Adding extra nourishment to your food when you have diabetes

• Try to have three small meals and snacks per day, choosing nourishing foods and drinks
• Have your main meal at the time of day when you feel most well
• If you do not want a pudding straight after your meal, wait for an hour or two
• Use at least one pint of full cream milk each day
• Try to have protein foods such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese, beans, dahl, lentils and nuts - or vegetarian meat alternatives such as tofu or Quorn at least two times per day
• Keep a store cupboard of easy to prepare foods such as tinned meats and fish, long life or dried milk, dried mashed potatoes, packet or tinned soup, baked beans, tinned spaghetti, tinned potatoes, tinned chick peas, tinned kidney beans, ready-made custard. Quick and easy snacks are also useful to have in such as nuts or cheese
• Remember to make your diet as varied as possible and it is alright to eat more fat at the moment. This will give you more calories

Milk

You can increase the protein in milk by adding 3-4 tablespoons of dried milk powder to one pint of full fat milk - this is called fortified milk. This can then be used in drinks, on cereals, in puddings, soups or in sauces.

Drinks

Try to have nourishing drinks between meals, e.g. hot or cold fortified milk (see previous practical tip on milk), milky coffee or cocoa drinks, ice cream soda or sugar free fizzy drinks topped with ice cream. Nutritional supplement drinks may be prescribed by your doctor or dietitian if you are unable to take enough diet.

Cereals

Add fortified milk to cereal or porridge. Evaporated milk, full-fat yoghurt or double cream could be added.

Vegetables

Add butter or margarine, chopped hard-boiled egg, grated cheese or cream cheese and serve with a savoury sauce, e.g. cauliflower cheese.

Mashed potato

Add double cream, crème fraiche, butter or margarine, chopped hard-boiled egg, grated cheese, fortified milk, flaked fish, cooked bacon/ham, corned beef, lentils.

Soups and sauces

Try to add sauces to meals, e.g. parsley and cheese. Make with fortified milk and add extra butter, margarine, double cream or evaporated milk.

Make condensed soup with fortified milk. Add butter or margarine, cubed or minced meat, cooked beans or lentils, double cream, grated cheese. (Do not boil soup with double cream or cheese added to it as it will curdle).

Eggs

Omelettes, scrambled egg and egg custards are good sources of protein. Try adding cheese or bacon to savoury egg dishes and include an egg in the morning for breakfast. Never eat raw eggs and ensure that eggs are cooked thoroughly.

Puddings

• Use fortified milk to make custard or milk puddings then add sweeteners or buy sugar-free puddings and add cream
• Try scones, tea-cakes, crumpets or tea-bread. Add butter, reduced sugar jam and cream
• Have fruit pies, pastries or crumble (use sweetener to taste) with cream, evaporated milk or custard
• Full fat yoghurts or fromage frais
• Milk puddings - home-made, canned or in pots
• Fresh or tinned fruit in own juice with cream or ice-cream

Fats

• Try frying foods and adding vegetable oil, margarine or butter, where possible, to give extra calories (fried egg, bacon, sausage for breakfast)
• Chips
• Add mayonnaise to salad or sandwiches, e.g. tuna or egg mayonnaise