Many people with dementia may experience problems with eating and drinking, and it can be upsetting to see someone we care about reduce their intake of food and lose weight.

Top tips

• create a relaxed and social mealtime routine with limited distractions
• remove items from the table, such as vases and books, that could be distracting at mealtimes
• consider favourite foods and a variety of drinks, and offer them regularly
• avoid using plates and tablecloths with patterns
• serve foods on small plates
• offer finger foods regularly, especially if the person leaves the table and walks around a lot at mealtimes (see finger food section for more information)
• encourage the person to go to the toilet before meals if needed
• make sure that glasses, dentures or hearing aids are worn during the meal if needed
• specially adapted utensils, including cutlery, non-slip mats, high-sided plates or guards, and two-handed or spouted cups are available from occupational therapy for people struggling to use standard types. These can promote a person’s independence for longer
• use contrasting coloured plates, such as red, yellow or blue, which are recognised more easily by people as their dementia progresses.

What if the person prefers sweet foods?

• try naturally sweet foods such as sweetcorn, sweet potato, grilled red onion, peppers or parsnips and carrots with a coating of honey
• sauces are a great way of adding flavours, for example sweet and sour chicken. Cranberry sauce, chutneys or pickles can be used in sandwich fillings or on the side as a dip, for example with chicken curry
• fruit can be added to savoury foods, for example pineapple on ham and cheese pizza, grapes with cheese, sliced banana in curries, mint sauce with lamb or apple sauce with pork.

What if the person prefers savoury foods?

• try adding extra flavours to dishes using curry powder, spices, herbs, pepper, lemon juice, garlic or soy sauce. Avoid adding lots of salt to foods as this can lead to high blood pressure, especially for people with vascular dementia
• other sauces such as pickles, garlic mayonnaise, garlic butter, pepper sauce, vinegar, tomato ketchup and mustard.

What if the person is overeating?

• meal portions can be reduced, or the original meal can be divided into two smaller portions and the second portion kept for later. Soup as a starter may help to fill the person up. Give large portions of salad or vegetables, which are lower in calories
• aim for leaner meats, for example chicken, turkey and fish. Cut all visible fat from meat and remove the skin. Avoid processed meats such as sausages, bacon and black pudding or white pudding. Offer other healthy protein foods such as eggs, beans and lentils
•  sugar-free options: if sweet foods are preferred over savoury foods, try replacing sugar with a low-calorie sweetener. Sugar-free mints, gum or sugar-free boiled sweets can replace regular sweets
• sauces: avoid high-fat sauces such as mayonnaise, creamy sauces, coconut-based sauces or peanut butter. Choose lower-fat options such as low-fat dressings, ketchup or tomato-based sauces instead. Switch from butter to low-fat spreads, for example olive, sunflower or rapeseed spreads
• desserts: keep desserts only as a special treat, for example birthdays, celebrations or Sundays. Avoid high-fat pastries, Madeira cake, cream, ice cream and buttercream icing. Choose sugar-free jelly, low-fat yoghurt, fruit salad or sugar-free ice lollies instead
• drinks: offer water, tea, sugar-free squash or sugar-free fizzy drinks in place of sugary fizzy drinks. If a meal has already been eaten and the person is still looking for more food, offer a drink instead
• snacks: healthier snacks include a piece of fruit, yoghurt, crackers with cottage cheese, rice crackers or a cup of vegetable soup instead of chocolate bars, crisps or biscuits.