Increasing Protein and Gaining Weight HF#173

  

 

This handout contains tips for boosting your calorie and protein intake so you can create your own high calorie, high protein diet.  To promote a weight gain of 1 to 2 pounds per week, you should eat an extra 500 to 1,000 calories per day. 

 

Ideas to Increase Calories or Protein

*    If your day permits, plan 3 meals and 3 snacks per day.

*    Some high calorie snacks include nuts, cheese, peanut butter, cookies, candy, and dried fruit.

*    Use whole milk or half-and-half instead of skim or lowfat milk for drinking and cooking (soups, gravies, sauces). 

*    Use yogurts made from whole milk.

*    Serve bread and rolls warm with butter.  Add butter or margarine to soups, vegetables, stews, cooked cereals, and rice.  Use butter on bread.

*    Spread cream cheese, peanut butter, honey, jelly, or jam on toast, muffins, breads, pancakes, waffles, or French toast. Try these on raw fruits and vegetables too.

*    Use sauces and gravies to add taste and calories.  Add white sauce, cheese sauce, tomato sauce, sour cream, or gravy to meats, potatoes, noodles, and vegetables.

*    Skim milk powder adds protein.  Try adding two tablespoons of dry skim milk powder to the normal amount of milk needed, or add it to hot or cold cereals, scrambled eggs, soups, gravies, ground meats (meatballs, meat loaf, hamburgers), casseroles, or baked goods.

*    Add diced or ground meat to soups and stews.

*    Choose desserts recipes that contain eggs, such as sponge and angel food cake, egg custard, bread pudding, or rice pudding.

*    Add chopped hard-cooked eggs to salads, casseroles, and sandwich spreads.

 

Planning Meals

3000 calorie Sample Menu

 

Breakfast

4 ounces orange juice

1-cup cereal with banana

8 ounces whole milk

1 fried egg

1 slice toast with 2 tsp. butter or margarine and jam

 

AM Snack

Fresh or canned fruit

 

Lunch

Sandwich on bun with meat and/or cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise

Potato chips or potato salad

Fresh or canned fruit

8 ounces whole milk

 

PM Snack

Milkshake

2 cookies

 

Dinner

Mixed greens salad with dressing

Spaghetti with sauce and meatballs

2 slices French bread with garlic butter

Sherbet

 

Night Snack

1 ounce cheese and crackers

12 ounces lemonade

 

For an additional 300 calories, add:

1 protein bar and 4 ounces whole milk

1 serving cake or pie

Celery sticks with 3 tbsp. peanut butter

4 graham crackers with 2 tbsp. cream cheese

8 ounces fruited yogurt

 

Adding Calories with Nutritional Supplements

Dietary food supplements can boost calories when it is hard to increase the size or number of meals. Products that are available at retail and drug stores or online are listed below. Many stores may carry cheaper "house brands" of these.

 

Product	Form	Calories
Carnation Instant Breakfast®	powder	280 when mixed with whole milk
Carnation Instant Breakfast Lactose Free Plus®	liquid	375 per 8 oz
Boost®	liquid	240 per 8 oz
Boost Plus®	liquid	360 per 8 oz
Boost® Pudding	pudding	240 per 5 oz.
Ensure®	liquid	250 per 8 oz.
Ensure Plus®	liquid	360 per 8 oz
Resource Breeze®	liquid	250 per 8 oz.
Enlive!®	liquid	250 per 8 oz.
Duocal®	powder	25  per scoop
Scandical®	powder	35 per Tbsp
Resource Beneprotein®	powder	25 per scoop
Resource Benecalorie®	Liquid	330 per 1.5 oz serving

 

Recipes

Making the following drinks is easy, flavorful, and fun.  Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor.  Mix on high speed until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.  You may also use a hand mixer and beat until smooth.  

 

Banana malt ¼ cup whole milk 1 banana 1 cup vanilla ice cream 1 tablespoon non-fat dry milk Calories 435, Protein 10g	High Protein Hot Cocoa 1 packet cocoa mix 1 packet Beneprotein® protein powder 1 cup skim milk Warm milk.  Then, slowly mix in cocoa mix and protein powder Calories 200, Protein 18 grams
Double Chocolate Malt ¼ cup chocolate milk 1 cup vanilla ice cream 1 tablespoon malt powder 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup Calories 375, Protein 7g	Chocolate Malt ¼ cup Ensure®, Boost®, or equivalent 1 cup vanilla ice cream 1 tablespoon malt powder 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup Calories 420, Protein 8g
No Sugar Added Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake 2 Tablespoons peanut butter 1 packet chocolate No Sugar Added Carnation Instant Breakfast® powder 1 cup 2% milk Calories 438, Protein 21 grams, Carbohydrate 28 grams	Berry Lemon Rikiki 1 can strawberry Ensure Plus®  or equivalent product 1 teaspoon lemon juice ½ cup vanilla ice cream Calories 510, Protein 16 grams
Strawberry Blast 1 can vanilla Ensure Plus® or equivalent product 1 container strawberry yogurt (gradually stir Ensure into yogurt to maintain smooth consistency) Calories 500, Protein 18 grams	Peanut Butter Malt ¼ cup whole milk 1 cup vanilla ice cream 2 tablespoons peanut butter 1 tablespoon malt powder Calories 515, Protein 16 grams
Make the shakes the way you like.  Try adding to or making your own recipe.  You might add: Frozen fruit chunks Nut butters Flax seed Dried fruit

 

 

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: 09/27/2012

Copyright © 12/09/2011 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. HF#173

Print Health Fact For You