Wholesome and tasty with a pretty presentation. But will it do the trick?

by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris ~

Julia Jr. and the rest of our pooch pack agreed with Savvy Stella about the heat, and spent the day sprawled out around the living room. The difference was that we didn’t have to try to convince any of them to eat.

“I’m not hungry,” proclaimed our Elder Loved One (ELO) Savvy Stella this morning. “It’s too hot.”

It’s true that we’ve been experiencing some substantial summer mercury here in San Diego county. But “I’m not hungry” is a frequent refrain, and there’s always a different reason. It’s too hot, or too cold, or too early, or too late, or “I’ve never been much of an eater,” or “I’ll be perfectly happy with just some crackers.”

What it comes down to is the fact that our bodies change as we age, with waning appetites a typical result. “A decreased appetite is almost always seen among elderly adults,” according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

A couple of years ago a nurse explained the process, assuring me that it’s not out of the ordinary. Our metabolism tends to slow, so the natural yen for calories is not as keen. Dulling of the taste buds, deterioration of olfactory cells, and general neurological decline can make food less appealing. Illness can have a dampening effect, as can vitamin deficiencies, and side effects from certain medications. Depression, grief, and loneliness, which are all-too-common problems for the elderly, can also play a role. Troubled by arthritis or fatigue, or by safety concerns, many seniors get less exercise, reducing the flow of oxygen and the production of the beneficial chemicals needed for a robust appetite.

Putting on a little weight can be a good thing

Add it all up, and we care givers can face quite a struggle at mealtimes.

A little extra padding

Last week one of Savvy Stella’s doctors was delighted to see that she had put on a pound or two in the month she has been living with my husband and me.

“I like to see seniors gain a little weight,” he explained. “Often we have the opposite problem—older folks lose weight and get too thin. And Stella, with your osteoporosis, we want to give you some extra padding in case you should fall.”

It was nice to hear we’ve been doing something right. But can we keep this up? Stella suffers from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Symptoms include tummy bloating and discomfort, constipation, and fatigue, among others. She needs a special diet to keep it managed, plus it has to be low-salt to help control her hypertension (high blood pressure). It can be a challenge to meet all the requirements while providing tasty, nutritious meals.

Tricks to improve appetite

Beware of medications that might have the side effect of reducing appetite.

A little research turned up the following ways of ramping up an ELO’s interest in eating.

1. Stay on a schedule whenever possible. We mammals are creatures of habit, both mentally and physically. Our brains and bodies can be trained to expect and accept food at certain hours of the day.

2. Try smaller, more frequent meals and snacks. That way the diner doesn’t come away from the table feeling too full, but instead with a little bit of room left for the next round.

3. Make it count. Remember that you might have limited success in getting your ELO to eat on any given day, and the volume of food they’ll agree to might be pitifully small, so when they are in the mood, don’t waste your chance on junk foods or marginal choices. Pack even the smallest meal with as many nutritious ingredients as possible.

4. Stay in touch with your ELO’s doctor to make sure there’s not an underlying, treatable medical reason for reduced appetite.

5. Beware of meds. If your ELO’s medications or supplements change, and you detect a decrease in appetite, talk with the doctor to see what can be done.

6. Keep your ELO company while he/she dines, or if you can’t, try to arrange for someone else to do so. Modern life has led to more and more isolation, which is completely unnatural for most mammals including humans. Generally, we were bred to live in groups, with mealtimes being highly social times of day. Convivial conversation can improve our mood and therefore our desire to eat. Also, researchers have found that the “monkey see, monkey do” principle applies to eating.  Seeing, hearing, and smelling another “monkey” chowing down is likely to make us want to do the same.

Had a hunch that waffles–even just frozen ones popped in the toaster–would give off an appetizing aroma.
Photo: SpicyStoriesSaveLives.com

Buckwheat bonus

Keeping all this in mind, today I decided to go for something Savvy Stella really loves, waffles, teamed with something else she adores, yogurt. That would have to deliver an irresistible one-two punch for her appetite, wouldn’t it?

But because of the IBS it couldn’t be just any waffles or yogurt, and I didn’t have time to make something from scratch. So I used two IBS-friendly products we had on hand.

Nature’s Path Organic Buckwheat Wildberry Frozen Waffles are made partly from buckwheat flour. This naturally gluten-free grain isn’t really a grain, and definitely not a wheat, which would be verboten on the IBS diet. Strangely enough, it’s a plant related to rhubarb. Rich in protein, iron, selenium, and lots more nutrients, buckwheat contains a substance called rutin, which strengthens capillary walls. Supposedly this humble seed, originally from China, can help lower blood pressure and boost the immune system, too.

(While Googling today, I learned that buckwheat hulls can be used to stuff pillows and furniture cushions. I probably won’t be taking advantage of that particular use of this product any time soon. Given the schedule of care giving, I’m happy these days when I even just get to sit for a while on any piece of furniture, no matter what it’s stuffed with. Nevertheless, well, wow… buckwheat hull pillow stuffing. Who knew?)

There are ingredients in the Nature’s Path buckwheat waffles that we could do without, like sugar, which can cause IBS trouble, and palm kernel oil, the farming of which causes a lot of trouble for the endangered orangutans and other tropical forest species it displaces.

So I’m highly motivated to find the time to become a better caregiver as well as a better world citizen who can whip up a batch of homemade waffles, freeze, and keep in store for Savvy Stella’s future “I’m not hungry” mornings.

In any case, part of my nefarious scheme today was that the aroma of hot waffles might perk up Savvy Stella’s senses of smell and taste, even though said waffles were just heated up in the toaster by a certain lazy chef.

‘Tempting’ yogurt

In today’s parfait the yogurt was a brand aptly-named “Tempt,” made from hemp seed, yummy and dairy-free. (Dairy is an IBS no-no.)

Served the parfait with a fork for the waffles and a spoon for the yogurt.

Hemp seed is super nutritious, offering great amounts of magnesium, zinc, iron, fiber, and essential fatty acids. A protein heavy-hitter, it sports an amino acid profile to rival those of soy and animal products.

For us the only down side to Tempt Hemp Dairy-Free Yogurt is the added sugar, but it’s not too terribly sweet, thus can function as a treat now and then.

Pretty presentation

To pique Stella’s interest further, I thought of serving the waffles and the Tempt yogurt a little differently than usual, as a sort of parfait. A retired restaurateur, Stella taught me a thing or two about presentation. It’s fun to fiddle with foods to make them look pretty.

The strawberry on top of the parfait was a bit of a cheat, because IBS can be triggered when fruits are eaten together with proteins, but volume matters, and I gambled that this teensy berry would probably do a lot more good than harm. We humans evolved to love colorful foods, with red being one of the most appetizing of all.

I tossed in some of Savvy Stella’s beloved almonds for extra nutrition and crunch (chewing stimulates the salivary glands), and some banana slices for the potassium and countless other banana benefits. (It’s IBS-fine to combine bananas with protein). Then I marched the concoction into my ELO’s room, served, and held my breath.

All gone!

My bets paid off. A certain someone who wasn’t hungry polished off the whole parfait.

How refreshing to start this scorcher of a day with a little Savvy Stella success!

Next it was time to plan the temptations for lunch and supper. Hmmm…

Editor’s Note:  Readers may wonder why Spicy is posting articles about human elder care on a website devoted to helping animals.  Good question.  One answer is that it gives us an excuse to write about animal-friendly foods. We hope additional answers will reveal themselves in future posts.

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