Sometimes I lose my appetite for days or weeks - even the foods I normally crave become as appealing as eating paper towels. It normally goes hand in hand with sensory issues with the food. These are some of the tricks I’ve learned to make sure I get enough nutrition anyway
The first and most important thing is you need to remember that eating anything is better than eating nothing. You may need to suspend your normal standards or rules - eating foods that are less “healthy” than normal, eating the same thing over and over again, or just not enjoying your food as much.
Energy (calorie) dense foods like nuts or energy bars are really helpful, especially if the actual process of eating is unpleasant. Sometimes its really nice to be able to eat a meals worth of energy in under a minute
Chewing gum helps me get my appetite going - If I am trying to get myself hungry for a meal I will often start with gum 30-40 minutes before.
I rely a lot on eating a little of something I’m comfortable with to pique my appetite and moving to a different food group afterwards. Eating the first thing is always the hardest - I find after I start my brain realizes that food is ok and I can move onto larger portions or a different food.
When I eat something sweet I tend to crave more sugar later. So I use this to my advantage and have a small portion of something with some sugar in it and then wait to be hungry for more. Sometimes I will try to eat something a little more nutritious the second time, others I just have more of whatever was finally able to pique my interest
For the same reason consider other foods you find hard to put down. I’ve heard that things with both carbs and fat in them are the most “addictive” and I use that when I’m struggling to get enough to eat. It’s ok if this is a “junk” food - remember eating anything is better than eating nothing
Ginger tea or ginger chews make my stomach feel better
Keep track of your food. It can be really informal, like making sure you don’t skip meals, or it can be some other strategy of keeping a food journal or counting calories. You don’t need to be super precise, it just helps remind you to eat when your body isn’t sending the right signals
Look at “food porn.” Scrolling through a food blog you love on tumblr or watching a cooking show can be a good way to get your appetite going
Have a nutritional drink like an ensure can help you make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need without much thought. I find ensure is best very cold or on ice.
Look for foods or categories of foods that seem easier to tolerate than the others. This might be something you know is easy on your stomach, something of a certain texture, something hot/cold, or just a favorite food.
If there is a food that you find less unappealing than the others, or feels “safe” to you go for it, even if you’ve eaten it many times in the last few days. I even find having eaten a food or meal in recent memory helps convince my body its not gonna be harmful
This is really helpful! As an addition I should mention that Ensure makes a dairy-free drink now, Ensure Active Clear Nutrition Drink. My housemate, also a spoonie, has learned through experience that it makes a great mixer if you run out of regular juice while drinking with friends :3
I’ve been seriously struggling with this thank you SO MUCH
