How to make your diet more nourishing

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What is this information about?

This information is about how you can make your meals and drinks (your diet) more nourishing. A nourishing diet is one that gives you what you need in your food and drink so that you can stay healthy (including staying at a healthy weight), get well or heal better.

Why have I been given this information?

You have been given this information because your diet may not be giving you all the nutrients and energy that you need. You may need a more nourishing diet to, for example,:  

• improve wound healing. This could be after you have had an injury or an operation. 
• stop you from losing further weight or help you to regain weight that you have lost if your weight is not healthy for you.
• help to keep your immune system strong so that you can fight off infections.

I have a heart condition or high cholesterol. Should I be having more fat in my diet?

If you are concerned about your heart or have raised cholesterol talk to your dietitian.

What are the top four ideas that I can try to help me to have a more nourishing diet?

1. Make your food and drink more nourishing by adding things such as milk, peanut butter, cheese or yoghurt.  
2. Eat a bit more. If you do not feel very hungry (you have a small appetite), try having small meals or snacks. Have them often throughout the day. Aim for three small meals a day with two or three snacks in between. 
3. Have nourishing drinks. For example, milk, a hot milky drink, or soup. Tell your dietitian or doctor if you have problems swallowing any foods or drinks. For example, if they get stuck going down or make you cough when you swallow them. 
4. Have nutritional supplement drinks if they are right for you. Your dietitian will check whether these might help you and ask your doctor to prescribe them if they would help.

Which nourishing foods could I try to include in my diet?

What extras can I add to my meals or snacks to make them more nourishing?

Should I try to have nourishing drinks?

Yes. Try to drink at least 8 to 10 cups each day (unless you have been told by a healthcare professional that you should drink less as you are on ‘fluid restriction’).

These can be hot or cold drinks. For example, milk, tea, coffee, fruit juices, squash or cordials and water.

These drinks have lots of nourishment in them:

1. Fortified milk

Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of dried milk powder to a pint of full fat milk. Use fortified milk in cooking, drinks, puddings, soups and breakfast cereals.

You can also add milk powder to ready-made foods such as milk puddings, custard or soup to make them more nutritious. Dissolve the milk powder in a small amount of milk before adding it to food.

2. Milk shakes

You can make nutritious milkshakes by adding 1 level tablespoon of milk powder and 1 to 2 scoops of ice cream to one pint of milk. You could flavour this with milkshake syrup or liquidised tinned or fresh fruit.

3. Complan and Build-up

You can get these from a pharmacy or supermarket. They come in both sweet and savoury flavours. Try to eat a meal and use these as a snack or as a drink before bed.

If you do not feel like eating, then you may find one of these nourishing drinks easier to manage than food.

Recipes for nourishing drinks:

Milkshake. Serves 1

• 200ml fortified milk
• milkshake powder or syrup to taste. For example, Crusha or Nesquik

Mix in milkshake powder or liquid flavouring to the milk. Stir well. Try adding 1 scoop ice cream or 1 tablespoon of double cream to make your milkshake even more nutritious.

Milky coffee. Serves 1

• 150mIs of milk
• 1 heaped tablespoon (about 10g) of milk powder
• 2 tablespoons cream
• 1 teaspoon coffee powder

Mix the milk, cream, and milk powder together. Heat until simmering in a saucepan or microwave. Add to coffee powder.

What ideas for snacks and smaller sized meals could I try?

Ideas for snack meals:

• Sandwiches with meat, egg and mayonnaise, tuna, cheese & pickle or tomatoes
• Baked beans, egg or spaghetti on toast
• Omelet or scrambled egg with ham or cheese
• Bacon sandwich or roll with mayonnaise or ketchup
• ‘Cream of’ soup (or a nutritional supplement soup like Build-up or Complan soup). Have the soup with bread and butter. You can add cream or cheese into soups as well.
• Baked potato with tuna and mayonnaise, cheese, baked beans. Use plenty of butter or margarine
• Pasta in a sauce with meat, chunks of chicken or tinned fish. Try a cream sauce or putting grated cheese on top.

Ideas for snacks:

• Cheese & biscuits
• Small sandwiches
• Toast with jam, cheese, meat or fish paste
• Sausage rolls, pork pie, cocktail sausages
• Hummus with breadsticks or carrot sticks
• Crisps, savoury snacks, dried fruit, and nuts
• Fruit yoghurt or fromage frais
• Ice cream
• Ready made desserts such as crème caramel, custard tarts, chocolate mousse, trifle, rice pudding
• Cake, crumpets, English muffins, fruit or malted loaf, hot cross buns, doughnut
• Plain or chocolate covered biscuits
• Chocolate bar or cereal bar
• Sweet and savoury nutritional supplement drinks that you can buy from your pharmacy or supermarket. For example, Complan or Build-up
• A glass of milk.

How can I make sure I have plenty of vitamins in my diet?

Fruit, fruit juice, and vegetables provide vitamins. Have a variety of fruit and vegetables even if you have a small portion.

What can I do if I feel too tired to cook?

Try having take-away meals and ready prepared convenience foods. You can get many meals from supermarkets that just need reheating in your microwave or oven. You can add nutrition to these by adding grated cheese or a spoonful of cream.

You could buy ready prepared, fresh, or frozen meals which are be delivered directly to your home from companies such as:

Make sure you have some snack foods that are easy and quick to prepare and eat such as a packet of crisps, yoghurts, a slice of cake or crackers and cheese.

On days that you are cooking a meal try cooking twice as much and put the extra portion in your fridge or freezer to have on another day. You could try this with foods such as mince, casseroles or stews.

Can you give me a”sample meal plan” of what I could eat in a day?

Yes, here are some ideas for a sample meal plan:

Use this page to make notes: (see PDF version of this leaflet)

Who can I contact if I need any further information or support after I have read this information?

Please contact your hospital Dietetics department: