Nutrition and Dietetic Department
Following a Fluid Diet
The following information is designed to help you while you can only
manage fluids. It will also help you to maintain your weight while at the
same time providing all the nutrients required to keep healthy.
Liquidising Foods
Your food must be of a consistency that allows it to be taken through a
straw or sipped from a spoon or glass. Foods can be liquidised quite easily
with a handheld mixer or a blender. Prepare your meal as normal. Just
before serving, place the food into a cup or blender and blend for
approximately 10-20 seconds until you have a smooth texture. It may be
necessary to add gravy, milk or a sauce in order to make a liquid
consistency.
Breakfast Cereals
Although most cereals can be liquidised, you may find Weetabix, Ready
Brek or porridge easier as they are already smooth.
Savoury Dishes
Cook the food until soft. This will make it easier to liquidise although it is
possible that there will be some texture remaining in the liquid. You may
need to strain this off depending on the reason for your liquid diet.
Examples of meals Cottage pie or Sheppard’s pie, stews or casseroles, fish
in sauce.
You will need to consume the full quantity of your fluid diet to provide the
nutritional content.
Try adding the following to your foods. They will improve the flavour and
some will add additional goodness.
 Meat and yeast extracts
 Prepared savoury sauces
 Curry powder and other spices
 ‘Cook in’ sauces
If you need this information in another format or language telephone: 01536 492510
Further information about the Trust is available on the following
websites: KGH - www.kgh.nhs.uk | NHS Choices - www.nhs.uk
Ref: PI.709 September 2015
Next Review: June 2017
Sweet dishes
Milk puddings and custards can be diluted with full fat milk. They can also
be sweetened with glucose/sugar and fortified with milk powder, evaporated
milk or double cream. This will add extra protein and calories.
Yoghurt/Fromage frais - if necessary, this can be thinned down with full fat
milk and taken as a drink. Adding pureed fruit or seedless jam can enhance
the flavour. A fruit dessert can be made by adding cream and sugar or
glucose to pureed fruit.
Suggested Daily Meal Pattern
Daily:
1½-2 pints of milk, preferably enriched with milk powder as
suggested
On waking:
Glass of milk
Breakfast:
Fresh fruit juice (Vitamin C Drink)
Cereal e.g. Porridge/Weetabix/Ready Brek with milk and
sugar
Milky drink
Mid-morning:
Coffee or tea made with milk and sugar, a milkshake or an
enriched drink
Lunch
Fortified soup or savoury dish
Dessert e.g. pureed fruit and custard or milkshake
Mid-afternoon
Coffee or tea made with milk and sugar or milkshake
Evening
Fortified soup or savoury dish
or liquidised meal
Dessert e.g. pureed fruit and custard
or milkshake
Bedtime
Milk drink e.g. Ovaltine, Horlicks or Coffee
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Milkshake
1 cup full fat milk
2 tablespoons dried milk powder
¼ cup ice cream
flavouring such as chocolate, strawberry syrup
Whisk ingredients together.
Fruit Smoothie
1-1½ cups fruit (such as strawberries, raspberries, bananas, stewed pears,
peaches)
125g vanilla yoghurt
2 tablespoons full fat milk
2 tablespoons sugar or to taste
Liquidise ingredients until smooth.
Raspberry Milkshake
1 tablespoon raspberry jelly jam or flavoured ice cream syrup
1 tablespoon boiling water
4 fl.oz evaporated milk
vanilla ice cream
Mix jam with boiling water. Make milk up to half pint with cold water. Whisk
milk, jam and ice cream and serve.
Additional Information
It is advisable to weigh yourself once a week whilst on this diet to check
your progress.
Enriched drinks sold in chemists and supermarkets can be taken in addition
to your normal diet to help supplement energy and protein intake and
prevent weight loss.
If you experience continual weight loss please contact the Dieticians on the
number below or your Doctor/Nurse.
Dietician……………………………………Telephone No……………….……
Nutrition and Dietetic Department, Kettering General Hospital, Rothwell Road, Kettering,
Northamptonshire NN16 8UZ
On behalf of
Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust
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