HIGH PROTEIN HIGH CALORIE DIET

Tips to help with a poor appetite• Eat your biggest meal when your appetite is

best• This may be at breakfast time rather than at the

evening meal

• Eat often through the day• Try to eat something every one to two hours

• Have small snacks between meals everyday. Snacks can give you extra energy

• Include a high protein food at each meal and snack

• Carry snacks with you if you are planning to be away from home

• Try a few mouthfuls even if you are not hungry

• Eat high energy and high protein foods most of the time• Examples of high protein and energy foods will

be discussed later in the handout

• Limit low fat, calorie reduced or diet foods

• Drink liquids that give you energy through the day • These include milk, smoothies, nutritional

supplement drinks or juice

• Limit low calorie fluids such as water, coffee and tea as they will fill you up and not allow you to eat much at mealtimes

• Eat foods that taste good to you • It is acceptable to eat the same foods often if

only a few foods appeal to you

High protein high energy food choices

EXAMPLES OF HIGH PROTEIN FOODS EXAMPLES OF HIGH ENERGY FOODS• Fish and shellfish

• Eggs

• All poultry (eg. chicken, turkey, duck)

• All meat (eg. beef, lamb) Choose lean meat cuts and avoid processed meats. Have no more than 300g red meat per week.

• All dairy products (eg. milk, yogurt, cheese, kefir)

• Soy products (eg. soy beans/edamame, tofu, bean curd, soy milk, tempeh, soy cheese, soy yogurt) If your have oestrogen-receptor-positive cancer, you may wish to avoid soy products. If you do include it, do not exceed more than two servings per day. 1 serving = 1 cup. Concentrated forms of soy should definitely be avoided, e.g. soy powders, bars, supplements or tablets.

• Beans/lentils (eg. chickpeas, kidney beans, split peas, baked beans) Please note that beans are typically gas-forming and may have a laxative effect. Therefore avoid if you are suffering from bloating or diarrhoea.

• Nuts and nut butters (eg. peanut, almond, cashew, walnuts)

• Pea or whey protein powders (eg. Beneprotein)

• Nutritional supplement drinks (eg. Forticare, Ensure, Resource Optimum)

• Full-fat milk (cow or goat)

• Regular yogurt (3% milk fat or more)

• Regular cheese

• Cream

• Butter

• Avocado

• All nuts and nut butters (peanut, almond, cashew, walnuts)

• All seeds and seed butters (eg. sunflower, pumpkin, chia, sesame)

• Coconut milk

• All vegetable oils (eg. canola, olive, peanut, coconut, walnut)

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTEIN

Why is protein important?Getting enough protein can help you to:• Build a healthy immune system• Fight infection• Recover from illness more quickly

Protein rich foods are a good source of calories which is an important part of maintaining your body weight throughout treatment.

How much protein do I need?The average healthy adult needs 0.8g per kg body weight.

Individuals undergoing cancer treatment may have increased protein needs. Your needs may range from 1.0-2.5g per kg body weight. Speak with a registered dietician about your protein needs.

Here’s an example of how to calculate your protein needs:Example – 70kg man or woman who needs 1.5g per kg body weight.

Multiply kg by your protein requirement: 70 kg x 1.5 = 105g protein daily

Your protein needs:

Protein rich foodsGrams of protein in different foods:Food Protein (grams)30g (1 ounce) meat/chicken/fish 7 g1 egg 7 g90g (½ cup) dried beans 7 g30g (1 ounce) peanut butter 7 g30g (1 ounce) cheese 7 g250ml (1 cup) milk/yogurt 8 g2 scoops of ice cream 4 g1 medium cone soft serve 5.5 g1 slice bread 3 g⅓ cup cooked rice/pasta/couscous 3 g½ medium potato 3 g½ cup cooked oats 3 g1 cup raw vegetables 2 g½ cup cooked vegetables 2 g

How can I increase my protein intake?• Include high protein foods at every meal and/or

snack• Eat the protein food first before other food items• Double the chicken or fish portion in your

sandwich or meal• Add extra egg whites to homemade French toast,

pancakes or waffles• Add firm tofu to stir fries and casseroles• Add meat or poultry to homemade soups or

salads• Add cut up egg or egg white to salads or

casseroles• Keep hard cooked eggs on hand for easy snacks• Eat baked custard, bread pudding or rice

pudding made with extra eggs or egg whites• Cook extra portions of protein foods to have

leftovers for meals or snacks• Add protein powder to suitable beverages and

foods (only as prescribed by your dietician)

How to use protein powder?Use ½ cup of food or drink for each scoop of protein powder. For best results with liquids, mix with a small amount of the liquid to make a smooth paste, then gradually add the remaining liquid while stirring.

It is recommended to avoid soy powders if you have breast cancer – therefore pea or whey powder will be the better alternative. Discuss with your dietician before you take and protein powder.

Stir into:• Drinks:

juice, milk, coffee, tea, water, nutrition supplements

• Savoury food: mashed potato, spaghetti sauce, stew, chicken/tuna/pasta salad, curry dishes, scrambled eggs

• Sweet food: oatmeal, cream of wheat, apple sauce, puddings, custards, ice cream

• Spreads: margarine, butter, peanut butter, sour cream, mayonnaise

• Soup: broth, vegetable, noodle or cream soups, congee

 

Food fortificationTo fortify foods means to add more calories or protein to your food, without increasing the volume of the food. See the some examples of how to fortify your food below:

Use to boost energy/proteinProtein-or calorie sourceFood/fluidAdd to porridge, cold cereals, soups, sauces, mashed potato and smoothies

High in both protein and calories

Full-fat cow’s milk, cream

• Grate over vegetables, pasta, mashed potatoes or casseroles

• Spread cream cheese on soft bread• Top a baked potato with cream cheese• Add cheese to an omelette

High in both protein and calories

Cheese

• Add grated egg on to potato, casseroles• Crumbed egg yolk on top of vegetables• Add finely grated egg white into soups,

sauces or pasta

High in protein Egg

Stir a teaspoon of smooth peanut butter into warm porridge, or into a smoothie

High in both protein and calories

Nut spread

• Use cooking methods where you will use oil• Drizzle root vegetables with oil and roast it in

the oven, before using it in a soup• Add olive oil to vegetables, potatoes, sweet

potatoes or pasta

High in caloriesOil

• Cook meat in a bit of butter• Add to vegetables, potatoes, or sweet potato

High in caloriesButter

• Add lentils/beans to soups• Add lentils to rice• Add beans to mashed potato

(Note that beans and legumes may cause bloating and abdominal discomfort)

High in proteinBeans, legumes

• Add into dips or sauces• Spread on a piece of bread or crackers

High in caloriesAvocado

Examples of meals

HIGH-CALORIE AND HIGH-PROTEIN BREAKFASTSEggs:• Omelette with chopped mushrooms - prepared with oil. Add grated cheese. For extra protein, add a

spoon of tinned lentils into the egg before preparing the omelette• French toast with ricotta cheese and honey• Scrambled egg prepared with milk/cream and extra cheese in a soft, warm wrap/chapatti. Add a

mayonnaise dressing

Cereals:• Oats porridge prepared with cream/full-fat milk. Add a teaspoon of peanut butter or butter and

honey. For extra protein, add finely grate hard-boiled egg white and stir into the porridge• Oats porridge with stewed dried fruit and honey• Oats porridge prepared with cream/full-fat milk. Top with soft cooked apple, cinnamon and honey• Granola with full-fat yogurt and extra chopped dates

Breads:• Banana bread with peanut butter, fresh banana and honey• French toast with ricotta cheese and honey• Tuna mayo toast

Smoothies:• Breakfast smoothie prepared with full fat yogurt, fresh pureed mango and a teaspoon of honey

Beans: • Chapatti seared in a pan with vegetable oil. Chickpea/lentil/dhal/beans with dark green leafy

vegetables

Other: • Full fat yogurt with soft cooked apple, cinnamon and brown sugar

HIGH-CALORIE AND HIGH-PROTEIN LUNCHES/DINNERSSandwiches:• Filings: Egg, tuna, cooked salmon, turkey, chicken mayo, avocado, cheese, peanut butter and jam,

hummus Soups:• Thick chicken soup. Add grated egg-white into soups• Vegetable soups prepared with cream. Add grated egg-white into soups• Squash or lentil soup made with coconut milk• Beans or lentil soups (if able to tolerate)

Pasta:• Spaghetti bolognaise. Add a scoop of basil pesto and add extra cheese on the top• Lasagna

Other:• Casseroles/stews with meat, chicken, fish or beans• Beans curry with coconut milk• Shepherd’s pie, topped with grated cheese

• Mashed potato, with added butter and full-fat milk, with a thick meat sauce. Cooked vegetables with a thick white sauce prepared with full-fat milk. Top with crumbled, hard-boiled egg yolk

• Omelette with minced meat - prepared with oil. Add grated cheese• Mashed potato with added grated egg white. Top with soft pieces of cooked salmon and a cream

sauce

HIGH-CALORIE AND HIGH-PROTEIN SNACKS• Custard with stewed fruit• Jelly and custard • Rice pudding prepared with full-fat milk or coconut milk• Ice cream• Full-fat yogurt with fresh fruit• Trail mix of nuts, seeds and dried fruit• Granola/oats bar• Boiled egg• Soft pieces of bread with cream cheese/avocado• Banana and peanut butter sandwich• Crackers with guacamole• Crackers with cheese• Crackers with hummus• Cottage cheese with chopped apple and cinnamon• Nutritional supplement, such as Ensure• Smoothies prepared with full-fat yogurt/ice cream, fruit and peanut butter

HIGH PROTEIN HIGH ENERGY BEVERAGES• Homemade smoothies• Warm full-fat milk with honey or plain full-fat milk• Ovaltine, Horlicks made with milk• Nutritional supplement, e.g. Forticare, Ensure, Resource optimum• Tea/coffee prepared with a full cup of full-fat milk• Fresh fruit juice

How to prepare enriched milk

This recipe will enrich your milk with protein and energy, without increasing the volume of the milk.

• To every cup of milk, add 1 heaped tablespoon of full-fat or skim milk powder (Regilait) and whisk until dissolved. For 1 litre of milk, use 4 heaped tablespoons of milk powder.

OR

• To two cups of milk add one cup of evaporated milk.

Use enriched milk on cereal, in desserts, in mashed potato and whenever else you would normally use milk.

Homemade smoothie instructionsIf you do not feel like eating solid foods, try a nutritious smoothie instead. Here is a simple way to make your own homemade smoothie:

YOUR CHOICEFOOD SOURCESTEPSMilk, chocolate milk, buttermilk, goat’s milk, nutritional supplement drink, almond milk, rice milk, fruit and/or vegetable juice, water

Choose a liquidStart with 1 cup of liquid

Skim milk powder, yogurt, soft tofu, nuts, whey/pea protein powder, cottage cheese, almond butter, peanut butter, egg substitute

Do not use raw eggs

Add proteinAdd 2 tablespoons of high protein food

Cream, ice-cream, condensedmilk, frozen yogurt, avocado, cream, vegetable oil, cream cheese

Add caloriesAdd a high calorie food. Start with 1 tablespoon and increase gradually to desired taste

Fresh or frozen berries, banana,canned peaches, applesauce, crushed pineapple, mango

Add flavour Add ¼ - ½ cup of a flavourful food

Oat bran, chia seeds, handfulof greens (kale, spinach, chard)

OptionalAdd 1 tablespoon of a fibre food