Glad to see the article about these nutritional supplement beverages. We all have our own perspectives on what constitutes healthy eating, and as most MDs do not study nutrition in their training, their guidance is often based on materials marketed to providers and presentations at conferences and in journals. Some of that is research based, but often the research results are weak. A registered dietician (RD or RDN) knows much more about nutrition.
When an elder is refusing to eat or just only nibbles and sips, it is so frustrating to try to improve nutrition and hydration.
Eating is a social activity.
My 90 y.o. elder eats dinner every evening with my sister and spouse, or with me and my spouse. In past few months has lost cognitive skills/desire to prepare anything to eat for herself, other than coffee and Rice Krispies for breakfast. She eats much more if you take her out to eat. Or if you sit with her to eat, as long as you are also eating.
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Most of the people start taking nutritional drinks without having accurate knowledge about these drinks. Anyone wishing to gain healthy weight then they must follow these simple steps: blog.trans4m.co/5-effective-steps-to-gain-weight-faster/
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Both Ensure and Glucerna contain maltodextrin. Because maltodextrin is a starch sugar, not a simple sugar, it is not considered a sweetener. In fact, "unsweetened" products can contain maltodextrin. But maltodextrin can have a glycemic index twice as high as cane sugar, and high-glycemic foods are known to increase the risk of diabetes II and heart disease.

These so-called "nutrition" drinks are often made of processed sugars, processed oils, and processed vitamins and minerals. You might as well be feeding the elderly ice cream with gummy vitamins.
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Eating, seems non stop to me, without doing ANYTHING to burn it off. Any ideas?
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My grandmother is 92 and will eat cream soups which I make myself full of things that are good for her vegetables and protein,and milkshakes with peanutbutter,eggs,chocolate and bannanas,and carnation instant breakfast and she drinks these fine but will only eat something that is sweet you can make brownies and put different things in them that have been blended well and they taste sweet and she does not taste the difference and this way she is getting good items in her diet not tons of sugar and crap,it takes a little work but they are worth it.
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Glucerna? This so-called nutrition shake contains maltodextrin, a starch sugar that is known to have an extremely high glycemic index. In fact, it probably has the highest glycemic index among all sugars.
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Doctor recommends that my husband and I use a nutritional supplement drink but we are both disabled veterans and on a fixed income. Are there any programs or organizations that can help us? We don't qualify for government assistance. Thank you.
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My mother who is 84 y/o who cannot taste. She was 170 lbs and now weighs 131 lbs. She recently had Aortic Valve surgery which made her situation worse but she had no taste prior to this but now worse. I know that she cannot rely on Boost/ensure etc and try to get her to eat a small nutritional meal but she said how hard it is to eat when you cannot taste and have no appetite. We have talked to Drs and they do not know and some do not care what to do. I know when we get older that our taste buds decrease but I am very concerned about moms health...watching her deteriorate is hard. Any suggestions? Please help
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I take care of my 77 yr old great aunt. She partially raised me along with my great grandma until she passed at 72 yrs old. Anyways, she has lost her sense of smell and taste i have noticed has decreased. She has a really hard time speaking ( I think) because of her diease. She gets super frustrated with things and emotionally and mentally shuts down. Again I think she suffers from depression but I'm not a dr. I wish i could help her more. Her and i never really had a good relationship so I'm kinda trying to make up for being a bad kid growing up. Sometimes we just sit and have no conversation and then sometimes we will talk and i cant understand what she is talking about. Idk why im posting this. I guess i just need to talk. Lol
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Both my 86 year old husband and 88 year old mother have been told by more than one doctor each to drink Boost to gain weight and provide nutrition. I was giving it to them in addition to their meals My husband does not like it and did not want to continue with it but my mother drank it at least twice a day. That is until two weeks ago when her doctor called and told me to take Mother to the emergency room right away; her potassium levels were dangerously high.That problem has been resolved with a small change in diet which includes no nutritional suplements like the Boost. When I read the nutrition info on the bottle and saw it contained over 630 of potassium and she had been drinking at least two a day in addition to a high fiber diet, I felt betrayed by doctors who were prescribing this stuff. My husband takes Coumadin and must keep his potassium levels in check, had been having problems in the past few months with low numbers when he went to have his levels checked; requiring constant changes in his dosages. When he stopped the Boost his Coumadin numbers returned to normal. Doctors should be more aware of the conflict these nutritional drinks can have with the many medications and diet restrictions many elderly people have.
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My husband is here at home under Hospice care. He sleeps some 22 hrs a day, just as he has for several years. I asked his nurse how I'll know when he's dying, and she said his appetite will slowly diminish and he won't want to get up. Seems that's part of the natural shut-down of the body. It's on its own timetable. That helped me not fret about the meals he rejects. I just toss the food and try to say sweet words to him as long as his body is around.
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My 95-year-old mother is still in her home, with the assistance of CNAs. She lost some weight at first, but she was happy to get rid of some of the "rubber tire" around her middle. The nurse supervisor for the CNAs suggested adding Boost or Ensure, but I told her Mom would rather have a piece of chocolate or cookie instead of a chocolate shake. Mom has a late breakfast (11 am) and dinner at 5:30 pm. When I visit, I bake things I know she'll like (her own recipes) and prepare meats (meatloaf, meatballs, casseroles, chicken breast portions), then pack them in individual servings to put in the freezer. She enjoys her familiar foods and all the CNA has to do is defrost and reheat, then add veggies and salad. She'll complain there's too much food on her plate (really, child-size portions), but if I tell her to take her time, she ends up cleaning the plate and asking what's for dessert. I think a senior's appetite depends a lot on the ambiance of the setting (for Mom, at the kitchen table rather than on a tray in the TV room) and appearance. No one would think a tray of luke-warm food (such as in a hospital or NH) is appetizing, so why should it be different for a a senior?
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I have a problem with this article... "If a caregiver does decide a nutrition drink is right for their elderly loved one, a doctor should still be consulted to determine the type of supplement to use. " when has a doctor prescribed nutrition or supliments that are natural? I lost both a mother and grandmother to Doctors prescribing this stuff, but not once did they recommend or suggest natural supplements. They went with man made, synthetic products that our bodies don't work optimally with. Instead the Doctors strongly suggest avoiding natural supplements because they are an unknown to them. UNKNOWN? how much training has a typical MD doctor received in supplements? This is a question you must ask your doctor before taking their advise for treatment. RED FLAG: why would you need to ask your doctor about supplements instead of a professional nutritionist?
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Are there any herbs or food that can increase the sensation of taste.
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Very good and gives some interesting views on loss of taste in the elderly
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This article brings out a few important points- However..Mention of BOOST for elders makes me shiver- I am a metastatic cancer patient...first had breast cancer in 1982- I now live with Bone & Bladder Wall cancer- It makes me SO angry to see the Cancer Society hand out CASES of Boost..& other so called "nutrition" drinks to cancer patients...ALL chock full of Artificial Sweeteners which greatly lower the immune system- Aspartame/Nutrasweet is the most Neurotoxic for the brain & nervous system...as well as being Tumor Enhancing (reported since late 1960's).....Sucralose/Splenda Shrinks the Thymus Gland (major part of the Immune System)..Asulf K being known as causing Blood Disorders..Saccharin being a Coal Tar derived Blood Thinner- BUT..with many saying FDA should be letters for FATAL DRUGS ALLOWED...I am angry that our FDA DID Totally Ignore European Doctors who recommended that Sucralose/Splenda should NOT BE ALLOWED on US Markets..Because it was found in Europe to Shrink The Thymus Gland in patients taking it- Those Drs reported their upset over switching patients from deadly Aspartame to Sucralose...& finding similar symptoms in those patients..then realizing the Splenda was shrinking the thymus gland- Anyone really caring about people who must keep their Immune System Healthy..would NOT encourage intake of Immune Lowering Substances- The Medical Field stands for whatever FDA Allows..in order to NOT threaten medical licenses..& face court time- I am presently watching someone close to me, a cancer patient...worsen after more than a year of CASES & CASES of FREE BOOST she was handed by the Cancer Society in our capital city- This is very upsetting- All ages are suffering from this..including from most stores stocking ONLY Artif Sweetened Gum..so children get NO natural sweetened gums as we had while we were growing- Most popular soft drinks today are sweetened with either Toxic High Fructose Corn Syrup..OR Artificial Sweeteners, - When I asked the Cancer Society if they had ANY Nutrition Drinks withOUT Artificial Sweeteners...the answer I got was : OH NO..b/c SO many of the patients have blood sugar problems..it makes NO sense to allow sugar in anything we dispense- A closer look at cancer patients..also frail elderly people..TAKING IN the Artif Sweetened drinks...show those patients NOT staying stable physically...b/c their Immune Systems continue to be weakened BY the Artif Sweeteners- Only ONE Ensure product given to my elderly mother in law..does NOT have any Artif Sweeteners...but that ONE Small Can is the ONLY Ensure product we have seen (in any facility..hospital..nursing home, etc)..that is free of Artif Sweeteners- We did buy a Large Can of ENSURE "POWDER"..which does NOT have Artif Sweeteners OR HFCS- Other than those...we only buy ORGAIN drinks..which are all natural..plant based protein drinks- (Walgreens seems cheapest for Orgain)- I use these only in times of feeling a need for extra nutrition..such as taking half Orgain/Half Milk- Orgain was developed by a Dr who HAD CANCER-
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Dorie, since her last surgery where something went very wrong, my Mama has existed solely on the Ensure Plus which is provided by our Hospice provider...They ship the vanilla flavor to us...and I add things like applesauce, smooth peanut butter, reeces cups, bananas, any fresh fruits, flavorings, etc. and also have a good quality protein powder that I add occasionally. It's a good way to cram a lot of nutrition into one shake. I have one of those personal size blenders...Mama has existed on this diet solely for almost two years and has not lost an ounce! Maybe that could work for you? Of course keeping in mind any concerns re kidney function from too much protein, or other things your LO might not tolerate as well...just thinking out loud...but Mama seems to really enjoy these and to be honest, I always sample it before I give them to her as I want them to taste good and they're really good! Oh, also the baby foods, all kinds of fruit blends and stuff there too! Good luck.. :)
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We still need a really good nutritional drink. My 92 year old father is loosing weight and has been drink Boost with breakfast. We are making him have a boiled egg as well, so some good protein. The first 3 ingredients are water, sugar and corn syrup and then canola oil. Are there better drink supplements?
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Thank you all for posting! Mom is petite but down to 100 lbs dr says she needs to gain weight she's always tried to stay slender only eats spin ache salads low cal foods thinking it's healthy I did too but should I encourage her to eat higher cal foods? She always is concerned about her appearance and getting fat. Thanks for heads up on boost she's been given that when she wont eat has no appetite. Are there any healthy supplemental drinks between meals? She eats dinner w friends at 4pm not much before or after. She thinks it's feminine not to eat and be thin. Oh dear.
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My mom sleeps in daytime not at night what do I do so tired
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I have been a caregiver for a 90 years young lady for 2 1/2 years. I take care of her in her farm home; her son lives with her.
I became her caregiver after she almost die with Cdifficile.
She weight less then 99 pounds.
She came back home and I became her full time caregiver. I attend to her meals, breakfast and lunch.
She has difficulty swallowing so it has always been a challenge to keep her strong and healthy.
Her lunch and dinner consist of only Campbell mushroom soup.
At breakfast she has juice.
Because of her lack of interest and ability to swallow solid food, I have included a meal replacement. She has been able to bring her weight to 104lbs which is good. I'm not keen on those meal replacement but I'm not sure what else to do. I have found Oasis meal replacement to be more nutritious then others.
She is dealing with a form of dementia.; her swallowing reflex is quite difficult. She has gone through many test.
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Thank you unclemike and cwillie for your very kind and helpful replies to my comments. I KNEW I'd like this forum and I feel blessed to have "discovered" this web site and to have found all of you good people here. From time to time I do make fruit/vegetable smoothies, that is, when I can afford to buy fruit as it's so expensive now, but I was so surprised to find that I actually like the veggie-fruit combination in a smoothie. I had to struggle again yesterday to find something I could eat and decided to eat just some fresh kale I cooked and thankfully, I was able to eat enough to kill the hunger. Today I ate a jelly sandwich, one slice of bread. Hopefully I'll get enough of an appetite later so that I can keep from feeling so ill as I feel almost every day from being hungry but not having a desire for anything that will stifle the hunger. Thanks again for your helpful comments. Please know that they were truly appreciated.
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Ensure plus is 355 calories packed into a mere 235 mls. For those of us despairing to get our loved ones to consume enough to stay barely alive it is a godsend. There comes a point when you don't care how unnatural it is, it is food and it helps to keep them going.
The companies that sell these types of drinks are only interested in the bottom line, so they try to market them as energy drinks and a healthy part of an average person's diet. Taking it when you can get your calories from real food is a waste of money, those little bottles retail for $8-$15 per 6 pack where I live. Stuffing yourself with nutritional drinks, pop (soda), beer and other high calorie beverages will fill you up and can definitely decrease your appetite for real food.
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Ensure and such processed beverages are not real "food" since they are made of mostly sugar and chemical vitamins. However, a "smoothy" made from real freshor frozen fruit, vegetables (such as kale), nuts, and unprocessed coconut oil, and yougurt would be an excellent cholce. The elderly need more nutrients, and far fewer drugs. Drugs don't make people healthy, and they often cause more damage or death in the elderly (and others) than supplements could ever do. Unfortunately, most MD's know little or nothing about nutrition, and a better choice would to find an ND to balance the diet and reduce toxic drugs.
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The article as well as the comments were very helpful. I've signed up but wonder if this forum is only for caregivers, which I have been in the past, before my mom died, but I'm here today for myself. I guess we could say that I'm still a caregiver, with the difference being that I'm also the one needing information for myself. So many of the comments I've read since discovering this site through a web search for "what can a person do if they're hungry but have no appetite," and was interested in on the possibility of finding perhaps a suitable drink supplement, then after creating a profile, began to wonder if I was in error in doing so. Must one be a caregiver of someone else in order to belong to this forum? In reading the comments, some of them caused me to cry but what I found here was compassion and respect for others which is rare on so many sites where comments are allowed. I see the sincerity of those of you who've been supporting each other in your posts and your answers to the posts of each other, and I felt like I'd be welcome here even if I'm not a caregiver. Thanks and I wish the best for all of you. I'll visit back here from time to time since I see that there is so much helpful advice as well as very helpful articles available here for everyone.
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I'd recommend an ND , preferably one with geriatric training and not a family practice MD or Dietician to take a look at the person's lifestyle, diet, health history and medications. If optimal nutrition by way of supplements negatively "interacts" with their pharmaceutical drugs, perhaps something more "natural" could be supplemented rather than the toxic chemicals in drugs. According a report in the AMA in 2000, there are over 100,000 people die every year from pharmaceuticals -when taken as directed! There may be a handful (if that) who die from nutritional supplements. Far more die from POOR nutrition! There's much too much reliance on chemical drugs in the US today and I do everything I can to avoid drs prescribing them to my 102 year-old mother.
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Helpful. My mom complain that the food have no season or she doesn't not like the oil I am using to cook with or food isn't tender enough and some time all of it. Eating isn't enjoyable to her no matter how taste other like it. Keep my mom in your prayer if you a prayer warrior in Christ Jesus. Thanks in advanced.
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You forgot to mention that in boost, ensure, glucerna, and other preprepared protein shakes there is MSG. MSG is a neurotoxin. It overstimulates nerve cells in the brain and body so much that they EXPLODE. Apoptosis is the med name for this type of cell explosion. So I buy pure vegetable protein powder with no soy or gm or msg etc. Mix it with lactose free milk. Maybe this will help some people, I hope!
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Achalasia is often mis-diagnosed in the young patients. I cannot imagine how many elderly get a generic answer as well. When my grandfather was diagnosed, It was many years after the first symptoms. Is there a reason why a NG tube is not recommended? I'm glad that she is starting to eat again. I am in agreement with the poster above, our elderly need top notch nutrition. After switching supplementation of shakes like ensure to actual organic whole foods, I saw a big difference in health. It helped not only for the swallowing, but it assisted other symptoms. It took a lot of work and pushing on my behalf with the medical community, but I cannot deny the claims of raw whole foods diet after witnessing this incredible improvement. Not only are we home. We are currently off all drugs and medications.
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It's the typical BS we keep hearing from MD's. "Take our drugs", not their nutrition supplements. Oh pleeeeze! Elderly people have numerous digestive issues-many brought about by "FDA approved" drugs (like protein pump inhibitors and other stomach-coating drugs). They need to cram more nutrients in every bite, not chemicals. Drugs don't make people healthy, but good nutrition always does. I've been in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities enough to see the trash they serve residents and patients. Rarely-if ever-do I see nutritious salads, fresh fruit, whole grain breads, pasta and rice, or FRESH vegetables. I have seen a lot of canned and processed things to cut costs. Supplements build and maintain healthy bodies and minds, where drugs often take the life and vitality out of people of all ages.
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