Last updated: April 2020
Next review: April 2022
URN:

Your food and fluid requirements will increase if you have a pressure ulcer or open wound.

To encourage your skin to heal and to prevent further ulcer development make every mouthful count and try to have a variety of nourishing foods and fluids.

• Choose full fat and full sugar* products rather than ‘diet’, ‘low fat’ or ‘healthy eating’ varieties as these provide more calories.
• Have high calorie snacks in between meals such as a yogurt, peanuts or cheese and crackers (see ‘100 Calorie Boosters’ resource for more examples).
• Aim to drink at least 1.6 – 2 litres of fluid per day to keep hydrated and improve healing (see ‘Keeping Hydrated’ resource for more information).
• Drink nourishing fluids* such as fruit juice, smoothies, fortified milk or milkshakes (see ‘Super Shakes’ resource for recipe examples).
• Fortify your milk (add extra protein) add 2 – 4 heaped tablespoons of dried milk powder to a pint of milk, mix well and then use like regular milk.

*If you have diabetes, continue to choose sugar free drinks. You can have a moderate amount of foods containing sugar as part of a fortified diet. Speak to your GP, nurse or diabetes team for more information.

Tip: Taking a complete over the counter multivitamin and mineral supplement may be helpful if you find it difficult to have a varied diet.

Nutrient rich food

Vitamin C, zinc and protein are essential nutrients required to promote wound healing. Try to include some of the examples below in your diet:

Vitamin C

• Fruit juice
• Oranges
• Strawberries
• Broccoli
• Red and green peppers
• Potatoes

Zinc

• Meat
• Shellfish
• Milk
• Cheese
• Bread
• Baked beans
  

Protein

• Meat
• Fish
• Milk
• Eggs
• Nuts and seeds
• Pulses and lentils

Reference: Nutrition and Dietetics Service, South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust