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When Someone with Alzheimer’s Repeatedly Wants the Same Food

It’s okay to indulge a preference for one particular food if the overall diet is balanced.

A dinner plate with roasted turkey, string beans, cranberry sauce and stuffing.

This article is based on information provided by Home Instead Senior Care.

Your loved one may want to eat turkey or a piece of chocolate every day, even more than once a day. Food jags are common for people with dementia, and they should not be a problem as long as a good general diet is maintained. The following suggestions may help you to respond when your loved one requests a certain food over and over:

· Allow him or her to have the desired food, as long as the overall diet is balanced. It’s all right to serve the same entrée or a sweet every day.

· Serve the same food more than once in a day if it’s requested.

· Ask the physician for advice on vitamins and supplements if the diet appears to lack balance.

· Try preparing the food in a variety of ways: A broiled turkey breast might be rejected, for example, while roasted turkey with mashed potatoes or a turkey soup might be eaten without a protest.

· Experiment with old family favorites from your loved one’s childhood or young adulthood; these are often still remembered and favored.

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