Collapse


theEATBlog

A Dietitian’s perspective of theEATBar

A Dietitian’s perspective of theEATBar

I have been consulting with nursing homes, assisted livings and hospice for the past 20 years. I would do anything to make my residents smile. During my dining hall visits I am always looking to see if I can spot that resident with a big smile after eating their meal. In all honesty, it is a hard one to find.

Just to bring things into perspective, picture yourself on a dreary winter day sitting inside a nursing home, thinking about what’s next.... I’m sure for most what comes to mind is food. Food is comforting for most of us but means so much more to people residing in homes not their own.

While we must eat to survive, most of us eat for pleasure. However, some people – whatever their reason may be are not able to eat to fuel their bodies, let alone eating for comfort, eating becomes a burdening task for them.

I have seen many elderly residents struggling to get the calories needed to recover from an ailment or simply just provide their body with energy they need to survive. Weight gain is particularly important for the elderly population confined to group homes. Being underweight can increase their risk of health problems including falls. Loss of appetite in the elderly is something that needs to be combated. I often recommend theEATBar as they are not only calorically dense but also taste wonderful. These melt in the mouth bars have worked great for my texture sensitive residents too. The flavor of theEATBar can help bring back their appetite and bring back the joy of food and living.

Most nursing homes use supplements as a mode for weight gain in their residents. Supplements are viewed as nothing but medicine by most residents. theEATBar’s uniqueness lies in the fact that it provides the calories and nutrition while giving the pleasure of a candy bar.

My Story

My father was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and later dysphagia a couple of years back. Watching someone that I grew up with sharing every meal with be fed through a tube impacted me more than I ever thought it would. During his recovery process, the taste and texture of food was of utmost importance between the speech therapist and me. We would do anything to help him enjoy his food and gain some of the weight that he had lost. theEATBar would be what I would seek for my Dad.

The biggest reason I am a fan of this bar is the joy and smiles it brings to my resident’s when I take samples of this bar for them. This melt-in-your-mouth meringue was designed with the intent of being easily swallowed, and is so delicious– all while being nourishing.

If you haven’t you must give theEATBar a try!

 

Written by: Moushumi Mukherjee MS, RDN
Instagram: @dietitianmoushumi