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Eating
tips for people with chronic illness
Feb. 07, 2008
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
I
lost my dear uncle last month. He died at his home at the
age of 80 from complications of emphysema after 50-plus years
of smoking.
He had it his way, though. No assisted living, no nursing
home. Independent until the end, he lived alone in a Chicago
motel room for the last 12 years of his life.
His lung disease took away his mobility and reduced his 6-foot
2-inch frame to 130 pounds. With no microwave oven or stove,
and only a small refrigerator for food storage, meals became
whatever could be gotten from a package or opened with a handheld
can opener from the comfort of his chair.
Despite the malnutrition that accompanied his disease, my
uncle took steps to prolong his life. Three years ago, he
stopped smoking. And he got some long-distance coaching from
his two dietitian nieces.
Like lung disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses often
leave people with no appetite and little strength for fixing
meals. Eating well in these cases poses a challenge. When
weight loss is a threat, a good diet can help preserve a healthy
weight and maintain strength.
My uncle applied every trick in the textbook. Among the most
helpful:
* Eat small, frequent meals or snacks. They take less time
and effort to prepare and eat, and smaller quantities of food
in the stomach can cause less pressure and feel more comfortable
for some people.
* Drink your nourishment. Fluids are easier to get down and
can be concentrated in calories and nutrients. My uncle drank
Ensure Plus, which delivers 350 calories in an eight-ounce
can. That’s as many calories as in a peanut butter sandwich.
Similar brands of meal replacement drinks are available in
grocery stores and pharmacies. Carnation Instant Breakfast
is another, cheaper, option.
* Go with no-effort meals. It may sound grim to eat a diet
of boiled potatoes, kidney beans, baked beans and pickled
beets from cans and jars. But ready-to-eat foods are simple
and quick, and canned fruits and vegetables are nutritious.
Jars of applesauce, fresh bananas, and cups of yogurt are
also easy.
* Know how much you are eating. My uncle kept a daily log
of the foods he ate or drank and their calorie counts. If
the total for a day came in at less than 1,500 calories, he’d
drink a can of Ensure.
My uncle had bags of groceries delivered to his room by his
neighborhood supermarket, where he could also order the occasional
deli salad or sandwich. He indulged the family sweet tooth
with cookies and bite-sized candy bars. (“When I need
an energy boost,” he’d say.) Desserts add calories
but little in the way of nutrition. He’d sometimes pop
a multivitamin and mineral supplement. Not ideal, but it probably
didn’t hurt.
What else works?
* Gifts that support health. At holiday times and for special
occasions, my uncle got fresh fruit (Harry and David mail-order
pears), nuts and dried fruit.
* Meals in the company of others. Many people who are sick
feel more like eating when they’re with others. When
family visited and he was still able to get around, my uncle
enjoyed trips to the Full Moon restaurant for a hearty, hot
meal.
* Make enough for later. For anyone well enough to cook meals,
prepare enough to freeze leftovers in small batches for reheating
later.
My uncle preferred his privacy, but group meal programs, Meals
on Wheels and other meal delivery programs are available in
many areas. Health care providers and social workers can often
make a referral.
With a bit of know-how, older adults facing a chronic illness
can design for themselves a low-effort diet to support their
health.
My Uncle Vic did it, and he was in our lives a little longer
as a result.
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