How to increase your appetite. The most effective methods. How to eat with pleasure: interesting and easy methods

Let's figure out what appetite or lack thereof is. Appetite is a universal physical reaction of our body, which is characterized by a simple desire to eat. Decreased appetite - lack of need for food, causes consequences associated with disruption of rhythm and lifestyle, and brings certain troubles to its owners.

Reduced appetite in an adult - reasons

Appetite largely depends on the instilled food culture. The time comes when they begin to wonder how to increase their appetite. Throughout life, taste preferences change many times. There are reasons that lead to a person having a decreased appetite:

  • nervous disorders (depression, stress);
  • disease of the digestive system (symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain, belching, fear of eating);
  • intoxication (medicines, food);
  • hormonal imbalances (pregnant women);
  • lack of vitamins.

How to improve your appetite?

All centers responsible for hunger and satiety are located in the brain. Drawn, presented images (an interesting cooking process, interesting serving, beautiful dishes) can lead to stimulation of these centers and the desire to eat. Fractional meals (often in small portions) will, unnoticed by the body, cope with the task of regular food intake without overloading the weakened digestive system. When wondering how to increase your appetite, you need to remember the need for timely intake of vitamins and certain spices with food.


Foods that increase appetite

Let's figure out which foods increase appetite. It could be sweets (cakes, candy, sparkling water). The benefits are questionable, but the desire to eat appears. A similar role is played by salty (fish, chips, nuts, crackers), spicy, pickled foods. Here is an example of products that, unlike flavoring additives, have nutritional value and help increase appetite:

  • ginger;
  • bananas;
  • corn;
  • White rice;
  • oranges;
  • potato;
  • White bread;
  • grape;
  • rose hips, black currants, sea buckthorn (will fill the body with the necessary ascorbic acid).

Vitamins that increase appetite

Good helpers in restoring nutrition are vitamins: B12, C. It will be correct and safe when vitamins for appetite are prescribed by a doctor. B12 (cyanocobalamin) normalizes carbohydrate and fat metabolism, prevents the occurrence of stress, stress. Essential for raising your overall tone. C (ascorbic acid) - stimulates appetite (the body can absorb iron from food), promotes the proper functioning of all systems and organs. B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 are necessary for the normal functioning of the stomach and psycho-emotional system.

Herbs that increase appetite

A little earlier we talked about the benefits of spices. Let's turn to traditional medicine and find out how to induce appetite with the help of herbs. The use of bay leaves, horseradish, basil, and dill in cooking and before serving has a positive effect on increasing appetite. These herbs break down fats and improve digestion. A more pleasant drink would be infused tea made from star anise. It makes sense to use infusions of bitter beneficial herbs:

  • dandelion root;
  • sagebrush;
  • calamus rhizome;
  • centaury;
  • Cetraria Icelandica;
  • trefoil leaves;
  • golden gentian root.

Drugs that increase appetite

Most of the drugs that solve this problem are aimed at increasing the secretion of gastric juice and increasing salivation. If the doctor has prescribed appetite-increasing pills, they should be taken in a strictly prescribed duration and dosage. Pharmaceutical options include:

  • Elixir Pernexin;
  • Fenyuls, Sorbifer, Ferrum (iron preparations);
  • Peritol (analogue of Periactin);
  • Equipoise (anabolic steroid);
  • Periactin;
  • Insulin (5-10 units);
  • Apilak;
  • Capsules GHRP-2, GHRP-6;
  • Dietary supplements (L-carnitine (levocarnetine), Limontar (citric, succinic acids)).

Colors that increase your appetite

Slowly a picture is being drawn of how to increase appetite. It's time to pay attention to what color palette surrounds us while eating. There are colors that evoke appetite:

  1. Red increases heart rate and blood pressure. It has long been a leader in the race for appetite.
  2. Orange activates the brain and makes you feel hungry.
  3. Yellow is the color of joy; cheerful people eat food with pleasure.
  4. Turquoise gives a feeling of security and happiness (such a person enjoys the process).
  5. Green is recognized as a stimulant of good digestion and can increase appetite. All healthy, tasty salads contain this color.

When a problem arises, you need to look for the reasons for its occurrence. Don't wait for lack of appetite to lead to serious disorders and consequences. It is worth taking care of a normal and comfortable life, using advice on the question of how to regain and increase your appetite, because health is one of the main keys to happiness and productivity!


It’s sad, but more often than not, what provokes anxiety in us is not a reduced appetite, but, on the contrary, an excessive appetite. Therefore, we even accept the loss of the latter with pleasure. This situation is especially relevant for women who always dream of losing weight. But the fair sex does not always think about the fact that partial (hyporexia), and even more so complete loss of appetite (anorexia) is extremely dangerous to health. Depriving yourself of products important for life is fraught, at a minimum, with the occurrence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). At most – fatal.

A good appetite is not a deviation from the norm, as many people mistakenly believe. On the contrary, doctors consider it an indicator of mental and physiological well-being. We will talk about the reasons for reducing food cravings, how to safely and effectively increase appetite, including in little ones.

Why you don’t want to eat, or reasons for loss of appetite

Our body is an almost ideal system, which, with the reasonable attitude of its “owner,” works almost without failures or errors. In this complex structure, each element is interconnected with others. Everything that happens to our body is due to the influence of the environment on it, which is not always favorable. It's the same with appetite. It cannot decline without reason, much less disappear altogether. Therefore, the first step is to find and neutralize the root cause of the unpleasant condition.

The most common causes of decreased appetite in adults:

  • Violation of sleep and rest patterns.
  • Avitaminosis.
  • Lack of physical activity.
  • Lack of fresh air.
  • Some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver (gastritis, pancreatitis, stomach ulcers).
  • Acute infectious diseases.
  • Autoimmune diseases.
  • Diseases with disruption of the endocrine system.
  • Diabetes.
  • Mental illnesses.
  • Oncological diseases.
  • Anxiety, depression or frequent stress.
  • Some medications and therapies: antihypertensive drugs, antibiotics, cancer treatments, radiation therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  • Smoking.
  • Alcohol abuse.
Doctors call dehydration – insufficient water intake – one of the reasons for loss of appetite. You need to drink at least 5 to 7 glasses of filtered or bottled water per day, or mineral water. Liquids such as tea, juice, coffee or other drinks are not included.

How to increase your appetite: effective ways

Try watching this video, maybe it will help whet your appetite :))

1. Medicines

There are quite a large number of medications that can increase appetite. Not all of them are safe and harmless, so you should consult a doctor before using any of them. At a minimum, study the pharmacological action of the medication, contraindications and indications for use, as well as side effects. The most effective means include:

  • Insulin.
  • Peritol.
  • GHRP peptides.
  • Anabolic steroid.
  • Pernexin elixir.
  • Elkar.
  • Primoblan depot.

Some of these medications can be used to increase a child’s appetite. Also, drugs and vitamins for children such as Linex and Anaferon have a less pronounced but noticeable effect.

Some antidepressants can significantly increase appetite: Fluoxetine, Paxil, Cipramil, Amitriptyline, etc. They can only be taken as prescribed by a specialist and under his supervision.

2. Vitamins

Puzzled by the question of how to increase your appetite, do not forget about the benefits of vitamins. They are especially important for the body during the period of adaptation after an illness, with a weakened immune system or during the off-season - in early spring or late autumn. The most effective microelements and vitamins that increase appetite:

  • Iron preparations – Ferrum lek, Fenyuls, Sorbifer, etc.
  • Vitamin B 12.
  • Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

When raising a child’s appetite, it is preferable to use children’s vitamin complexes:

  • Multitabs.
  • Alphabet.
  • Pikovit.
It is not necessary to take vitamin tablets. Products with a high content of essential substances will help compensate for the lack of important components in the body. Vitamin B12 is found in dairy products, eggs, liver, kidney, meat and fish. Increased concentration of ascorbic acid in rose hips, sauerkraut, currants, parsley and dill, bell pepper.

3. Traditional medicine recipes

Bitterness and acids taken immediately before eating help to increase appetite - preferably 20 - 30 minutes before meals. The necessary substances are found in many medicinal herbs, fruits and berries:

  • Sour apple varieties.
  • Orange.
  • Grapefruit.
  • Pickles (cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.).
  • Sauerkraut (you can drink 2 - 3 tablespoons of cabbage brine).
  • Lemon juice or pulp.
  • Wormwood decoction (1 tablespoon three times a day).
  • Dandelion root tincture (¼ cup three times a day).
  • Centaury infusion (one tablespoon 3 – 4 times a day).
  • Infusion from the series (one tablespoon 4 times a day).
  • A decoction of sunflower petals (2 to 3 tablespoons).
  • Honey (1 teaspoon on an empty stomach).

4. Fight bad habits

The myth that a person who quits smoking always gets better is not entirely a myth. Quitting cigarettes can really increase your appetite. Moreover, a bad habit dulls our sensitivity to smells and tastes. Those who quit smoking often say that food has become much tastier, new taste sensations have appeared, and the previously blurred sense of smell has intensified.

5. Physical activity and being outdoors

This method is especially effective in restoring a child’s appetite. Parents often wonder why their child, who spends the whole day motionless at the computer or TV, almost never feels hungry. And this is quite normal. The body does not burn calories and does not need additional energy.

Take your child out for a walk, send him to the pool or water park, or go on a hike. And you will be amazed at how a tired baby with cheeks flushed from the fresh air will absorb his portion of lunch or dinner.

For adults, these indications are no less effective. Finally tear yourself away from your office chair or home sofa and spend the whole day in the fresh air. Start doing exercises, join a sports club, run around the house. The main thing is to start. Movement is truly life. And also vigor and... appetite!

6. Diet and diet

To increase your appetite, be sure to normalize your diet and the content of your diet. It is enough to follow a few simple but important rules:

  • Don't force yourself to eat large portions. Eat less, but more often. The best option is 5 – 7 times a day.
  • When preparing dishes, use natural appetite stimulants - spices and seasonings.
  • Set the table beautifully. Eat brightly colored vegetables and fruits, especially yellow and red ones. Science has proven that these colors stimulate the appetite.
  • Say a firm “no” to emergency snacks on the run. Each meal should become a small, pleasant ritual - leisurely, in a comfortable position and in a good mood.

7. Mental health status

Learn to relax and experience a sense of pleasure from life. Very often, the causes of decreased appetite are precisely frequent stress, anxiety, dissatisfaction with oneself and one’s life. If you can’t cope with the problems on your own, make an appointment with a good psychologist.

And yet, do not rush to look for an effective way to increase your appetite. To begin with, it is wiser to seek qualified help from a specialist. Atrophy of taste, decreased or complete absence of appetite are clinical signs of many quite serious diseases. Self-medication can result in loss of precious time and irreversible development of the disease.

Medicines will come to the rescue


Medicines will come to the rescue Today the urgent problem is how to increase appetite in an adult. Millions of people face this question. After all, today people suffer not only from obesity, but also from lack of body weight.

Before you begin to increase your appetite, you should identify the cause of this illness.



A doctor knows exactly how to increase appetite in an adult. That is why the first thing you should do is seek help from him, and not self-medicate. Otherwise, it can permanently harm the body.

Important tips: what should you give up?


The main thing is to stick to your diet. To do this, you should eat small portions. You can increase your appetite by eating your favorite foods. You just need to alternate them. Otherwise, food may become boring and the reluctance to eat will return again.


Despite your cravings, you don’t need to overeat too much, otherwise you will have to treat obesity. And you shouldn’t pamper your body with excessive amounts of flour, fatty or salty foods either.

When preparing food, you need to add a large amount of spices. After all, they stimulate salivation and whet your appetite. And when serving food, you need to carefully set the table. Only very beautifully arranged food on a platter will provoke an appetite.

Physical activity is the best way to awaken your appetite. Even if it is already difficult for a person to do fitness, you can simply take a walk in the fresh air.

Bitterness to the rescue


Bitter herbs help patients increase their appetite. The fact is that infusions from such plants irritate the stomach, which begins to produce saliva. This simply reflexively increases your appetite.
All bitters are completely safe for human health.

However, they do not have any side effects. That is why dried medicinal herbs are sold in pharmacies without a prescription.

What bitters should you buy?


Bitters. Half an hour before meals you should drink 20 drops of the product.
The appetizing collection must be brewed with boiling water. This infusion should be consumed before meals, a large spoonful. You should drink at least 3-4 spoons a day.

Calamus root– quite a strong appetite enhancer. Consume exactly a quarter glass before meals (approximately 30 minutes before).

Dandelion root. It contains a bitter substance, glycoside. The product is poured with boiling water and a glass is drunk in 4 approaches throughout the day. You can replace the dandelion infusion with the drug Montana, which is available in the form of drops. After all, it also contains the root of this plant.

Sagebrush. 15 drops of tincture from this bitter herb are taken orally before meals.

Advanced age of the patient


“Insulin” has an immediate effect. It is necessary to consume up to 10 units of the drug immediately before meals. Within 20 minutes you will want to eat. Quite often, “Insulin” is used by bodybuilders to maintain their shape.

You can buy Matochkino milk at the pharmacy. It is produced in the form of small tablets. You just need to use them according to the instructions and your appetite will be restored in a short time.

Vitamins are very important


Those suffering from lack of appetite should start taking vitamin supplements. The main thing is that they contain vitamin B 12 and ascorbic acid. The doctor will tell you how to increase appetite in an adult patient. According to the results of the analysis and medical history, the professional will make the right choice and prescribe not only the drug, but also its dose. And then your appetite will be restored.

Reducing your appetite is very easy! Find out what foods, herbs and medications will help you with this. And get 8 effective techniques to combat bouts of evening eating.

Eating habits are the basic factor on which the slim figure of a healthy person depends. What are eating habits? This is what a person eats, how often he eats, and also how much food he feels full of. It is important to take into account psychological attachments. For example, if in a stressful situation a person reaches for sweets, this will most likely provoke the appearance of extra pounds over time.

The “lever” for controlling eating behavior is appetite. Moderate appetite is an indicator of health. And unbridled appetite most often pushes a person into breakdowns, which entail painful reproaches of conscience for eating more than normal.

Psychology of overeating

If you do not thoroughly understand the psychological reasons for overeating, then a series of diets followed by the return of kilograms will last a lifetime. So, if you are tormented by uncontrollable attacks of hunger, and after eating you often experience heaviness in your stomach and fatigue, you should clearly identify the reasons that make you overeat.

Unconscious habit from childhood

Paradoxically, adults often instill bad habits in children while caring for them. For example, when parents force a child to eat strictly according to a schedule and definitely eat the entire portion - “in order to grow up healthy.” Thus, the child loses a sense of control over natural appetite. The result of such overprotection is a person with excess weight and accompanying problems.

Food compensates for the lack of attention and love

This reason may be a continuation of the first. After all, if a teenager is inclined to be overweight, he, as a rule, acquires complexes. Even if you still manage to overcome extra pounds with age, it is much more difficult to cope with self-doubt, fear of public speaking, and feelings of anxiety when communicating with strangers. Being overweight provokes isolation and a desire to isolate yourself from the outside world. Thus, lack of attention, communication, impossibility of self-realization - all this is replaced by food, which temporarily blocks all other needs.

Acts as a sedative

If nervous tension makes you want to eat chocolate, this is a sure sign that your eating habits are leading to weight gain. Food should not be an antidepressant, and short-term pleasure is not worth the painful struggle with its consequences. If you want to reduce your appetite, start by understanding that food will not solve your problems, but if treated incorrectly, it can aggravate them.

Eating in a hurry

The process of eating food requires concentration and responsibility. That is, when starting a meal, you must understand how much and what you need. Snacking on the go, when you don’t have time to eat a full meal and eat more than required, is a direct road to extra pounds. In addition, “piecemeal” threatens disruptions in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

How to reduce your appetite and become healthier

It has been scientifically proven that it takes 21 days to form a habit. If you are determined to lose weight, then first you will have to get rid of bad habits, but acquire useful ones. When you manage to moderate your appetite and adjust your diet, your stomach will get used to less food, which will make you lose weight. In addition, the body will experience less stress, which will maintain health and prolong youth. Give yourself the mindset to follow food discipline for 21 days, and the result will not only please you, but will also give you confidence in your abilities.

There are several approaches to reducing appetite. You can choose the most optimal one for yourself, or alternate them. The most important thing is not to starve and listen carefully to how you feel. If you feel weak, experience nausea, dizziness, pain in the gastrointestinal tract, or disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system, consult a doctor immediately.

Products to reduce appetite


Folk remedies

It is important to remember that herbal infusions should be consumed at least 30 minutes before meals.

  • Burdock root. You can prepare a decoction from burdock root that will significantly reduce hunger. Take a teapot or other thick glass container, add 2 teaspoons of chopped burdock root and pour 200 ml of boiling water over it. Capacity 15 min. keep in a water bath. Cool and drink 1 tablespoon every 2 hours.
  • Nettle. Drinking tea from dried nettle leaves allows you not only to reduce appetite, but also, thanks to its diuretic and mild laxative effect, to get rid of the accumulation of fluid and toxins in the body. In addition, nettle has a calming effect, which is very important if you are prone to snacking due to nervousness. To prepare, take 1 tablespoon of dried nettle, pour 200 ml of boiling water and let it brew for 10 minutes. Drink nettle infusion as tea or take 2 tablespoons before each meal.

  • Infusion of corn silk. Pour 20-25 g of corn silk with 250 ml of water and boil for about 20 minutes. Cool, strain it and take 1 tablespoon three times a day. This will help get rid of the obsessive desire to have an unplanned snack.
  • Parsley. Parsley dulls the feeling of hunger and speeds up metabolism. Add fresh parsley to food (for example, to fresh vegetable salads) or drink a decoction. To prepare, pour 200 ml of boiling water over 1 tablespoon of dried parsley and boil for 15 minutes, then strain. Take 2 tablespoons before meals.
  • Celery. Celery also speeds up metabolism and significantly reduces appetite. Add it to food and use the decoction: chop fresh celery, pour 2 tablespoons of the plant into 400 ml of boiling water and let cool. Take 100 ml each time before meals.

  • Wheat bran. Pour 200 g of bran into 1 liter of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Strain and let cool. Take 100 ml of infusion three times a day.
  • Flax-seed. A decoction of flax seeds gently cleanses the body, while reducing appetite. To prepare, pour 200 ml of boiling water over 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds and cook for about 30 minutes. over low heat. Take 100 ml before each meal. To improve digestion, as well as for gastritis and heartburn, use flaxseed oil - it coats the walls of the stomach and reduces appetite. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to porridge and fresh vegetable salads.
  • Garlic and red pepper. For those who are not allergic to red pepper and garlic, they will help significantly reduce appetite. Garlic contains acillin, a substance that stimulates the brain center responsible for satiety, thereby reducing the feeling of hunger. Red peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that makes peppers spicy and reduces appetite. In addition, consuming red pepper speeds up your metabolism. Add garlic or pepper to your salads, and the amount of food you consume will be much less.

  • Ginger. Drinks made from ginger root are a huge success. Ginger stimulates metabolic processes, speeds up metabolism, improves digestion, regulates the level of the hormone cortisol and insulin. You can make ginger drink and drink it hot or cold. To prepare, take 5 cm of ginger root, 4 tablespoons of white (or green) tea, half of one lemon and 3 sprigs of fresh mint. Grind the ginger, peel the zest from the lemon, and finely chop the lemon pulp. Mix the zest and ginger, add chopped lemon and mint, add 500 ml of cold water and simmer for 10-15 minutes over low heat. Let sit for 10 minutes, then strain. Brew tea in a separate container: pour 500 ml of boiling water over the tea leaves, leave for no more than 3 minutes. Then strain and mix with ginger-lemon infusion. Drink 30-40 ml of the drink between meals, but not on a full or empty stomach.

You can prepare herbal infusions and teas by combining different ingredients. For example, nettle, burdock root and ginger root. By adding 2 teaspoons of dried chamomile, you will get an excellent remedy that will reduce hunger and have a calming effect.

Herbs

Almost all herbs that are used to reduce appetite have diuretic properties, so it is extremely important to use them correctly so as not to cause dehydration.


Drugs

Various dietary supplements (abbreviated as dietary supplements) and appetite suppressant pills, as a rule, have side effects and contraindications: pregnancy, lactation, allergic reactions. Their effect is to suppress natural hormones by affecting the nervous system. This is fraught with various negative health consequences: allergies, digestive and nervous disorders. Taking the drug is a temporary measure, which is only an auxiliary action in the process of losing weight. If you intend to get rid of extra pounds forever, it is important to change your eating habits on a conscious level.

  • Sveltform plus. The instructions say that the drug reduces appetite, cravings for sweets and starchy foods, and has a diuretic effect. The composition indicated by the manufacturer contains: yeast with chromium, Camellia sinensis (green tea), bladderwrack, vitamin C.

  • . The effectiveness of this dietary supplement has not been proven. The composition contains microcrystalline cellulose and pectin, which, due to swelling, create a feeling of fullness in the stomach and intestines. For those suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract during exacerbations, the drug is strictly contraindicated.
  • . The main active component is , which enhances the process of thermogenesis, accelerates metabolism and suppresses appetite. Side effects of the drug include bleeding (including uterine), sleep disturbance, anxiety, decreased visual acuity, and a flu-like condition.
  • XLS duo Slim and Shape. The composition contains cocoa butter and green tea, which speed up metabolism, as well as malic acid, apple extract, pineapple, parsley, grapefruit, fennel, black currant. The principle of action is identical to other drugs: acceleration of metabolic processes and removal of fluid.

  • . The drug contains garcinia extract, chromium, fucus, vitamin C, vitamin B6, kelp. Principle of action: suppresses cravings for sweets and starchy foods thanks to hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which maintains a high concentration of glucose in the blood.
  • Reduxin. The main active ingredients are sibutramine and microcrystalline cellulose. Principle of action: suppressing hunger, accelerating metabolic processes, stimulating the production of hormones that block food cravings (serotonin, norepinephrine). Removes metabolic products from the body.
  • . Main components: extracts and garcinias. Principle of action: appetite suppression, acceleration of metabolic processes, diuretic and laxative effect.

  • . How it works: Fiber fibers swell in the stomach, creating a feeling of fullness. Consumption of the drug suppresses food cravings, reduces the amount eaten, and accelerates the transit of food through the gastrointestinal tract.

If you decide to take a particular drug to reduce excessive cravings for food, consult your doctor. If there are no contraindications, strictly follow the dosage and under no circumstances try to increase the permissible dose. If you feel nausea, pain in the gastrointestinal tract, or weakness, stop taking the drug.

During pregnancy

Remember that taking appetite suppressants during pregnancy and breastfeeding is strictly prohibited.

  1. Try to eat regularly.
  2. Eat more often, but in smaller portions, so that the feeling of hunger does not have time to worsen.
  3. Eat more fresh fruits.
  4. Try to avoid stores where you risk being tempted by fresh pastries, chocolate, etc.
  5. Make your own healthy desserts. For example, based on natural cottage cheese.
  6. If you do not have allergies, eat walnuts and peanuts without salt or seasoning, but not more than 100 g per day.
  7. Allow yourself sometimes what you want, but stretch out the pleasure, eat as slowly as possible.
  8. Take care of the aesthetics of the space and table setting. It is also important that the room in which you cook and eat is well lit and ventilated.
  9. Spend more time outdoors, walk.

How to reduce your appetite in the evening

If you are familiar with the problem of increased hunger in the evening, then use these recommendations:

  1. Eat right. Be sure to have breakfast (the morning meal should be the largest) and lunch. For dinner it is better to eat something protein: 250 g of boiled chicken fillet and two cucumbers, 200 g of shrimp and 200 g of baked vegetables (for example, zucchini + tomatoes), 250 g of cottage cheese (5-9% fat) and 1 grapefruit.
  2. If after dinner you still feel drawn to the refrigerator, drink green tea with lemon.
  3. Switch to some activity: get a manicure, sort through files on your computer, read a book.
  4. Take a walk outside.
  5. Give yourself a “royal” bath: use aromatic oils, salts, foam, herbs. This will also relieve stress after a hard day.
  6. Try meditating.
  7. Do 30 squats and 30 reps of the abdominal exercise.
  8. Try on things that you would like to fit into: this will perfectly curb your appetite and motivate you to continue your struggle to stay slim.

The need to eat food is inherent in us by nature, but there are times when for quite a long time this natural desire is absent.

Thanks to physical activity in young people, the need for food is restored quite quickly.

But if an elderly person has no appetite, what to do in this case?

Loss of appetite in elderly people almost always indicates functional disorders in the body caused by physical or emotional reasons.

Long-term lack of appetite in older people has a negative impact on health and can lead to serious consequences.

Causes of loss of appetite in an elderly person

Loss of appetite in older adults can be caused by a number of reasons. Short-term lack of appetite in old age is quite common.

Refusal to eat for a long time should be a concern. In this case, the most likely cause of a gradual decrease in appetite, accompanied by weight loss, is illness.

Diseases accompanied by loss of appetite include:

  1. inflammatory diseases of the digestive system, intestines;
  2. chronic and liver failure, liver cirrhosis;
  3. heart and vascular diseases;
  4. various types, kidney infections;
  5. , thyroid diseases, metabolic disorders and hormonal imbalances;
  6. autoimmune diseases;
  7. , and some other mental disorders, as well;
  8. taking medications.

Lack of appetite in older people can be caused by bad habits or taste preferences, for example, to fatty foods.

Consequences of poor appetite

A complete lack of interest in food or poor appetite in old age is a very serious problem.

An insufficient amount of food does not provide an elderly person with the amount of nutrients and microelements necessary for normal life.

This condition, in addition to weight loss, is fraught with serious health problems.

Headache is one of the reasons for poor appetite

General weakness, exhaustion of the body, exacerbation of chronic diseases, disruption of the brain and other vital organs - these are just the main consequences of poor appetite.

Eating small amounts of food over a long period of time can cause muscle atrophy, musculoskeletal problems and can ultimately be fatal.

If left untreated, the consequences of poor appetite can develop into a complete loss of desire to eat, so-called anorexia, or cause sitophobia, in which a person is afraid to eat food because of the possibility of pain.

How to increase appetite in an elderly person with treatment

It is quite difficult to answer the question of how to increase appetite in an elderly person. To do this, it is necessary to determine the root cause that caused the decrease or complete loss of appetite.

To do this, it is better to undergo a full medical examination. But since it is quite difficult for an elderly person to do this, the examination is limited to a minimum set of diagnostic procedures.

Such procedures include:

  • detailed blood test;
  • complete urine examination;
  • Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, thyroid gland;
  • fluoroscopy and gastroscopy of the gastrointestinal tract;
  • Magnetic resonance imaging.

Further treatment is prescribed depending on the diagnostic results. If the cause of lack of appetite is illness, the elderly person is prescribed appropriate treatment and, upon completion, the appetite is usually restored.

Medicines can include both antibiotics and drugs for the treatment of the cardiovascular system, hormone replacement drugs, and insulin.

If loss of appetite poses a threat to the life of an elderly person and his physical condition allows, the doctor may prescribe special medications that increase appetite.

These include some iron-containing drugs, anabolic steroids, pharmaceutical bitters, dopamine blockers and digestive activity regulators, as well as some dietary supplements.

They should be taken only as prescribed by a doctor, taking into account possible side effects. In some cases, the question of how to increase appetite in an elderly person is solved through surgery or chemotherapy.

In the absence of a need for food caused by depressive conditions and mental disorders, in addition to sedatives, stimulants and medications, non-traditional methods such as physiotherapy using the latest medical devices are used.

Quite often, especially in cases of senility, adequate nutrition for an elderly person is possible only through the introduction of high-calorie mixtures into the body through a gastronomic tube.

To increase appetite, elderly people, depending on their physical condition, are also prescribed walks in the fresh air and minor physical activity.

Increasing appetite at home

How to increase the appetite of an elderly person at home? The answer to this question is deeply individual, because you can increase your appetite at home without visiting a specialist only in the absence of serious illnesses.

To do this, it is necessary, first of all, to reconsider the diet of an elderly person. It is necessary to exclude or minimize the consumption of sugary carbonated drinks and alcohol from the diet.

To improve appetite, almost every meal an elderly person eats should start with vegetables and consist of favorite dishes and foods rich in protein, zinc, various vitamins and amino acids.

If there are no restrictions, you can use various spices and spices to stimulate your appetite. At home, you can also use herbal infusions that increase the desire to eat.

Tinctures made from chamomile flowers, dill, lemon balm and peppermint give a good effect. There are quite a lot of folk methods to increase appetite in older people.

One of these ways to stimulate appetite is to take an infusion of wormwood or dandelion half an hour before meals.

Older people are also encouraged to eat lemon juice diluted in warm water, chicory, and yarrow juice.

Freshly squeezed carrot juice improves the need for food and the general condition of the body. Decoctions prepared from centaury, angelica, sage and rue have a good effect.

Folk recipes for increasing appetite at home are distinguished by the availability of medicinal plants, ease of preparation and use.

Conclusion

Most older people are able to control their food needs on their own, and although they sometimes suffer from loss of appetite, it is temporary, does not require treatment, and in most cases goes away on its own.

And in order to prevent a temporary phenomenon from developing into a serious problem requiring treatment, it is important to surround your loved ones with care and give them a little of your time and attention.

Video: Appetite in old age determines aging