Changes in eating habits and food preference
Dementia can affect how much and when someone eats, as well as what food they prefer. Their experience of flavour may change. They might enjoy flavours they never liked before, or dislike foods they always liked.
- Eating and drinking
- Appetite and dementia
- Drinking, hydration and dementia
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- Supporting someone with dementia to eat and drink
Eating and drinking
Changes to diet or routine
Eating and drinking can be more difficult if a person’s routine and diet are changed. For example, the person may be used to having different portion sizes, or eating more or less regularly throughout the day. By understanding a person’s life experiences and preferences, you can support them to eat and drink.
Considering a person's life history
Thinking about a person’s life history can be useful to understanding their present attitude towards food. Dementia can cause ‘time-shifting’. This is when a person believes they are in an earlier period of their life.
This might affect their eating habits. For example, if a person who has had an eating problem or disorder earlier in their life, this may affect their present relationship with food. Or a person who had been vegetarian may want to eat meat. It can be difficult to know what to do in these situations.
Coping with changing eating habits
- Support the person to make their own choices as much as possible, even if the food combinations seem unusual or are different to what they have always liked to eat.
- Be led by the person on when they prefer to eat. Some people like a light lunch and larger evening meal and others prefer a main meal in the middle of the day. This may be different to when they have previously wanted to eat.
The person’s preferences about how they eat may have changed. They may prefer to talk and be sociable while eating, while others might not like this. - Consider the environment the person prefers to eat in - at a table or sitting on the sofa, while watching TV or listening to music, or in silence.
- If the person does not seem to be enjoying their food, experiment to find out what types of flavours the person might prefer now. You could use herbs and spices, sauces and chutneys to enhance flavours.
- Consider trying food the person has never eaten before, but remember the person’s beliefs and personal preferences about certain foods.
- If a person often enjoys sweet foods, a healthier option might be fruit or naturally sweet vegetables. Adding small amounts of honey, syrup or jam to food can also help.
- Our This is me® leaflet can be used to record details about a person who can’t easily share information about themselves. This includes their food and drink preferences.
Sometimes, people with dementia make food choices that don’t match their usual beliefs or preferences. For example, a person who has been a lifelong vegetarian may want to eat meat for reasons including:
For similar reasons, people who have other beliefs may start to want something that they previously wouldn’t have eaten. For example, a person who does not eat pork for religious reasons may start to want pork.
If a person has fasted as part of their religion, they may be confused at times and feel that they should not be eating. They may need regular prompting and support with this.
It can be difficult to know what to do in these situations. It is important to remember that if the person has the mental capacity to make their own decisions, then changes should not be made without them knowing.
Significant diet changes can have an impact on a person’s digestion. If the person has always been vegetarian but asks for meat, a meat substitute might be easier to digest. It’s best to introduce changes in the amount of protein, fibre or carbohydrates in a person’s diet slowly.
As dementia progresses, a person may put things that aren’t food in their mouth, such as napkins, soap or washing tablets. There could be a number of reasons for this. The person may no longer recognise the item or what it’s for, or they may be hungry and mistake the item for food.
It can be helpful to: