Can he eat nuts? Esp walnuts are good. Veggies such as cut up carrots, peppers, cucumber slices with hummus or pita chips. Protein needs don't diminish as one ages, so even something like a quarter of a sandwich on whole grain bread can make a good snack....turkey, low salt ham, peanut butter, almond butter.

Tiny cups of cashews? Good calories and tasty, stays appetizing even it sits out for a long time.

Here are some ideas from WW

https://simple-nourished-living.com/24-healthy-snacks-for-weight-watchers/

Erin Bakers Breakfast Cookie.

Great suggestions from everyone. We are in our 80’s and always try to eat healthy. We have on hand most all the items everyone suggested. Hubs and I eat chopped veggies, nuts, fruits , oh my favorite, half sandwich with whole wheat bread and natural peanut butter between meals. Excellent idea to have items available for your dad.

Didn't see hard boiled eggs mentioned.

A banana, or cubes of cantaloupe. I love cantaloupe. Does he like cottage cheese? I like a little dish of cottage cheese if I’m hungry for something a little more substantial than fruit. Some people mix in fruit, but (don’t be shocked) I like to stir in a little ketchup for some flavor.

SO usually prefers tiny meals and snacks. He is not elderly but he eats like a bird and i try to get as much nutrition into him as possible. I often keep dinner rolls around and make him tiny sandwiches. I also sometimes make chicken or tuna salad that he can eat with crackers when he wants it. I also keep cans of pineapple chunks in the fridge to have them cold and I usually have a bowl of washed and destemed (is that a word?) black grapes on the top shelf of our fridge for easy access. In the summer I wash and pit a bunch those wonderful dark sweet cherries in the same way so they can just be eaten without worry or fuss.

Bpath,I put salt,pepper and occasionally hot sauce in my cottage cheese. I hate it with fruit.

Peanut butter crackers or on celery. How about some dips and veggies cut up. I am sure there are some dips that with added items are nutritious. Cheese sticks rolled in turkey or ham type meat.

• Greek yogurt with fruit
• Cheese and crackers
• Sandwiches made with deli meat like chicken breast or salads like chicken salad
• Granola bars especially softer varieties such as Nutrigrain or KIND nut butter bars or breakfast bars
• Fruit or fruit/vegetable juice blend beverages
• Nuts or trail mix
• Vegetables (parboil the veggies if they have trouble chewing raw) and dip
• Smoothie or milkshake with fruit/vegetables
• Pudding or gelatin snack cups
• Fruit cups packed in their own juice
• String cheese sticks
• Raisins, yogurt covered raisins, craisins, dates, or figs
• Real fruit snacks
• Peanut butter and crackers
• Hard boiled eggs
• Stewed prunes, dried fruit such as apricots
• Fig newtons
• Hummus and pita
• Homemade leftover dinner (small portion)
• Custard
• Ice cream or fruit juice bar
• Cottage cheese and fruit
• Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• Wheat or fruit muffins
• Glass of chocolate milk or buttermilk
• Oatmeal cookies
• Bowl of cereal or oatmeal with berries
• Avocado on toast
• Pate on crackers
• Nutritional supplement including fortified fruit juice or clear supplement for a change Source https://seniorcarecorner.com/choosing-snacks-seniors-eat-nutrition

Peanut butter is a great source of protein. Unless you have thyroid disease - it's goitergenic so use with caution.

Amylou, little sandwiches on a dinner roll are my favorites!

What is his chewing ability like? I did this for my mother a number of years ago and the number one list on all seniors food lists was water. People over the age of 55 start to lose their sense of thirst and so become dehydrated without realizing it. The other recommendation was to try to give them foods that require some chewing and swallowing without food getting stuck. (eg - my mom couldn't swallow mashed potatoes as they were too sticky) bread can be sticky but toast less so.

don't forget plain old water

yogurt with blueberries

Smoothies with bananas, blueberries, spinach cottage cheese etc.

eggs, scrambled or omelet with cheese and avocado

eta - anything with bran etc to keep him regular.

When I was fighting to stay above 100 lbs, I drank one Kirkland protein shake every day. I still have to force myself to drink water. (See glass. Drink at least six swallows. Repeat.)

You can look for tumaro's wraps which are low carbs and are great for a hummus spread or peanut butter and jelly.

Also, I eat the plain nonfat greek yogurt and stir in vanilla or cinnamon or a little bit of cocoa powder to jazz it up in a non-carb way.

Does he need more calories or less?

My grandmother has been losing weight along with her appetite, and her home has been trying to squeeze in as many calories as they can. Filling up on celery is not good on that case, but adding a good amount of peanut butter on top is perfect.

I think some elders do experience appetite loss or a laziness about eating that requires special attention. For others, just like the rest of us, isn't the issue resolved by eating a wide variety of good quality, nutritious foods? I know that sometimes can take some pushing and, as amylou mentions, a bit of advanced thinking and preparation so that the right foods and snacks are handy and easy to get to.

This question came up at one of my annual doctor's visits years ago but his remark was unless a food is something that causes digestive or other health problems that are immediately deadly or would send the person to the hospital allow them to eat whatever they want. Some nutrition even the wrong kind is better than eating less if the person does not like it just because the food is healthy especially if older and/or terminal.

Ask him is there is any food that he would like to have as a snack. If he gives you ideas let him eat it.

Sounds like that was a wise doctor.

My better half is 81 and actually needs to gain weight. His dietician recommended a protein powder which can be added to cereal, mashed potatoes, etc or used in a smoothie (he loves mango smoothies), plus ordered him to have two to three snacks a day - cheese and crackers, yoghurt with fruit, granola-type bars, muffins or cupcakes, banana bread, fruit, nuts, peanut butter, etc. We add French or Italian dressing to salads and potatoes for a few extra calories. Desserts are ice cream with fruit, fruit tarts, creme caramel, etc.

High water content fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe help to get water into them.

My mother also really liked the protein fortified milk that I found - Shamrock Farms I think was the brand. She was always a milk drinker anyway, and she seemed to have declining ability to taste other than sweet, so this was a hit (along with ice cream - which can be bought in single serving cups). She did not like the taste nor the texture of nutrition shakes like Ensure, or most protein powders, but I did find an acceptable powder that I could add to instant pudding mix.

I had to do the same as you, because if a regular plate of food was set in front of her, even with much smaller servings she would push it away: "It's too much, I don't want it". I would also cut up cheese and cooked meats into cubes and package them into just a few bites (5 or less).

Another thought (when thinking of my mom), my mom would mix up and cook a batch of stir-fry with all the pieces cut up quite tiny (peppers, diced carrots, chicken, zucchini, etc) and then freeze them into small portions and just microwave them to warm it up. They could be frozen in muffin tins and then transferred into small freezer bags.

Perhaps something like that would work.