High Calorie Boosters
Below are some ideas of how you can boost calorie intake and some tips on feeding a high calorie diet to a loved one with an eating disorder:
Food
Food
- Heavy cream, half and half, canned coconut milk/cream, etc.
- Oils and butters-easy to add 1 to 2 Tbsp into a dish, milkshake
- Nuts and seeds, nut/seed butter, nut and seed flour/powder-each ounce of nuts has 170 Kcals. easy to add to salads, yogurt parfaits, cereals, snack mixes, on their own
- Premium ice cream (Ben & Jerry's, Haagen Dazs, Jeni's, Talenti)
- Chocolate/strawberry/caramel sauce, magic shell-2 Tbsp have 210-220 Kcal
- Jams or jellies, syrups, honey
- Jams or jellies, syrups, honey
- Avocado in salads, tostadas, sandwiches
Supplements
Supplements
- Mass Gainer powder -2 scoops has 750 Kcal with maltodextrins, whey protein, coconut milk powder
- VHC Boost-8 oz has 530 Kcal.
- Kate Farms 1.2 drink- 8.45 oz has 300 Kcal
- Hormel Vital Cuisine- 8.45 oz has 520 Kcal
- Benecalorie- 330 Kcal and can mix into many foods
- Huel Drink-a powder is vegan, high fiber and about 400 Kcal per serving. High fiber might not be good for some and all plant based can lead to overconsumption of lead
- Boost Pudding- 230 Kcal in 5 oz.
- ENU is 400 Kcal in 8 oz that is easy to digest and taste good, while it can mix any of the supplements with ice cream and 1 Tbsp oil for a higher Kcal supplement.
Pro Tips
- You need to check portions. Don’t get led down the path of decreasing portions
- Do not try to get “buy in” This does not work. The eating disorder will wear you down.
- Do not allow your child in the kitchen or overly explain what you are doing with food. It will only cause anxiety. Do not fall for the eating disorder trap of “if I know what I am eating it will be easier” or “I can tell you are feeding me more…why?” {You can offer a short explanation along the lines of the doctor or team want you to have more, or we know what we are doing and you need more}
- Do not say things that make this type of eating seem weird or abnormal. In fact, don’t comment on food at all. If you make it out to be abnormal (high amount of calories, types of foods), then it does become abnormal to the eating disordered mind and it makes eating that much more difficult..
- Do not get caught up in the numbers game. If you, as a caregiver, need to track calories, do this on your own. Do not involve your loved one. Giving them too much, or any info on numbers, lays the welcome mat for more eating disorder thinking and anxiety.
- Remember at all times, you can’t explain or rationalize away the distorted eating disorder thoughts and behaviors, they need to be experienced away through full nutritional restoration.
