When my mom passed away last November, I moved in with my dad to take care of him. He’s eighty years old, in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and very thin. He also has no sense of smell, so everything tastes the same to him; but if it doesn’t look like the same old meat & potatoes he’s been eating his whole life, he’s leery.
My problem is that Dad needs to gain weight while I, um, do not. He’s lost about eight pounds on my watch. I work full-time and don’t have a lot of time for food prep, and making separate meals for the two of us seems like a lot of trouble. I do usually fix fresh veggies for myself and we sit at the table and eat together, which is an important part of the day for him. I’m not big on pre-cooked or packaged foods but have been relying on them more lately because of the time- and energy-savings.
One thing in our favor: Dad has a real sweet tooth but I don’t. So I can keep lots of cookies and ice cream around without being tempted myself. Other than that (and Ensure, which he drinks with lunch), does anyone have any suggestions for ways the two of us can maintain a healthy weight?
Here’s what occurred to me when reading your dilemma, and keep in mind I am in no way a nutrition or diet expert–I’m sure more knowledgeable people could contribute to this topic. What if you tried the Atkins plan, and just added the carbs for your skinny Dad? For example, you could still prepare meat and potatoes things, but you would try to avoid the carbs while he could have whatever carbs he wanted. From what I’ve read, you want to make sure you read the actual Atkins book and go with their plan (rather than relying on anecdotal pseudo-Atkins).
I don’t think the plan involves complicated cooking, so that’s a plus. With your Dad being of a certain age, you just may have to watch sodium, cholesterol, etc. (my old Dad has to watch that stuff, too).
It could work…maybe…
And good luck with your father–caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be a real challenge, so take care of yourself.
dmm, as mentioned by bailyk, it seems that you father needs more carbohydrates. Before acting on any of my own recommendations, always seek the advice of your dad’s doctor. I’m fairly certain you will want to make sure your father consumes both low and high density lipoproteins. Moderate amounts of both are required for the health of blood vessels.
You might be able to bump up your dad’s caloric intake by making mashed potatoes with some extra butter and half & half. Sweets are not going to do him a lot of good compared to carbs, protein and a healthy amount of fiber. Tuna or chipped beef on toast might work well. You also might want to consider a cheese sauce for his vegetables. All elderly are susceptible to osteoporosis and a calcium boost would be good. Look for some of the calcium fortified orange juice that is on the market. There are lot’s of good meat and potatoes style recipes over in The Ultimate Recipe Thread’s Active Index. If you would like me to suggest some meals, just say the word.
If he has a sweet tooth, milk shakes really pack a lot of calories. When my grandmother had cancer the doc told us to give her as many as she wanted to get her weight up.
