Nutrition advice for seniors tends to be written for people who want to eat. Most of our clients say they are not hungry, and they mean it. The job is not to lecture; it is to make food that gets eaten.
What works
- Small portions, warm, on a proper plate. A full plate is off-putting.
- Familiar food. Now is not the time to introduce quinoa.
- Soup, which is easy to eat and easy to reheat.
- Protein in every meal: eggs, cheese, tinned fish, beans, minced meat.
- Eating together. A caregiver who sits down with their own cup of tea doubles what gets eaten.
What we leave behind
Two or three extra meals in the fridge in single portions, labelled with the day, and a note of what was eaten since the last visit. If the note keeps saying nothing, we change the plan.
Dentures and swallowing
If your parent has stopped eating meat or raw vegetables, ask about their teeth and about swallowing before assuming it is appetite. Both are fixable and both are frequently missed.
