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He either doesn't like what is served or says he can't eat the food. He is in assisted living facility with a mechanical soft diet. However, what they prepare is not always soft or easy to eat as he has no teeth (can't wear dentures anymore) and has severe arthritis. Need suggestions on foods to keep in his room that he can eat off the shelf without the need to heat or cook as he only has a microwave that he can't operate. We take him strawberries twice a week to snack on but he needs more options.

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Can you buy him a Nutribullet and get him to make shakes?
The Nutribullet comes with "cups" that all you do is throw in some liquid, be it water, milk, almond, coconut milk, maybe some protein powder, fruits or veggies, oatmeal with hot water, cinnamon. You can make them hot or cold....blend all the ingredients in the cup for 10-20 seconds and VIOLA! a nutritious meal.

You don't need special recipies. just throw in what you like. I find the Nutribullet a quick way to get a nutritious meal on the go, or at ANY age. I have a vanilla Protein powder and add it to just about everything! It can be mixed with veggies, chocolate, fruits...I keep a lot of frozen fruit and veggies in the freezer. V8 (unsalted) is a good base with other veggies. I always have almond and coconut milk. Oatmeal with apples and cinnamon for HOT breakfast. All blended, so I don't have to cook. Good way to stay regular ;)

As I said just throw all into the cup, hit ON, and eat with a spoon or drink. The cup rinses with water. Easy Peasy.
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Boost or Ensure don't have to be refrigerated unless not all of it has been consumed and the person wants the rest later. But other than that your dad can keep that in his room.
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Fortisips and Complan are great.. don't need refrigerating. (Mum loves vanilla Fortisips, like milkshake)
Complan do fruit drinks, soups etc. All totally balanced meal replacements.

He can just grab what he likes.
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If you can, put one of those little refrigerators (the kind that people keep at work or in shops) in his room and stock it with children's microwavable meals. They're high in calories, often for soft palett and easy to microwave. Also, I keep pudding cups, fruit cups, those easy open cans of hash and chilli (he might even like canned sardines and such) on hand all the time for a quick high calorie snack for my mother. Not the most nutritious but if you're after calories and helping him feel full, those may help.
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mom used to make ice cream shakes for dad out of ensure and boost..adding ice cream or heavy cream...pudding and any non perishable items.Mom after dad passed said she wished there were products to help people gain weight all they had were products to loose weight..yogurt she loved but as time passed she even got down to 1/2 a cup of yogurt a day...she died always complaining about no products to help gain...good luck ..maybe your local health food store can offer some suggestions..take care and God bless
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Good suggestions about what food to provide him. You might also consider whether he is eating alone or with other people, especially people he knows and loves. Some folks eat better if it can become a social occasion and the eating is almost habitual or of secondary importance.
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If you do Ensure, I would get the one that has the higher protein level (Ensure+, I believe it is).
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There are medications that can help boost appetites. Ask his doctor if he is a candidate for one of these. They are often prescribed for cancer patients who aren't eating enough. Another thing you might ask his doctor is to have a speech pathologist come to see if swallowing is an issue. It may not be his lack of teeth, but a feeling of choking that is keeping him from eating enough. My mother lacked teeth for 20 years before she died and was overweight for most of that time. Gummed down everything in sight. LOL
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Back to the nutribullet suggestion:
Most lasagnas puree up quite nicely and taste good, as do many pasta dishes, such as spaghetti with maraina or with bolognese sauce.
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I find ensure has a 'vitamin' taste, when my grandmother refused to eat, I picked foods she really liked and made smoothies, you can add cottage cheese, yogurt or peanut butter with milk, cream or ice cream. You can experiment with hot chocolate, coffee crystals, cinnamon or other flavors. I often made mashed potatoes with gravy as this was a favorite. She was in a facility but I would often bring in meals from home, you can grind meats and add broth or gravy, cook favorite vegetables the way he likes them etc. Soft cereal bars are a good snack as is yogurt, cottage cheese and fruit such as peaches, pears or apple sauce. Soups are also a good food for snack or meals, there are a variety of types, come with pull tab tops and can be heated in a microwave. Facility staff can assist your father as needed with snacks. Anything you can get him to eat--give him. As we age our 'taste' change so sometimes food needs to have a bit more salt or other seasonings. I worked with a dietitian and she said 'at their age, let them eat what they want'. I agree. I know it's worrisome when our loved ones don't eat, you care enough to ask for some guidance. You can only do what you can do. Good luck, just keep trying and offering different food items.
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Have you considered he is depressed and that has lead to his not eating? If so Remeron (mirtazapine) is an antidepressant that also stimulates appetite and promotes sleep it is usually well tolerated.
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Worked in dietary in hospital and in an assisted living facility. I know mechanical soft or pureed food can be unappetizing. Mech. soft often too hard for them to eat. (Turkey sandwiches, etc. too hard). They need stuff like chicken salad, spaghetti, etc. Often these places (and restaurants) cook chicken in convection oven uncovered on trays. This dries it out makes it tough. If you are paying for him to be there, make them give him diced peaches, well-cut up meat, mashed potatoes, gravy, tender veggies, etc. Sometimes in nursing home they barely help people with cutting up food or feeding them if they have a hard time. A lot of money is paid to these homes. They can do better!!! My mom is mech. soft; lives with me. I try to make her food appetizing yet very tender; as dentures and swallowing make eating a chore for elderly.
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Shelf food for elderly who can't eat well? Here's some ideas: Diced peaches with easy pop-off lids, puddings, viennna sausages, jello in little containers, cheeses, Keebler buttery -type crackers, smooth peanut butter, (no teeth no problem - crackers get soft in mouth my mom eats them w/out her teeth easily). instant oatmeal already in bowl. My 89-yr old elderly mom eats peanut butter and Keebler club crackers, adding peanut butter. They love these and will easily snack on club crackers. You may have to repackage some items for easy opening. Cracker sleeves hard to tear open sometimes. You can also get Jif natural lower-sodium peanut butter and other lower sodium stuff, as I know shelf foods are loaded with salt, usually. By the way, my mom has dementia, but still does okay with her club crackers and peanut butter unassisted. Also can keep small canned juices with pop-lids for him. Really, tho if you are paying that facility to care for your dad, they should be willing to provide some of this!!
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Strawberries? With a person who has no teeth, this is dangerous. Those little seeds grind on his gums, when they bleed it will lead to gum disease. Try peanut butter, almond butter if he is not allergic. He can drink things like Ensure, but the taste is awful. Ask the dietician at the assisted living for help.
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My favorite soft snack food is smooth almond butter with a little coconut oil and cocoa powder mixed in. The coconut oil makes it firm up in the frig but it softens quickly and doesn't stick to the roof of your mouth. Good off a spoon like fudge and also good on crackers or soft bread. Watermelon is another good one, helps with hydration and is easy to squish and swallow. Egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad are all good, even without bread. Plain yogurt (regular, not non-fat) with cinnamon swirled into it, or add your own fruit without sugar. I would go easy on the sugar, because it can make you feel full fast and then hungry when your blood sugar crashes. When my MIL was in the hospital with her last illness, I got organic carrots and a juicer, and we took her a jar of fresh carrot juice every day. Chicken and fish are a lot easier to eat than beef, even chopped. Try things yourself and see what you can eat without chewing it.
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The only thing about a juicer over a blender is that the blender retains the fiber. So, just be aware that when you use a juicer for an orange or a carrot that it will not be equal to eating it, whole.

A tip I'd heard about smoothies (and to use a blender) is to do more vegetable smoothies than fruit smoothies because when you put several vegetables together, you're getting mainly vitamins, fiber, that sort of thing. But when you put several pieces of fruit together that you also get all that natural sugar and most people might not want or need that much sugar all at one time.

I don't know if anyone has already mentioned hummus but certainly it's easy to buy the stuff. I don't know if he'd be able to handle the pita, if it's a little too tough, but I wonder if it might be nice on very soft bread.

I know it's not the healthiest choice, but some dry cereals could be okay. Thinking that something like Chex or corn flakes will get totally soft if you let it sit in the milk a little bit, some of them might be a nice chance. If he's lactose-intolerant, soy or almond milk could be substituted.
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I used to make Mom peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into quarters and covered on a plate. I'd leave them in her fridge to eat whenever she wanted. Peanut butter and jelly doesn't have to be refrigerated, so you could bring some sandwiches over whenever you visit. You could also put them in storage containers that might be easy for him to open.
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Smooth Peanut Butter Is a huge yes. A long handled spoon for easy grip & paper towels to wipe if he can't wash. Anything your would give a baby/toddler but disguise so as not to offend. Depending on the type of ALF - if it's social dining he may not get needed personal attention for his requirements.
By all means, take little snacks with you when you visit. A dab of soft sandwich or leftovers you can heat in his microwave. Remove whatever he doesn't consume which would have to be refrigerated as you don't want him eating spoiled food. If he does have a frig - boiled eggs (peeled), berries etc..
Everything Mommyinmyhome suggested good.
Encourage: "I found this new lunch meat, want to try it? Knew you would love it. Isn't that tasty? This is the best stuff." etc.
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