Last updated: August 2020
Next review: August 2022
URN: 0101

Boost the nutritional content of your food, without increasing the quantity or size of your meals.

By fortifying your diet you can help prevent weight loss and encourage weight gain. Once your treatment goal has been met you can return to your normal diet.

Choose full fat and full sugar* products rather than ‘diet’, ‘low fat’ or ‘healthy eating’ varieties as these provide more calories.

Try eating little and often as smaller portions and snacks are easier to manage.

Add butter, cream, cheese, mayonnaise or oil into savoury options such as mashed potato, soups or scrambled eggs.

Add sugar, honey, jam, cream or dried milk powder into sweet options such as porridge, rice pudding or custard.

Serve meals with a sauce or accompaniment. Try a rich gravy, cheese or white sauce with your main meal and custard, cream or ice cream with your dessert.

Drink nourishing fluids* such as fruit juice, smoothies, fortified milk or milkshakes (see ‘Super Shakes’ resource for recipe examples).

Have high calorie snacks in between meals such as peanuts, dried fruit or biscuits (see ‘100 Calorie Boosters’ resource for more examples).

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

Content for this leaflet used with kind permission of Nutrition and Dietetics Service, South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.