Caregiver Challenge: Appetite Boosters

Challenge: How can you increase a loved one's appetite? 

Solution: Loss of appetite, whether due to disease, medical treatment, or simply aging, is common among older patients. As a caregiver, you want your loved one to get the nutrition he or she needs to maintain strength and to recuperate, so when food is unappealing you may become frustrated and worried.

Consider why your loved one isn’t eating at all or isn’t eating the “right” foods. If your father is balking at his new low-fat diet after a heart attack, it may be due as much to fear as to how “horrible” the new foods taste. Or perhaps your mother’s appetite is fine, but dementia makes it difficult for her to focus on the task of eating or she craves sweets to the exclusion of more nutrient-rich foods.

You can allay your fears, and try to increase your loved one’s appetite, with a few simple strategies: 

• Minimize mealtime distractions. Turn off the TV and radio. If you go out to eat, choose a seat for your loved one that isn’t facing the center of a busy restaurant.
• Eat together. Create a relaxed, leisurely atmosphere and linger at the table. Avoid clearing plates to encourage a few last bites.
• Heavy meals can lead to nausea and discomfort, especially when combined with medications that list nausea or poor appetite as a possible side effects, increasing the risk of vomiting or aspirating. Aim for six to eight smaller meals a day.
• If appetite loss is due to medication, change things up depending on the side effects. For example, if your loved one complains of the strong smell or taste of food you can try blander dishes. On the other hand some medications make food taste blander. In that case, you can add a lot of flavor with little additions of herbs, spices or lemon juice.
• Cookbooks and websites are full of ways to sneak vegetables or protein into cookies or snacks, but if you think trickery might backfire, look to familiar recipes for favorite dishes. Make minor tweaks to boost nutrition or to meet the parameters of a new diet: If you typically simmer rice in water and then add butter, simmer it in low-sodium broth or fruit juice; rather than steam vegetables, try roasting them, which caramelizes their natural sugars and imparts a richer flavor; spice blends and meat rubs can boost flavor, too, but read labels and if necessary pass on those with sugar or salt.