Dietary advice to improve
nutritional intake and help
prevent weight loss
Make Every
Bite Count
Information for high risk patients
How to make every bite count
During your recent contact with a health care professional you were
asked about your appetite and if you had lost any weight. You may
have had your weight and height recorded. This information identified
you as being at “high risk” of becoming malnourished.
It is important to maintain your weight and prevent any further
weight loss to reduce further complications & to keep you as healthy
as possible. To do this it is important to eat nourishing foods; high
in energy, protein and vitamins.
This leaflet will help you to make small adjustments to your eating
in order to achieve a more nourishing diet and prevent any further
weight loss. This advice is intended to be followed until your health
care professional is happy with your weight.
1. Eat small, high
energy meals
& snacks
• Try to have three meals per day plus mid-morning, midafternoon and supper time snacks or eat small amounts
every two to three hours
• Avoid “low fat” or “diet” products
• Have at least one pudding per day
• Choose two good protein sources each day, such as: meat,
fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, nuts, yogurt or beans
• Have one pint of full cream milk each day
• Drink six to eight glasses of fluid each day (tea/coffee/ fruit
juice/ milky drinks). Sip on these throughout the day and
take drinks after your meals, to avoid filling up on them
• Fortify your milk (add four tablespoons of dried milk powder
to one pint of full cream milk)
2. Try adding extra
calories to food
Fats & sugars are high in energy and can
be added to foods to increase calories
This is what you can do to your normal
menu to make it higher in energy
Sample Menu
Spread butter
thickly and add
jam/ marmalade/
honey/syrup
Have a mid
morning snack
Choose thick and
creamy yogurt
Breakfast:
Cereal
Toast
Lunch:
Tinned soup
Bread bun /
pitta
Yogurt
Use full cream
milk / use fortified
milk and add two
teaspoons of
sugar
Choose
“cream of
soups” and
add butter/
cheese/cream/
crème fraiche
Have a mid
afternoon snack
Try stewed fruit
with ice cream/
cream/custard/
milky puddings
See nourishing
drink recipes on
next page
Evening meal:
Roast chicken,
potatoes
and vegetables
Or curry, rice
and naan
Dessert
Supper:
Biscuit
Hot
chocolate
Add butter/
full cream
milk/ cream/
cheese to
mashed
potato
Have
vegetables
with butter or
in cheesy
sauces and
coconut milk
with curry
3 . Choose
nourishing
drinks
These recipes provide a similar amount of
calories as supplements that are available
to buy or get on prescription.
Milky coffee
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
150ml
(1/4
pint) full cream milk
200mls of full cream milk
1
x
heaped
teaspoon of milk
2 x heaped teaspoons of
powder
milk powder
4 x tablespoon of single cream
1 x packet of cup-a soup
1
x teaspoon of coffee powder
Method:
Method:
Mix together milk, milk
Mix
together
milk, cream and milk
powder and cup a soup.
powder.
Heat
until simmering in
Heat until simmering in a
saucepan
or
microwave.
Remove
saucepan or microwave
from
heat
&
add
coffee
powder
Nutritional value (Approx):
Nutritional value (Approx):
250kcal per cup
240kcal per cup
Cup a Soup
Milkshake
Ingredients:
1 x 200ml (1/3 pint) full
cream milk
2 x heaped teaspoons of
milk powder
Add milkshake syrup/
powder to taste.
Method:
Whisk milk & milk powder
together, add milkshake
syrup/powder
Nutritional value (Approx):
230kcal/cup
Variations:
Add 1 scoop of ice cream
(extra 115kcal)
Add 1 tablespoon of
single/double cream
(extra 60/149kcal)
Smoothie
Ingredients:
100ml full cream milk
100ml fruit juice (orange/
cranberry/pineapple)
1 x heaped tablespoon of milk
powder
1 x scoop of ice cream
Fruit: 1 x banana /
3 tablespoons of berries /
3 pineapple rings
Method:
Blend all the ingredients in a
liquidiser for 10-15 seconds.
Serve chilled
Nutritional value (Approx):
390kcal
(depending on fruit used)
3. Choose
nourishing
drinks
(continued)
Hot Chocolate/
malted milk
drinks
Ingredients:
1 x150ml (1/4 pint)
full cream milk
1 x heaped teaspoon
of milk powder
4 x tablespoon of single cream
3 x heaped teaspoons of hot
chocolate/Horlicks/Ovaltine
powder
Method:
Whisk and heat all ingredients
together until simmering in a
saucepan or microwave
Nutritional value (Approx):
290kcal per cup
Variations:
Top with squirty cream
& a chocolate flake
(extra 50kcal)
Yogurt drink
Ingredients:
1 x 150ml (1/4 pint)
full cream milk
1 x pot of thick &
creamy fruit
yogurt
1 x level
tablespoon
of milkpowder
Method:
Blend all ingredients
in a
liquidiser for
10-15 seconds.
Serve chilled.
Nutritional value
(Approx):
270kcal per cup
Variations:
Top with
squirty cream
(extra 30kcal)
You can purchase 'Build up'
or 'Complan' type drinks &
soups from the local
supermarket or pharmacy if
you are unable to make the
nourishing drinks
4. Choose
nourishing
snacks
• Scone, crumpet, muffin or
toasted teacake with
butter and jam
• Cheese / peanut butter on
toast
• Crackers with butter and
cheese / pate
• Bacon sandwich
• Thick and creamy yogurts /
mousse
• Cake / cake bar / muffin
• Sausage roll / samosas /
pakora / spring rolls / pork
pie
• Crisps
• Pot of custard or rice pudding
• Pot of trifle, individual cheese
cakes
• Flapjack / biscuits / chocolate
bar / cereal bar
• Maltloaf with butter
5. Quick meal
ideas
• Jacket potato with
butter, beans and
cheese
• Sausage, mash and
beans (add butter
and cheese to
mashed potato)
• Cheese/scrambled
egg/beans/spaghetti
on well buttered
toast
• Omelette with
cheese and ham
• Try tinned/oven
ready/microwave
meals for
convenience (avoid
diet brands)
• Sausage roll / corned
beef slice / pasty /
pork pie and beans /
spring roll / samosa /
bhaji
• Oven chips / potato
waffle with beans &
cheese
6. Dessert ideas
• Instant desserts: instant
whip/custard made with
fortified milk
• Tinned: milk pudding,
custard, fruit in syrup,
sponge puddings
• Frozen: cakes/gateaux, ice
cream, ice-lollies, choc-ices,
ready to bake puddings
• From the fridge: thick and
creamy yogurt, cheese cake,
mousses, trifles
• Homemade: crumbles, bread
& butter pudding, fruit pies,
milk puddings, scones &
cakes, halva, kheer, kulfi
7. Tips to help with
a small appetite
• Eat “little and often”
• Choose foods you fancy
• Don’t try to eat large
amounts and over-face
yourself
• Convenience foods/ready
meals are useful if you are
finding cooking difficult or
tiring. It may also be a good
idea to freeze smaller
portions of home cooked
meals for convenience.
8. Meal delivery services
• Wiltshire Farm Foods
(01642 643999)
• Women’s Royal Voluntary
Service (01642 222643)
• Oakhouse Foods
(01642 221112)
• Kealth Foods (0845 082 2350)
• Millenium meals
(01642 228237)
(Middlesbrough only)
• Meal 4 U
(01642487453)
(Redcar, Marske and New
Marske deliveries only)
Note: People with diabetes should continue to follow a low sugar
diet; choose high fat items to help maintain your weight. A high
fat diet is suitable in the short term for those with high cholesterol.
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