I love to cook but my husband, who loved to eat, hardly eats what I make now. I am at a loss as to give him the proper nutrition. He always loved breakfast but he is down to 1/3 of what he use to eat and I try to give dinner at lunch time since he won't eat at dinner time in the afternoon. I like to give him protein, a starch and veggies. Have the starch and veggies figured out but the protein is a challenge. If I serve him a steak he usually has about 5 small bites of it and prefers the veggies and mashed potatoes or rice. He eats pork, lamb the same way. Likes pasta and a small piece of Italian sausage but dislikes fish, pizza, burgers. Loves fruit but he was 140 lbs. two months ago and is now down to 108. If he keeps but the weight lost, he will be a stick. He can't tolerate milk and dairy products so Ensure is out. Any ideas anyone?
I'm wondering the same thing as Karsten. Meats are much harder to swallow if someone has dysphagia, a swallowing disorder. Fibrous foods can cause someone to cough and choke. Sometimes those meats get pocketed in the mouth.
He could just be losing his appetite, but he could have a swallowing disorder. If he has a PCP, I would ask about a videoscopic swallow test, performed and monitored by a speech pathologist.
It's easy, not painful. His swallowing is reflected in a type of x-ray machine, while he eats samples of foods (such as crackers) and liquids. The speech pathologist can see whether or not food is going into his lungs (aspiration).
If so, his diet would be changed, perhaps to what's called mechanical soft, or pureed foods, and he would be switched to thickened liquids.
Either way, I think it would be a good idea for someone to examine him for any other issues that could affect his appetite, especially if he's pocketing food.
It also could be that he's just reached a stage where he doesn't want as much food as he used to eat.
I also had an experience similar to Pam's. Meals were generally 2 hours. I just took a gardening magazine with me and read while he finished eating.
She likes her fruit, mangoes & bananas. She will get more of the soft fruits now.
I am going to speak to the PCP next week about her new meds and loss of appetite.
The idea of the swallow study is good. My dad had that after his stroke. He was supposed to eat thickened food but hated it, so we did the best we could.
Also, my cousin, who is a nurse, said that as we near the end of our lives, our taste for meat is the first one to go, while our taste for sweets is the last one. So you'll find hospice patients who want less and less meat or savory foods and more and more sugary foods. Good luck, I know it's hard to accept when your loved one isn't eating.
Good luck