Easy Wins with Food Choices

By Terri Lykins, RDN, LDN

As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I’ve helped people with Autism, Down Syndrome, and other intellectual and developmental differences (I/DD) for more than twenty years with food choices, menu planning, and health improvement.

Studies show that this population tends to die twenty years sooner than neurotypical people, of diet-related and largely preventable diseases. They have five times more diabetes, three times the rate of arthritis, double the rate of heart disease, and up to 70% obesity rate.

When I meet with caregivers and clients with I/DD, I often ask what the biggest challenge is with food. Caregivers want clients to eat healthier, but the client wants to eat unhealthy food, and this can create frequent disagreements and frustration.

We start by talking through the client’s day, asking what time they awaken, if they attend a day program or a job, what is the first thing they eat/drink, and continue throughout the day, as I record the client’s usual food intake. Once we have discussed their food patterns, we overlay this information with their existing medical conditions and health goals. We also talk about activity and engagement, which may shed insight into healthy non-food motivators that will help in our journey to gradually improve eating habits and decrease non-hunger eating.

Sometimes, small changes can make a big impact. I have a client who drank 6-8 cups of soymilk each day. Her brand contained 120 calories in 8 ounces, often resulting in over 900 calories a day from soymilk. I encouraged her to change to a product with 25 calories per 8 ounces, which resulted in a loss of thirty pounds over several months’ time.

In the My Food My Choice app, the Shared Food Catalog contains many items that can be chosen as healthier alternatives to the client’s (“Eater’s”) favorite and familiar foods, but with fewer calories, more fiber, less sodium and fat-- the modifications needed to gradually improve the Eater’s health. And when they choose these items, they are rewarded with coins in their own virtual coin bank, applause, and confetti.

Stay tuned for more practical information about nutrition and I/DD from our founder, Terri Lykins!