Caregiving and the Importance of Balanced Eating

Caregivers, you need to take care of yourself! One of the first steps towards doing this is maintaining a nutritionally balanced diet. Unfortunately, eating can be one of the first thing affected by caregiving. Eating an imbalanced diet can lead to malnutrition, erratic blood sugar levels, fat storage, fatigue and more. There are a couple of pitfalls that can impact how and when you eat. Be sure to know how to recognize these and avoid them.

First, most caregivers are guilty of skipping meals. A jam packed schedule and a never-ending to do list can quickly push meal time to last priority. The demands of the feeding schedule of the person you are taking care of can also impact how you support your own eating. When preparing meals and shopping constantly for someone else, it’s easy to forget your own nutritional needs. Try not to fall into the habit of forgetting yourself. It may not be easy, but do try preparing your meals ahead of time. If you can cook several meals for yourself on the weekend, you’ll be stocked and prepared to have well-balanced meals during the course of the upcoming week.

Secondly, eating and emotions are very closely linked. Light stress can induce extra eating, while extreme stress can cause one to avoid eating all together or eating too much. It’s safe to say that caregiving can include varying levels of stress. As a caregiver, you need to learn how to identify when these emotions are impacting your diet. Once you’re able to do so, you can avoid the emotional eating trap.

Remember, you have to take care of yourself in order to fully provide care for the one you love. This is not selfish, it is prudent. By taking care of yourself, you’re able to provide the best care for the one you love.