado egg salad. It only uses 8 ingredients (excluding wheat toast) to make the salad. I used whole boiled eggs (x2), 1 medium avocado (x1), lemon juice, greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, cilantro, and salt and pepper.
3. Quesadilla: Veggie Quesadillas; Spinach Mushroom Quesadillas
· Veggie Quesadillas (with black bean, sweet potatoes, and corn), the recipe adapted from Erhardts Eat. Of course, something had to happen for my first trial of this recipe. I forgot to include avocado in the quesadillas!
· Spinach Mushroom Quesadillas: you have gotta try the recipe from Dizzy Busy and Hungry. This recipe is super delicious! I actually added some onion to the spinach and mushroom filling. Also, I cooked the quesadillas on the stove as I only prepared a serving for myself.
4. Milkshake: Banana Peanut Butter Shake
There are many protein shake recipes out there available for us to try. Just because I have a banana and peanut butter at home, so I blended the ingredients into milkshake with almond milk and a scoop of vanilla protein powder.
5. Cottage cheese with peaches (canned)
It is a simple yet nutritious afternoon snack idea for you. What you really need is cottage cheese and peaches.
For more tips for eating or feeding for dementia, please do visit Alzheimer’s Association.
Have fun trying out the recipes!
Reference
Alzheimer association (2019). Food and eating. Retrieved from https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/daily-care/food-eating
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