Nourishing drinks
Try to have drinks which contain lots
of calories, rather than tea and coffee.
A cup of full cream milk provides the
same calories as drinking eight cups
of tea! Suggestions are given on some
moderate and higher calorie drinks.
Low (less than 50 calories)
Water, tea, coffee, sugar free/ diet
drinks, squash with water.
Moderate (50-100 calories)
Lemonade/cola, lager/beer, sherry, fruit
juices, squash made with lemonade,
semi and skimmed milk.
Practical tips to
increase your
calorie intake:
• Pour 2 tablespoons of double
cream over some cake/icecream
(extra 250 calories)
• Add 2 teaspoons of jam or honey
to milk pudding
(extra 100 calories)
• Melt grated cheese (a small match
box size) into soup
(extra 125 calories)
Adapting meals
to prevent
weight loss
• Add a tablespoon of double cream
to hot chocolate or malted drink
(extra 125 calories)
High (100-200 calories)
Cider, full cream milk,
milkshakes/coffee/hot
chocolate/malted
drinks made with full
cream milk, Build Up,
Complan.
focus on
Is part of the Nutrition &
Dietetic Services at South
Durham, Darlington and
North Durham
If your weight has decreased by more than 4lb (2kg) in a month, whilst
following the recommendations in this leaflet, please contact the person
who gave you this leaflet for further advice.
This document is available upon request in large print, audio cassette, and other languages.
Please telephone 01388 455712 (South Durham) or 0191 333 2568 (North Durham).
focus on
Adapting meals to prevent weight loss
Published February 2008
County Durham Primary Care Trust
Darlington Primary Care Trust
"Focus on Food" is funded by
County Durham Primary Care Trust
and Darlington Primary Care Trust
If you are experiencing a poor appetite, it is important that you still eat and
drink adequately to prevent you from losing weight. This leaflet contains ideas
for nourishing snacks, drinks and recipes for adapting your meals to increase
the calorie and nutrient content. This is called “food fortification“.
Suggestions for
a poor appetite:
• Eat a “little of what you fancy”
Eat three small meals a day
two to three nourishing
snacks between meals each day
• At each meal fortify one dish
• Drink nourishing drinks
• Take one multivitamin and
mineral tablet each day
• Always try to eat full fat
products
• Avoid reduced sugar products,
unless you have diabetes
• Check your weight at least
once a month
•
• Eat
Nourishing snacks
Try to eat two to three small nourishing
snacks between meals each day. A plain
biscuit is not a nourishing snack as it only
contains 35 calories. Better choices of snacks
are shown below and listed as the equivalent
to eating four, six or eight plain biscuits.
Equivalent to 4 plain biscuits (140 calories):
A fairy cake, slice of malt loaf, half a hot
cross bun, half a scone and jam, medium
sausage roll, packet of crisps, scoop of ice
cream, slice pizza, a cereal bar, handful of
dried fruit, pot of custard or rice pudding,
small matchbox cheese, ham/cheese
sandwich (1 slice), jam tart.
Equivalent to 6 plain biscuits (210 calories):
A crumpet, half a teacake, slice of
fruit/sponge cake, mini pork pie, an
individual bakewell tart/fruit pie, doughnut,
pot of trifle, individual cheesecake, pot of
rich chocolate mousse, pot of thick and
creamy yoghurt.
Equivalent to 8 plain biscuits
(280 calories):
Small slice flapjack, 2
slices malt loaf, half a
scone, jam and
cream, 2 crackers
and cheese, a danish
pastry, chocolate bar,
handful of peanuts
(50g).
Use generous amounts of
margarine/butter on snacks.
focus on
Fortifying your diet
It is important to add small quantities of everyday foods,
such as cream, milk powder or butter to a food dish to increase
the nutritional content. This means every mouthful you eat will
be full of nourishment. We call this "fortifying food".
Everyday foods you could add to food dishes are:
milk powder (1 heaped tablespoon), double
or whipping cream (1-2 tablespoons),
butter or margarine (1 teaspoon) or
jam (1 teaspoon). When adding milk
powder to dishes, mix it into a
paste with some cream or milk,
Fortified
otherwise it may not mix well.
custard/porridge/
milk pudding/soup
• 1 ladle of normal custard/porridge/
milk pudding/soup
• 1 heaped tablespoon milk powder
• 2 tablespoon double cream
Normal versions: 150 calories, soup 80
Fortified versions: average 450 calories
soup 350
Fortified instant mousse
• 1 packet of instant dessert
• 1/4 pint (150mls) double cream
• 1/4 pint (150mls) full cream milk
• 4 heaped tablespoons milk powder
Mix the milk powder and instant
dessert powder together in a bowl.
Whisk in the double cream and milk.
Divide between 4 bowls, serve when
set and chilled.
Fortified milk
• 1 pint full cream milk
• 5 heaped tablespoons milk powder
Mix milk powder with some milk to
make a runny paste and add to
remainder of pint.
Standard milk: 375 calories
Fortified milk: 630 calories
focus on
Adapting meals to prevent weight loss
Adapting meals to prevent weight loss