Eating a balanced diet
The food we eat has an enormous effect on our physical and mental health. When you’re caring, it can be hard to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet. If you’re able to look after your health and diet, you’ll have more energy to cope with challenges.
If we’re eating a balanced diet, we’re having food from lots of different food groups including fruit, vegetables, some carbohydrates and some protein. We can still have treats – these are important – but we’ll have the energy that we need to care, if our diet is healthy and balanced. Lorraine Haining, Specialist Dementia Nurse, Dementia Carers Count
Healthy eating
A balanced diet is a healthy diet. Eating well is good for our physical health and also our mental health.
There’s a strong link between a healthy heart and a healthy brain. Eating a nutrient rich diet helps maintain the health of both the heart and the brain. Try to:
- Eat lots of fruit and vegetables and oily fish containing omega 3 oils
- Reduce your salt intake
- Cut out saturated fats
- Increase your intake of essential fatty acids
Impact on our mental health and mood
When we don’t drink enough fluid, or eat enough nutrient rich foods, our bodies lack hydration and essential vitamins and minerals. This can affect our energy levels, cognitive function and overall mood.
Ongoing research is investigating the links between diet and aspects of mental health such as anxiety and stress. For example, when sugar levels dip or rise quickly after eating starchy or sweet food, adrenaline can be released which causes stress.
Foods that can help our mood
Foods such as green vegetables, citrus fruits, beans and fortified breakfast cereals, can help increase our folate levels and top up essential B vitamins. These can stop us from feeling tired, depressed and irritable.
Foods that can boost our energy levels
Iron rich foods such as beans and pulses can stop us feeling lethargic, and are far better than relying on stimulants such as caffeine.
Foods like yoghurt, eggs, oily fish and whole grains release energy slowly and can sustain energy throughout the day. On the other hand processed carbohydrates do not support this slow release which can create problems.
Comfort food
We all turn to comfort food from time to time. It can make us feel better and having some treats can help us get through a tricky day.
As dementia progresses and people become more unwell and less physically active, their appetite significantly reduces. While eating a balanced diet remains important, it’s also important that meal times remain enjoyable. This might mean having more foods which people particularly enjoy.
Sometimes it can be tricky to encourage a person with dementia to eat well. It’s important to remember that meals should be enjoyable, social occasions. Becoming overly anxious about nutritional intake can create extra tension at mealtimes. Lorraine Haining, Specialist Dementia Nurse, Dementia Carers Count
A list of useful links to advice on healthy eating for people with dementia, including the NHS Eatwell Guide:
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