My mother does not stop eating. I will give her a decent breakfast and within 5 minutes of finishing breakfast, she is in the kitchen seeing what else she could have to eat. She particularly likes junk food. I try not to keep a lot of that on hand but sometimes it is there and she wants it. For several months she did not have an appetite and was vomiting frequently. That has since been controlled. I just can't figure out if it is her way of control or is there some sort of psychological thing going on. Any ideas or input would greatly appreciated.
Sugar is also quite addictive. Once the sugar addiction is broken with healthy foods like meat, veggies, cheese and eggs, then the body will crave those only, until it gets nutrients it needs. Then the person will actually feel less hungry and stop grabbing everything in sight.
A good source of minerals and vitamins are needed to help offset the junk food cravings.
The eating habits of the above mentioned folks indicate theya re on a sure path to diabetes.
Hope this helps
Aside from ruling out underlying problems, what is problem with her eating all the time? Is she gaining weight that would be unhealthy? Is it too expensive? Is it too time-consuming for you? If you can identify what the real problem is you will be more successful in coming up with ways to overcome it.
Good luck!
When I had her here I really did not want to let her eat gummy worms as she needs to gain weight and she would rather fill up on tummies than food that could help her gain weight . But, I decided to pick my battles. I only have her part time. What good would one week do? I did give her coconut oil and made sure she ate 3meals a day - which she did. But , man, she kept those gummy worms by here side and she shoved them in her mouth-like 4 at a time! She soooo does not need the sugar as she has anxiety and OCD. But , again, I just did not have it in me to fight her on this.
Could your Mom's junk food habit be AD cravings? I really thought that Alzheimer's made people crave sweets. I know my grandma, who had AD , only ate cake until she was placed in a NH. She would not eat anything eles. From what I heard back then it was because with AD you lose all your taste except for sweet things. And , I do believe, those sweet things do not fill you up like those nice healthy grains and proteins.
If your mother also eats healthy things and doesn't have diabetes, I don't see a big problem with her enjoying gummy worms (ugh!) until that obsession passes. Can she chew well and swallow OK? I'd be more worried about her choking on having 4 of the dang things in her mouth than nutritional problems.
And I think you are right ... we do need to pick our battles. Personally, I don't think gummy worms would be high on my priority list to fight over. (I'm talking about with an elder, not a young child.)
The last I read there was no PROVEN connection between sugar intake and behavior, such as hyperactivity or anxiety. But I'd rely on my own observations with a given individual for that. If sugar and gummy worms seem to increase your mother's anxiety, then that is your reality. I've read some studies trying to determine if cake and pop etc. make kids "wild" and the conclusion was that the "wild" behavior seemed more related to the activity around them, which was often a lot of other kids at a party, than the amount of sugar consumed. As I say, if you have a kid who goes crazy after eating candy, even if he is home alone, then that research might not be very convincing. :)
Maybe this could be the first step in gradually adding a little in-home help.
I feel like crying. I have been nervous for days. Manic. No sleep. Poo.