Jean would come to lunch each day and order the same thing. Two pieces of egg salad sandwich, milk and tea. Vanilla ice cream for dessert. I had no problem with her order, except she would take one or two nibbles from each of her quarter sandwiches, drink half her milk and a few sips of tea. (The ice cream mostly got eaten!) I was convinced she was bored with her choices, but her anxiety made it impossible for her to break out and choose something else.
What about if several different choices were offered at the same meal? Like a small form of a charcuterie board?
A charcuterie board? The first time I heard of it, I had no idea what it was. A water toy? (No, not a different kind of surf board.) Some kind of fancy tool for manicures? (No, not an emery board.)
I saw on Facebook this week a tongue-in-cheek definition: a charcuterie board is when you want a sandwich but are out of bread. 😀
There are many definitions of a charcuterie board, but most people today are familiar with one that contains cured meats, a variety of cheeses, crackers, nuts, fruits, veggies and dipping sauces.
Although all that food put in front of most elders would be totally overwhelming, the idea of small bits of different foods can be fun and lead to better appetites and nutrition.
Here are some ideas:
Meat: ham, meat balls with dipping sauce (heat up a few frozen ones), shredded chicken with ranch dressing for dip, pepperoni and other deli meats.
Other protein: small cubes of cheese, devilled eggs, small cube of cream cheese.
Veggies: choose softer ones like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers (red, yellow and orange.)
Dip: any kind of salad dressing makes a good dip, but I’m kind of hooked on purchased spinach dip. Or try some sweetened yogurt as a dip for fruit.
Crackers: a couple of types of soft, interesting crackers. Maybe even some goldfish crackers for fun.
Fruit: raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, dates, small piece of banana, mango slices, grapes, watermelon.
Nuts: again, soft and easy to eat nuts such as pecans. OR, get creative and sneak peanut butter in the dates or down the middle of the banana slices.
Wait a minute. Aren’t these ideas supposed to be quick and easy? This sounds like a lot of work!
The key is preparation. If you have several choices on hand, putting together a small, interesting plate is easy and fun. Have a few eggs hard boiled in the fridge so you can make devilled eggs easily. Have a small container or two of dip.
Then sit down with your elder and have fun choosing what to eat first.
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