A hermeneutic phenomenology was undertaken to explore eating and feeding experiences with 11 women living with changed health status and who had household feeding responsibilities. Thematic analysis yielded two distinct narratives; those in Life-the-Same (LS) group (n=3; participants whose lives were relatively the same after a period of adjustment), and the Life Altered (LA) group (n=8) (those whose lives were completely altered as a result of their condition). Participants in the LS group had adjusted to new dietary, exercise, and medication routines, achieved physiologic goals, and retained eating and feeding routines at and away from home. Participants in the LA group experienced profound changes in ingesting and digesting food, and eliminating waste, physical appearance, and in enjoyment of eating, and rarely left home. Anticipated physiologic effects of dietary change were not achieved due to physical deterioration. Family and friends took on feeding duties when the regular ‘feeder’ was acutely ill, however, participants resumed these roles as soon as they were able (even though they remained unwell) owing to the strength of role identification. The Organizational Framework for Exploring Nutrition Narratives (OFFENN) emerged from the analysis, and is comprised of four domains (Personal; Household; Beyond Household; and Unthoughts), and four filters (Events/Facts; Values/Beliefs; Actions; Emotions and Reflections). The framework offers a means to explore clients’ narratives and to invite conversations about eating and feeding; it is not meant to be prescriptive of dietary guidance, and has application in dietetics education (in preparing students for their counselling roles and in informing research).
