Pediatric Healthy Eating: High Calorie Diet for Children HF#195



Many toddlers, kids, and teens need to eat high calorie diets to help with weight gain, catch-up growth, and recovery from illness. Sometimes, this can be harder than it seems. This guide was designed, therefore, to make it easier to choose a healthy, high calorie diet.

 

Ways to add calories to the diet include:

• Eating small, frequent meals; adding extra snacks after school and before bedtime.
• Adding calories with nutritional supplements.
• Cooking with extra calories.
• Choosing higher calorie versions of your favorite foods.

 

We will explore each of these ideas in detail to help you on your way…

 

Eating Small, Frequent Meals

 

Often it is hard to eat a high calorie diet if you get full easily. Eating 6 times per day instead of 3 times per day may help. For example, you might try the following schedule:

 

7:00 am: bagel with cream cheese, banana, and 8 ounces whole milk

10:00 am: 6 ounces custard style yogurt

12:00 pm: peanut butter and jelly sandwich, fruit cup, 8 ounces whole milk

3:00 pm: ½ cup trail mix

6:00 pm: 1 cup pasta with meat sauce and cheese, carrots, and celery with dip, 8 ounces whole milk

8:00 pm: 8 ounce milkshake

 

The snacks add up to an extra 900 calories per day.

 

Remember that regular snacks in between meals are not the same thing as grazing.  Munching on food throughout the day tends to reduce appetite.

 

Adding Calories with Nutritional Supplements

 

There are many nutritional supplements that can be added to a meal in place of a lower calorie beverage or used for high calorie snacks.  For example, an 8 ounce cup of 2% milk provides 120 calories while an 8 ounce glass of whole milk mixed with Carnation Instant Breakfast® powder provides 280 calories. You can also use liquid supplements in cooking and to make shakes, smoothies, or puddings. Try adding unflavored calorie powders to foods. These products can be found at drug stores, grocery stores, or through mail order. Check with your health care provider to find out if your insurance company will cover part or all of the cost.

 

Product	Manufacturer	Form	Calories	Flavors	Other
Pediasure®	Abbott	Liquid	237 per 8 oz	Vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, banana cream, orange cream	Lactose/gluten free, milk based
Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials®	Nestle	Liquid	250 per 10.8 oz	Vanilla and chocolate	CONTAINS gluten and lactose
Carnation Instant Breakfast Lactose Free®	Nestle	Liquid	250 per 8 oz	Vanilla and chocolate	Lactose/gluten free, milk based
Carnation Instant Breakfast Plus ®	Nestle	Liquid	375 per 8 oz	Vanilla and chocolate	Lactose/gluten free, milk based
Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC®	Nestle	Liquid	560 per 8 oz	Vanilla	Lactose/gluten free, milk based; VHC = very high calorie
Boost Kids Essentials®	Nestle	Liquid	250 per 8 oz	Vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate	Lactose/gluten free, milk based; with or without probiotics
Boost Kids Essentials 1.5®	Nestle	Liquid	355 per 8 oz	Vanilla	Lactose/gluten free, milk based
Boost®	Nestle	Liquid	240 per 8 ounces	Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry	Lactose/gluten free, milk based
Boost Plus®	Nestle	Liquid	360 per 8 oz	Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry	Lactose/gluten free, milk based
Ensure®	Abbott	Liquid	250 per 8 oz	Vanilla, milk and dark chocolate, strawberry, butter pecan, coffee latte	Lactose/gluten free, milk based
Ensure Plus®	Abbott	Liquid	350 per 8 oz	Vanilla, milk and dark chocolate, strawberry, butter pecan, coffee latte	Lactose/gluten free, milk based
Resource Breeze®	Nestle	Liquid	250 per 8 oz	Berry, orange, and peach	Lactose/gluten free, juice based; contains protein
Enlive Juice Drink®	Abbott	Liquid	250 per 8 oz	Apple and berry	Lactose/gluten free, juice based; contains protein
Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials®	Nestle	Powder	280 when mixed with 8 oz whole milk	Vanilla, milk and dark chocolate, strawberry, chocolate malt	Contains lactose and traces of gluten
Scandishake®	Axcan	Powder	600 when mixed with 8 oz whole milk	Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry	Available in lactose free powder; check www.axcan.com for recipes
Ducoal®	Nutricia	Powder	42 per Tbsp	Unflavored	Dissolves in food to add carbohydrate and fat calories; milk protein free; check www.myducocal.com for recipes
Polycal®	Nutricia	Powder	29 per Tbsp	Unflavored	Dissolves in food to add carbohydrate calories
Polycose®	Abbott	Powder	23 per Tbsp	Unflavored	Dissolves in food to add carbohydrate calories
Scandical®	Axcan	Powder	35 per Tbsp	Unflavored	Dissolves in food to add carbohydrate and fat calories
Protifar®	Nutricia	Powder	15 per Tbsp	Unflavored	Dissolves in food/liquid to add protein calories; gluten free; contains milk protein
Resource Beneprotein®	Nestle	Powder	25 per Tbsp	Unflavored	Dissolves in food/liquid to add protein calories; lactose free; contains whey protein
Resouce Benecalorie®	Nestle	Concentrated liquid	330 per 1.5 oz	Unflavored	Dissolves in food to add protein and fat calories
Boost Pudding®	Nestle	Single serve pudding	240 per 5 oz	Vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch	High calorie pudding
Ensure Pudding®	Abbott	Single serve pudding	170 per 4 oz	Vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch	High calorie pudding; contains probiotics

 

Check for store brands that cost less money.

 

This is a list of standard supplements and is not all inclusive. Please check with your registered dietitian if you need a specialty formula or have food allergies.

 

Cooking with Extra Calories

 

There are many ways to add calories to your favorite dishes and foods while adding extra flavor and nutrients.

 

Meat and Meat Alternatives

• Add diced or ground meat, poultry, fish or eggs to soups, casseroles, quiches, sandwich fillings, dips, or salads.
• Dried peas, beans, or tofu can be cooked and added to casseroles, vegetables, pasta, and grain dishes.
• Spread peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, soy nut butter, or cashew/almond butter on fruits and vegetables.  Add it to sandwiches, crackers, toast, waffles, pancakes, bagels, cookies, and muffins.
• Use nuts* and seeds to garnish vegetables, entrees, salads, and desserts.  Have nuts, seeds, or trail mix for snacks.  *(Use ground nuts for children under 3 years of age).
• Spread hummus on pita bread or use as a dip with raw vegetables.
• Stir egg powder into casseroles, pudding, or yogurt.

Starches, Breads and Cereals

• Add wheat germ to meat, bread, muffin and pancake recipes.  Sprinkle it on fruit, ice cream, yogurt, vegetables, and toast to add a crunchy topping.
• Sprinkle granola on cereal, ice cream, or yogurt.
• Mix Scandical®, Duocal®, Polycal®, or Polycose® into bread, muffin, and pancake recipes.

Dairy Products

• Use whole milk rather than 2% or skim milk. 
• Make “super milk” by blending milk with dry milk powder using one cup dry powder for each quart (or 4 cups) of milk. Substitute this for regular milk in cooking when possible. 
• Use milk instead of water in soups, cocoa, pudding mixes, hot cereal and baked products. 
• Add dry milk powder by mixing one or more tablespoons into foods.  Use it in eggs, soups, mashed potatoes, pastas, ground meats, casseroles, desserts, milkshakes, puddings, yogurts, muffins, and hot cereals.
• Mix Carnation Instant BreakfastPowder or Scandishake® into milk.
• Use cheese or cheese spread on sliced fruit, crackers, or bread.
• Add grated cheese or chunks of cheese to sauces, vegetables, soups, rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, and casseroles.  Melt cheese on sandwiches, hamburgers, vegetables, and eggs.
• Make shakes with whole milk yogurt or ice cream, whole milk, and fruit.
• Use half and half on cereal or in pudding.
• Spread cream cheese on sandwiches, fruit slices, and crackers.  Roll cream cheese into balls and coat with chopped nuts, wheat germ, or granola.
• Dip fruit in yogurt or flavored sour cream.

Fruits and Vegetables

• Use canned fruits in heavy syrup.
• Add dried fruits (raisins, apricots, papya, apples, berries, and plums) to muffins, cookies, breads, cakes, rice, cereals and stuffings.  Combine dried fruits with cooked vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash.  Mix with nuts or granola for high calorie snacks.
• Grape juice, cranberry juice, and nectar drinks (such as apricot nectar) are higher in calories than citrus juices and vegetable juice.
• Add sliced avocado to sandwiches and salads. Dip vegetables and chips in guacamole.

Fats

• Spread mayonnaise on breads. 
• Use butter or margarine on breads, hot cereals, noodles, eggs, and vegetables.
• Sprinkle shredded coconut on trail mix, cereal, oatmeal, ice cream, and yogurt.
• Add large black or green olives to salads, tacos, nachos, and pastas.
• Drizzle vegetable oil over noodles and vegetables or use when making scrambled eggs.

Sweets

• Spread honey* on toast or add to hot and cold cereals.  One tablespoon of honey has 64 calories.  (*Do not give honey to infants under one year of age).
• Use jelly, jam, or sugar and cinnamon on toast. 
• Add real maple syrup to pancakes and waffles.
• Spread Nutella® (a chocolate hazelnut spread) on bagels, toast, waffles, or fruit.

Choosing Higher Calorie Versions of your Favorite Foods

 

Instead of eating corn flakes or rice cereal, try:

• Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats®
• Raisin Bran
• General Mills Honey Nut Clusters®
• Post Cranberry Crunch®
• Post Blueberry Morning®
• Kellogg’s Cracklin’ Oat Bran®
• Granola
• Post Banana Nut Crunch®

Instead of eating regular, low fat yogurt, try:

• Whole milk yogurt or cottage cheese (often labeled as 4% fat)
• Yoplait® custard-style yogurt
• Stonyfield Farms® organic whole milk
• Pudding made with whole milk or cream

Instead of making sandwiches on regular bread, try:

• High calorie whole grain breads like Brownberry®, Natural Ovens®, or Earth Grains®
• Whole grain bagels
• Whole grain pita pockets

Instead of snacking on a low fat granola bar, try:

• Power Bars®
• Clif Bars®
• Balance Bars®
• Trail mix
• Chocolate covered granola bars

 

If you have more questions please contact UW Health at one of the phone numbers listed below.

 

The information provided should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Last Updated: 10/17/2012

Copyright © 10/17/2012 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. HF#195

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