Heather has reached a point where she seems largely unaware of what she’s eating and shows little interest or desire for specific foods. While she previously had a preference for sweets, carbs, and similar foods, which is common among dementia patients, this has changed. Now, she appears somewhat apathetic toward food. Although she still has preferences, she no longer expresses hunger as she once did. She used to search the kitchen for snacks, to the extent that I had to hide bananas to prevent her from eating an entire bunch in a day. Now, she would likely sit in her chair all day without eating or drinking if I didn’t provide food and beverages. This change may help address the weight gain she experienced over the past three years, but it also requires careful attention to her nutrition and hydration.
Hello. YouTube’s algorithm put one of your videos in my feed yesterday and I watched it mainly because my mother-in-law is struggling with dementia as did her mother before her. Her twin sister is also struggling with dementia. I was very moved by your kindness and support of your wife and I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers. As a total stranger and new subscriber to your YouTube channel, I probably have no business recommending anything but as someone who is very concerned about the rise in dementia amongst younger people and the strong familial links in my husband’s family, I have been on a journey of discovery regarding the root causes of this terrible, devastating condition and it seems the ketogenic/carnivore diet can be extremely helpful in the prevention and mitigation of dementia. My 63 year old husband has been following the ketogenic lifestyle (as have I) for two years now and has reversed his high blood pressure and pre-diabetes. Hopefully, he is also mitigating the factors that seem to be contributory to the development of dementia (which he thankfully does not exhibit symptoms of at this time but it seems to set in in the seventieth decade if you look at his family history so its difficult to say this for sure). To that end (and in case you are not aware of the recent scientific literature supporting this dietary adjustment), I wanted to pass along a video from Dr. Paul Mason that I hope will be helpful.
https://youtu.be/An-Qzlazzlc?si=rFo-4Vlku1d25_Ve
Best regards,
Thanks for your comment. I have heard a few people reference the ketogenic diet theory for treatment of Alzheimer’s. In Heather’s case it fails to recognize the existing and progressing irreversible brain damage that comes with her condition and I can’t find any good evidence that it would be effective. I suspect that it will be debunked soon. Furthermore we are both vegetarians so the diet wouldn’t fit our lifestyle and values in any event. I appreciate you taking the time to try to help. Best wishes, John
I’ve been a vegetarian since my teens, but I did a ketogenic diet for a couple of years (2017 – 2018) for weight loss. It got so monotonous, I ended up dreading mealtimes. I have never recovered my liking for eggs since then. So, I think sticking to the foods you and Heather love makes so much sense under the circumstances. I have a question though, John: I know that some chronic neurological conditions (Parkinson’s disease, for instance) often involve a loss of the sense of smell. Could that be happening to Heather? If she likes strong flavors and spices, maybe give that a try.