One of our caregiving challenges when caring for Mama was her diet. She was generally easy-going and would be willing to eat whatever was placed in front of her. The challenge was in her ability to eat the food. In the early stages of dementia, she had no difficulty handling a spoon or fork. Over time, however, Mama came to prefer her fingers for transporting food to her mouth. We would try to gently encourage her to use a fork or spoon by handing one to her. Sometimes that worked.
Increasingly, as time went on, she would take the spoon, set it down on the table, and then proceed to use her fingers. She always had a sense of humor and could be a bit stubborn at times, so I could imagine her smiling to herself each time she laid down the spoon. Our next move was to add more finger food to her meals. The challenge was to find a variety of finger foods for Mama that she enjoyed and were also nutritious.
Eggs fit the bill
If you are racking your brains like we did, trying to figure out what type of foods to serve your loved one (and yourself) while performing all the complicated and complex duties of caregiving, think Eggs! Eggs are one of the easiest foods to make. They can be peeled, (boil them first), and stored safely in the fridge inside a container or a baggy for up to one week. Not only are they are easy to make, they are easy for your loved one to eat with their fingers…and best of all, there is a nutrient hidden inside each egg: Choline.
What is Choline? It is an essential nutrient, a water-soluble compound that is a vital requirement for your body to function properly.
Choline studies
According to Harvard’s The Nutrition Source, our bodies can produce small amounts on their own in the liver, but not enough to meet daily needs, so it is important to include foods in our diet that contain choline. It is found in eggs, and also in fish, meat, broccoli, lentils, and beans – including lima beans. Supplements can also be an option.
Once in the liver, it goes to work. Choline is converted into a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine (uh·seh·tuhl·kow·leen), which helps muscles to contract, activates pain responses, and plays a role in brain functions of memory and thinking. Most choline is metabolized in the liver, where it is converted into phosphatidylcholine (phos-fat-uh-dighl-koh-leen), which assists in building fat-carrying proteins and breaking down cholesterol. It is also food for beneficial gut bacteria.”
An encouraging article in the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Weekly contained a study by Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute suggesting that choline may play a critical role in preventing cognitive decline. Lead author Ramon Velazquez and his colleagues investigated whether this nutrient could alleviate the effects of Alzheimer’s.
He stated in part, “…choline is an attractive candidate for prevention of Alzheimer’s disease as it is considered a very safe alternative, compared with many pharmaceuticals. At 4.5 times the RDI, we are well under the tolerable upper limit, making this a safe preventive therapeutic strategy.”
Eggs may make a difference
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, by adding eggs to our diets, our aging brains stayed healthy longer? The studies involving choline provide reason for hope. The Arizona State University researchers are also learning it is needed throughout our lives (not just to prevent dementia), so they continue to explore choline’s role not only in Alzheimer’s, but in system-wide neurological health.
The Journal of Nutrition published a large study involving 125,594 participants, lasting over 11 years, which also concluded that moderate dietary choline intake, ranging from 332.89 mg/d to 353.93 mg/d, is associated with lower odds of dementia and better cognitive performance. (For reference, one large egg contains approximately 164 mg of choline).
Choline benefits everyone
We didn’t know about the benefits of choline back when we were caring for Mama; if we had, she would have had many more eggs. I would have also made her deviled eggs and mixed in either zesty mustard or horseradish, which she loved. Like many with dementia, Mama’s sense of smell and taste had diminished over time, but adding something spicy can up the intensity of the flavor and increase the likelihood that your loved one can enjoy it. Broccoli and lima beans (which she loved) would have also been added to her daily meals. But you can only do what you know. And as Wayne, my sister and I often told each other, “We’re doing the best we can – and so is Mama.”.
Has your world been touched by dementia?
My book, “Finishing Well: Finding the Joy in Dementia“, is a collection of stories and tips about doing life with my Mama. May it encourage and inspire you to find joy on your own, unique journey.