Unfortunately, they don’t give him they same taste and feel. I think there can be an aspect of getting energy from the carbs that makes one think this extra energy is “fixing” something.
He has little ability to check his desires when it comes to food. He has a limited list of things he enjoys, and practically none of items on that list are “healthy,” unless snack cakes changed food categories in the last few days.
As long as he can pay the medical bills and isn’t contributing to increased costs for the rest of us.