Camilla Flintermann wrote:
> He still insists on Ensure, which I try to
> limit to evenings due to the 9gm protein per can. Can we use this at lunch
> if supplemented with extra carbo? Could you suggest best way to do this?
> Today I gave him Ensure, plus a small bowl of cereal with blueberries and he
> ate a few dried apricots (label says 29gm carbo per serving!) One problem
> is that he is rather suddenly having a loss of appetite,
> need to avoid protein knocks out eggs, peanut butter,cheeses, etc, I think--
> am I wrong? He weighed 142 a couple of weeks ago, but is now down to 137,
> so I'm concerned.
Dear Camilla,
Does his loss of appetite coincide with the Aricept, by chance? If so,
please mention this to the doc. I don't have any info on Aricept, yet,
so can only speculate.
I'm concerned because weight loss has been prevalent among members in my
nutrition study. RDs hate unexplained appetite/weight loss, and try to
offer anything the person will eat in order to avoid it. A loss of
3#/week in conjunction with loss of appetite is cause for concern.
However, it is certainly possible to continue using the Ensure. You're
quite right to add fruit, not breads or grains -- otherwise, it's hard
to get enough carb to make the 7:1 ratio without eating a huge amount of
food. And, if Peter's appetite is poor, then he needs to make every bite
count.
Here are some good choices; they make good snacks between meals, too, as
they are not so high in calories that they will ruin the appetite for
meals:
1) 8 oz Ensure (NOT Ensure plus)
1 cup blueberries
1 TB sugar
Add sugar to blueberries. Be sure to eat berries at the same time as
the Ensure.
2) 4 oz cranberry juice
2 TB mixed raw nuts
(Nuts: equal parts Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans, filberts.
These are rich in heart-protective fats, trace minerals, and natural
forms of vitamin E)
3) 8 oz calcium-fortified orange juice
1 TB peanut butter
4 saltine crackers
(Calcium-fortified orange juice is a good way to get the calcium needed
to keep the bones strong. Minute Maid makes a frozen OJ, and Tropicana
makes a fresh version.)
Camilla, please let me know how Peter fares; if weight loss continues,
he should see an RD right away before malnutrition can set in. Frequent
small meals and snacks can often prevent this.
My very best regards,
Kathrynne
--
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD
Editor-in-Chief,
"Spotlight on Food--nutrition news for people 60-plus"
http://www.fortnet.org/~fivstar
and NUTRITION TOPICS copy-ready handouts
http://www.dietetics.com/class/fivstar/
Tel: 970-493-6532 Fax: 970-493-6538
