Tennessee Death-row Inmate Christa Pike Praised for Last-Meal Choice

NASHVILLE — Nutrition experts are praising Tennessee death-row inmate Christa Pike for declining a last meal choice before her scheduled execution, calling the decision an encouraging example of portion control during what can otherwise be a nutritionally difficult period.

Pike, 50, declined the traditional opportunity to select a special last meal, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. The decision stands in sharp contrast to generations of condemned prisoners who have treated the last-meal privilege as though somebody had handed them the Cheesecake Factory menu and removed all prices.

Nutritionists have long warned that death-row inmates tend to make poor dietary choices immediately before execution, frequently selecting meals high in saturated fat, sodium, refined carbohydrates, and portions normally delivered to restaurants by forklift.

Pike avoided all of them. “She consumed no saturated fat, no added sugar and no sodium,” said Dr. Malcolm Henshaw, 58, a nutritional compliance specialist who brings his own salad dressing to weddings. “From a dietary standpoint, you cannot improve on that.”

The benefits of Pike’s non-choice extend beyond calorie reduction. By declining the meal entirely, she also avoided the traditional death-row problems of overeating before going to sleep, gas, and wondering halfway through the onion rings whether ordering the cheesecake had been excessive.

Texas confronted the last meal choice problem in 2011 after Lawrence Russell Brewer ordered an enormous final meal including chicken-fried steaks, barbecue, fajitas, a cheeseburger, an omelet and ice cream, then reportedly did not eat it. Texas subsequently abolished special last-meal requests.

Tennessee has retained the custom, apparently trusting condemned prisoners to exercise better judgment. On Tuesday, Pike finally did.

Officials would not speculate whether other inmates will follow her example, although Henshaw called fasting “an excellent short-term strategy for anyone concerned about maintaining a healthy weight.”

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