|  | Diet Nutrition | Weight Control

Fluid Diets

Fluid diets can help you gain or lose weight. A high-calorie fluid diet will help you gain weight. A low-calorie fluid diet will result in weight loss. Fluid diets are also recommended before some surgeries and medical procedures.

  1. Fluid Diets: High Calorie

    • People who have cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy often need to gain weight, but they do not have a healthy appetite. They need a high-calorie fluid diet. Cancerhelp.org.uk has some helpful recipes to make your own homemade drinks. A blender or food processor is essential to making homemade high calorie fluid diets. Use combinations of ingredients that are dairy based. Yogurt (with or without fruit), whole milk, buttermilk and condensed milk are great bases for a fluid diet drink. Increase the protein grams by adding a tablespoon of your favorite nuts or seeds. Cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds are a wonderful addition. Try sweetening your drink naturally with fruit, ice cream or a teaspoon of honey, brown rice syrup, molasses or maple syrup. Bananas and mangoes are wonderful fruits to add to your fluid diet.

      There are also ready-made fluid supplements, when you don't have time or just can't make it yourself. They are nutritious and full of protein and calories. You can use them to replace your meal or in addition to your meal if you are up to eating. Additionally, they are great for between meals to boost your calorie intake. Flavors like chocolate, vanilla and berry are common, but other flavors are available. If you are not into sweets, these fluid supplements also come in the form of soup such as pea or cream of chicken. Common brand names are Ensure, Clinutren and Fortisip.

    Fluid Diets: Low Calorie

    • Low-calorie fluid diets are used for people who have been diagnosed as medically obese. Doctors may prescribe a fluid diet for patients who need to loose weight quickly or are undergoing certain surgeries including bariatric surgery, colono-scopy, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

      In a fluid diet, solid foods are replaced with a low-calorie liquid meal. Some well-known brands of fluid diet supplements are Optifast and Slim Fast. You can buy them at the store or order them online so they can be delivered to your home. Low-calorie fluid diets should only be undertaken with the supervision of a medical professional. Fresh juices and clear broths made from vegetables and or meat provide the most nutritious options.

Weight Control - Related Articles