Change in Eating Habits Among Recent Widows Can Lead to Illness, Study Finds

Recent widows tend to skip meals or eat junk food during the early stages of grief, putting themselves at risk of health problems if they don’t regain control, a study says.

Christine Rosenbloom, a professor of nutrition and dietetics at Georgia State University, studied eating habits of 50 people over the age of 60 who had lost spouses. The study included three men. She found that even the most health-conscious among them lost interest in preparing good meals for themselves.

The findings proved what grief counselor Charles L. Owen of Atlanta already had noticed.

“Weight loss comes early in the grieving process, and it’s very normal,” he said. “Food is pleasure, and what happens is the pleasure mechanisms are shut down. That’s one of the first to go. As they begin to feel better, they allow that pleasure to come through again.”

Rosenbloom said 36 of the people in her study lost an average of 7 1/2 pounds, without trying, after their spouses’ death. Seven gained an average of two pounds; the rest had no change.

Recent widows had lower intakes of all the nutrients she analyzed--including total calories, protein, iron and other minerals and vitamins--than the married people, Rosenbloom said.

And the widows, though they all could afford to eat better, were more likely to skip the evening meal or to eat fast food, she found.

Most said they couldn’t face eating alone, looking at their spouse’s empty chair, she said. “They just found it easier to avoid this and snack with comfort foods, things that were handy, rather than prepare a meal and sit down and eat it.”

Charlotte Gore, 63, of Atlanta, whose husband died of cancer, said she eats more prepared meals in front of the television and has given up cooking, which she never liked anyway.

“I lost about 10 pounds during his last illness and right after he died, but I’ve gained about five pounds back,” she said. “I’m just not interested in eating by myself.”

“Women tend to be better at feeding themselves than men who live alone,” said Judith Halfrisch, a nutritionist with the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md. “But older women are at a greater risk for nutrition deficiencies than men because they eat less anyway and are more susceptible to deficiencies like calcium.”

Rosenbloom suggested that those who have recently lost a spouse try taking advantage of group meals, arranging to eat with friends, eating while sitting in the spouse’s chair so they don’t have to look at it, and seeking advice on cooking for one without wasting food.