By Richard Kennard

This is article four of a short series of articles which thoroughly discuss high calorie foods and nutrition. The aim is to uncover the most nutritionally dense foods and the easiest ways of getting them into the body. The focus is maintenance of bodyweight during illness or medical treatment but the information can apply to anyone needing a nutritionally dense diet. Please note that we are not doctors or medically trained. The information in this article has been gained from personal experience as a carer and from discussions with doctors and nutritionists.

In this article we look at strategies for overcoming having no energy to cook and making sure that you get the best return on time spent in kitchen.

No energy to cook

If you're undergoing chemotherapy or recovering from illness you are unlikely to have the energy to spend much time in the kitchen. Muster your resources by preparing the simplest highest energy foods you can. Take a look at the sample meals later in this series and the ideas about convenience food and pre-cooked meals.

Convenience food

Take a look at the range of tinned foods at your local supermarket. Most have quite a reasonable range and even sell half sized tins which may be useful if you're on your own and/or have reduced appetite. Look out for complete meals or foods that are heavy in calories and protein that can just be heated up and served with bread or on toast. An example of this would be a tin of beef or chicken stew.

If you or your patient can't cope with solids then a tin of soup (don't forget to add cream!) with a slice or two of bread and butter is good.

There are also lots of dessert options. One that we like for its simplicity is pre-prepared custard. Just heat it up and eat!

Pre-cooked meals

There are a number of vendors that will deliver pre-cooked meals to your house. Many of these companies sell packs containing a week's worth of main meals with the option to add desserts as well. The better companies will also have an Energy Dense menu that you can select from. This can be a great way of getting the hard work done by someone else just leaving you to focus on the eating. We talk about our favourite suppliers on the website.

Cook extra and use the freezer

Cook more than you need. If you're cooking something that can be re-heated later then cook extra and have the second helping the following day or freeze it. Stews/casseroles are great examples of food which lend themselves to this approach. A marker pen and plenty of plastic tubs also help. If you are unwell then perhaps a friend or relative could cook up a batch of food for you.

The microwave

Pre-prepared meals suitable for cooking/heating in the microwave are available from the supermarkets and also from a number of other vendors. See the 'Pre-cooked meals' section above.

In our next article we discuss supplements, the bowels and appetite stimulants.

By Richard Kennard

This is article five of a short series of articles which thoroughly discuss high calorie foods and nutrition. The aim is to uncover the most nutritionally dense foods and the easiest ways of getting them into the body. The focus is maintenance of bodyweight during illness or medical treatment but the information can apply to anyone needing a nutritionally dense diet. Please note that we are not doctors or medically trained. The information in this article has been gained from personal experience as a carer and from discussions with doctors and nutritionists.

Supplements

We mention several supplements on our web site. A good quality protein or 'weight gain' powder can be added to milkshakes/smoothies or simply mixed with full fat milk. You could also use this 'fortified milk' on other foods like a breakfast cereal.

The thing to remember here is that supplements are just that - supplements. Ensure your overall diet is right and then add them to give you a boost. They are NOT a replacement for your regular food.

If you or the person you're looking after have extremely low appetite of problems with solid food then both Nestle and Abbot produce some fruit flavoured juice drinks which taste like fruit juice but are full of calories and protein. (They are called Resource and Ensure). Ask your doctor or health care provider.

The Bowels

Discussing bowels in depth is out of the scope of this article. However we would observe that if the bowel is emptying slowly (perhaps due to dehydration) then this is likely to have an impact on your appetite. The number one rule is to stay hydrated. If you're dehydrated the body will absorb moisture from every available source and this can lead to constipation. Keep your water intake up!

If you're adequately hydrated the next thing is to add some fruit to your diet (dried is fine). In all cases of prolonged constipation discuss the situation with your healthcare provider. There are a number of laxatives available to help keep things moving.

Appetite stimulants

Low appetite can quickly lead to a loss of interest in food, resulting in even less energy and hindering recovery from illness. There are drugs to increase appetite but we have had no exposure to them. If you have low appetite for a prolonged period and believe a stimulant could help then you must talk to your health care provider. If you are on certain medications there may be contra indications between your medication and certain appetite stimulants.

In our experience focussing on providing a variety of nicely presented suitable sized meals is the best overall approach!

In our final article we will provide our favourite list of high calorie foods and some sample high calorie meals.

See you then!