Meal Support for Partners

It can be difficult to navigate the lines between supporting and “food policing” a loved one struggling with food. Often partners describe not knowing what to do or say in hard moments and feeling at a loss for ways to be supportive. The following are suggestions to talk about trialing with a partner who is struggling to eat and feed themselves. These are best paired with a gentle mix of compassion and commitment to move toward health and safety. 

1. Learn what a meal and snack looks like from their nutrition plan. Learn to prepare or assemble one of them. 

2. Have a basic understanding of the goals they are working toward right now.

3. Lighten the load of food decisions in anyway you can. Ask your partner what might feel helpful. Come up with the grocery list, do the shopping, decide on dinner, cook the dinner, do the dishes. 

4. Create a list of simple meals together that you both can get on the table. Include frozen meals, take out menu items, meals made in 15 min or less. 

5. Accompany them to a nutrition session. Create a top three ways to be supportive to my partner around food with help from a dietitian.  Learn how to do meal support at home as a family. 

6. Give advanced notice and an option to decline with social plans involving food. 

7. Find a few “go-to phrases” when you can see your loved one is struggling. “It looks like you are having a hard time, how can I help?”

Small acts of support can really help. Practicing these together can help bring more peacefulness to your table and your home while helping your partner along their journey to recovery.