Nutritional
drinks - A guide for patients and their families
Nutrional Drinks - booklet coverContents
Introduction
There are now many special nutritional drinks and puddings
available to help when eating is difficult. With so much
choice it can be hard to decide what is right for you. This
booklet has been designed by The Christie dietitians to
show you:
- What nutritional drinks are available
- What nutritional drinks are the most suitable for you
- How all the products can be used
Who
is this booklet for?
This booklet is for people who find it a struggle to eat
ordinary foods and…
- are worried about not eating properly, for example,
because of swallowing difficulties
- have already lost weight because of their illness
and are worried about further weight loss
- are losing weight as a result of treatment
If you are having eating problems as a result of your
treatment such as loss of appetite, sore mouth or
diarrhoea, you will find useful advice in The Christie
booklet ‘Eating - Help Yourself’ available on the wards
and the Cancer Information Centre on the glass link
corridor
If you are an inpatient
You can discuss using nutritional drinks with the ward staff.
There are products available on the wards that you can try.
If you need further advice, ask the ward staff to refer you
to a dietitian.
If you are an outpatient
If you are an outpatient you can talk to your specialist nurse
or doctor. For further advice ask your Christie doctor or GP
to refer you to your local dietitian.
Remember, these products are meant to supplement your
diet and not replace all your ordinary food. It is best to try
to keep eating some ordinary foods, alongside the drinks,
if at all possible. See “Eating - Help Yourself” for ideas on
high protein, high calorie foods and snacks.
What
you need to know?
There is a wide range of these products in sweet or savoury
flavours. Some have a neutral taste and can be added to
other foods.
Some products are not suitable for people on special
diets. For example, many are unsuitable for diabetics. If
you are unsure, please ask your doctor or dietitian. Other
supplements contain gelatine, so may not be acceptable for
people on a Kosher or strict vegetarian diet.
There are recipe ideas for using supplements at the end of
the booklet.
New products and flavours are coming out all the
time. Ask your GP or dietitian.
Please note that companies may change the
ingredients or rename their products before this
booklet is reviewed.
What
Is available?
This booklet describes the different sorts of supplements that are available, and gives some recipe suggestions as to
how you can use them. Nutritional supplements come in
three groups:
- Nutritional drinks
- Energy and protein supplements
- Nourishing puddings
Nourishing
drinks
The following pages list the names of the drinks that are
available, that you can either buy (non-prescription) or are
available on prescription. The drinks are best sipped slowly
between your meals.
Try different sorts to find which ones you enjoy. They
can be served hot or cold, and can be adapted to suit
your taste by adding ice-cream, fresh fruit or other
flavourings. Use them to make sweet or savoury dishes
- some ideas are given at the back of this booklet.
Neutral drinks can be taken as they are, or flavoured
with soup mix or milk shake syrups - see recipes section for
ideas. You can also freeze them into ice-lollies or ice-cream.
The
advice in this booklet is not suitable for children
Nourishing drinks you can buy
These drinks (non-prescription) can be bought in chemists
and some supermarkets. They come in a powdered form
and should be made up as directed on the packet.
- Build-up: vanilla, banana,strawberry, chocolate,
natural or lemon ‘n' lime (contains some fibre).
- Build-up soup: chicken, potato and leek, tomato
and vegetable (contains some fibre).
- Boots Recovery: chocolate, strawberry or original.
- Complan: original, strawberry, vanilla, peach
and raspberry, chocolate or banana.
- Complan savoury: chicken or vegetable.
- Complan ready-to-drink cartons: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry
flavours.
Nourishing drinks on prescription
Your hospital doctor or GP will assess whether you
need the drinks on prescription, and they will advise
you on the quantities to take. The majority of these
supplements are not suitable for strict vegetarians.
Ask your doctor or pharmacists about the
flavours available
High Energy Content*:
These are milk based drinks and come in a wide variety of flavours.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the range
- Clinutren 1.5 (Nestle)
- Ensure Plus (Abbott)
- Fortisip Bottle (Nutricia)
- Fresubin Energy (Fresenius Kabi)
- Complan shake (Complan)
High
energy content with fibre
Should be used with dietetic or medical supervision
- Clinutren 1.5 fi bre (Nestle)
- Enrich Plus (Abbott)
- Fortisip Multi-fi bre (Nutricia)
- Fresubin Energy Fibre (Fresenius Kabi)
High
energy content - Yoghurt based
These can be useful for people with taste change
- Ensure Plus Yoghurt Style (Abbott)
- Fortifresh (Nutricia)
Juice
based drinks
These drinks are not suitable for diabetics
- Clinutren Fruit (Nestle)
- Enlive Plus(Abbott )
- Fortijuice (Nutricia)
- Provide Xtra (Fresenius Kabi)
powdered energy drinks
They can be easily mixed into yoghurts, rice pudding, fruit juice or jelly to increase the protein
and calorie content.
- Calshake (Fresenius Kabi)
- Enshake (Abbott)
- Scandishake (Nutricia)
savoury supplement
These are
energy dense
nutritional
powders
which are
made up with
hot water to
make savoury
drinks.
- Vitasavoury (Vitaflo)
- Ensure Plus Savoury
(Abbott)
- Fortisip Savoury Multifibre
(Nutricia) (contains fibre)
Energy and protein supplements
You should only use these energy and protein supplements
with the advice of a registered dietitian. They are
concentrated sources of energy and / or protein and
may be available on prescription from your GP. Powdered
supplements are useful to increase the nutritional value of
ordinary food.
powdered supplements:
Some may not be
suitable for diabetics
Maxijul (SHS), Caloreen (Nestle), Polycal (Nutricia), Polycose (Abbott), Vitajoule (Vitaflo),
Quickcal (Vitafl o).
These can be added to any liquid or moist food such as
porridge, yoghurt, soup or tea, to increase the calorie
content. They dissolve easily and are tasteless. Directions
for use are given on the packets.
Protifar (Nutricia), Maxipro (SHS), Promod
(Abbott), Procal (Vitaflo).
These can be added to liquid foods as above, to increase
the protein content. To be taken under dietetic or medical
supervision.
Polycal (Nutricia), Maxijul (SHS), Calogen (SHS),
Procal (Vitaflo).
These are energy supplements which come as a flavoured
liquid. They can be taken neat, mixed into drinks or added
to food. Ask your dietitian for ideas and recipes.
Nourishing puddings
Clinutren Dessert (Nestle): chocolate, vanilla, peach
and caramel.
Formance (Abbott Laboratories): butterscotch,
chocolate and vanilla.
Forticreme (Nutricia): vanilla, chocolate, coffee,
banana and forest fruits.
These are cold
desserts which
are especially
useful for
people
who find
swallowing
difficult.
Recipes
Savoury
FORTIFIED SOUP
- 3 tablespoons Original Complan or Build-up
- 1 packet instant soup mix
- 200ml full cream milk
Mix the soup mix and Complan or Build-up. Add a little cold
milk to form a paste. Add remaining hot milk. Serve at once.
FORTIFIED SAUCE
- 1 sachet neutral Build-Up, Complan or Scandishake
- 1 carton ready-made sauce eg cheese
Mix sachet and sauce together. Heat as directed on sauce packet. Serve with fi sh, vegetables, pasta etc.
Sweet Pudding
DESSERT PLUS
- 1 carton high energy milk-based drink
- 1 packet instant pudding mix eg Angel Delight, instant
whip or supermarkets own brand.
- 6 tablespoons powdered energy supplement
Mix the high energy powder and the pudding mix together.
Add a little milk to make a paste. Add the nourishing drink
and whisk well. Leave to set.
This can also be frozen to make ice-cream or ice lollies.
HIGH ENERGY JELLY
- 1 jelly - any flavour
- One 200ml carton high energy milk-based drink
Dissolve the jelly in 142mls of water. Leave to cool
completely. Whisk in nourishing drink and leave to set.
(The mixture may curdle slightly, but this will not affect the
nutritional value).
CARAMEL DESSERT
- 1 packet Creme Caramel Mix
- 2 cartons neutral fl avour high energy milk-based drink
Make up the mix as directed on the packet using the drink
instead of milk. Chill.
MILK PUDDING
- 2 cartons high energy milk-based drink vanilla flavour
- 11/2 oz or 42g pudding rice
- 11/2 oz or 42g sugar
- Knob of butter
Mix ingredients together and pour into an oven proof bowl.
Bake at 180C (350F) Gas 4 for 20 mins. Then turn down and
continue to bake at 150C (330F) for 1½ hours.
JUICY JELLY
- 1 packet jelly
- 1 carton juice based drink,
Dissolve jelly in 142ml of boiling water. Add carton and leave
to set.
Cereals
SUPER CEREAL (1)
- 3 tablespoons porridge oats or instant oat cereal
- 568ml full cream milk
- 3 tablespoons natural Build-up or Complan
- Sugar, salt or honey to taste
Mix oats with milk and Complan or Build-up. Bring to boil
stirring continuously, then simmer for 5 mins and serve.
Add sugar, salt or honey to taste. Add more milk to thin the
consistency.
SUPER CEREAL (2)
- 3 tablespoons instant breakfast cereal or 1 crushed
Weetabix
- 1/2 cup full cream milk
- 3 tablespoons natural Complan or Build-up
Mix Complan or Build-up with cereal. Add hot milk and stir
well. Add sugar or salt to taste.
Drinks
HIGH CALORIE WATER
- 1 litre water
- 5oz or 140g (9 heaped tablespoons) powdered energy
supplement eg. Caloreen or one sachet Maxijul
Add energy supplement to 1 litre of water
Add squash to fl avour if liked, or add to gravies, sauces
or jelly.
Stir before drinking. Keep refrigerated and discard after
24 hours.
SPECIAL MILK SHAKE
- 1 sachet of Build-up or Complan (flavoured)
- 200ml full cream milk
- 6 teaspoons powdered energy supplement
- 1 scoop ice-cream
Mix ingredients together - use a liquidiser or whisk.
Use a variety of flavours such as cocoa powder, chocolate, tropical fruit drink with lemon or pineapple mix, flavoured
sachets or syrups.
CARIBBEAN TWIST
- 110ml (½ carton) of chilled peach fl avoured Enlive Plus
- 50ml lemonade and pineapple juice to taste
Mix the Enlive Plus with the lemonade and pineapple juice.
Pour into a glass and serve.
STRAWBERRY DELIGHT
- 220ml carton of chilled strawberry Ensure Plus
- 4 strawberries or small can of strawberries (juice optional)
- 1 block of vanilla ice cream
Liquidise all ingredients. Sieve before serving. Pour into
glass and fl oat small pieces of ice cream on top.
BANANA DREAM
- 200ml carton of chilled neutral Fortisip
- ½ - 1 banana peeled
- 1 block of vanilla ice cream
Pour the Fortisip into the liquidizer. Add the banana, broken
into pieces. Add the ice cream and liquidize until smooth.
TOFFEE TREAT
- 200ml neutral Fortisip
- 1 sachet of Dairy fudge Cadbury Highlights
Mix the powder with a small quantity of boiling water
and whisk in the Fortisip. Mix well and serve.
MAXI NIGHTCAP
- 189 ml full cream milk
- 1 tablespoon natural Complan or Build-up
- 1 tablespoon glucose powder
- 2 tablespoons Ovaltine, Horlicks or drinking chocolate
Mix Complan or Build-up with glucose powder and a little
cold milk.
Add flavouring and remaining hot milk. Top with a
marshmallow float or chocolate fl ake and cream.
A selection of recipes has been chosen using different
products. Further recipes can be obtained from the company who make the supplement prescribed by your doctor
Abbott
Fresenius Kabi
Nestle
Complan
Nutricia
SHS
Vitaflo
Christie
Hospital booklets
Further information booklets include:
These booklets are free to patients attending the Christie. If you
would like a copy of any booklets, please ask the ward staff. If you
are an out-patient please ask your clinic nurse or visit the cancer
information centre on the glass link corridor.
The Christie Patient Information Service - October 2009
Review October 2012
CHR/NUT/229-08/24.09.03