If you cannot face a meal, have a nourishing drink instead. You can also drink these between meals to help you put on some weight. Some people like an occasional glass of stout to boost their appetite. You might like to make your own drinks such as fruit milkshakes or smoothies. Make a smoothie by blending fresh apple, strawberries, banana or other soft fruit with fortified milk, fruit juice, ice cream or yoghurt in a liquidiser or blender.

To make a nutritious milkshake, mix fortified milk with either puréed fruit or a fruit yoghurt and add 2–3 teaspoonfuls of a high-energy powder supplement. A scoop of ice cream will top it off tastily, and add extra energy.

Ready to drink/use supplements

You may find it easier to buy a ready-to-drink, flavoured supplement from your chemist. Your doctor may also give you a prescription for them. Supplements such as Fortisip Bottle, Fortifresh, Ensure Plus and Fresubin Energy, or Fortijuce, Enlive Plus and Provide Xtra are juice-style alternatives. So, occasionally you can have one of these instead of a meal if you do not feel like eating. Supplements such as Calogen, Polycal Liquid or Maxijul Liquid are energy-only drinks (see full supplement list).

Powdered drinks

Balanced and flavoured meal drinks are also available as powders, which can be mixed with milk or water. Some can be prescribed by your doctor; others, eg Build-Up or Complan, can be bought from your chemist and from some supermarkets.

Powders that can be added to food

Unflavoured powders are also available. You can buy these or get them on prescription. High-energy powders include Polycal Powder, Maxijul, Caloreen or Polycose. Protein-only powders include Protifar, Maxipro or Vitapro.

As these powders are virtually tasteless you can add them to drinks, soups, sauces, gravies, casseroles, flan fillings, milk puddings and instant desserts made with liquids.

You will probably need to experiment a little to find out how much you can add to each particular dish without changing the flavour or texture of your food. A good way to start is to add 2–3 tablespoons of a powdered protein supplement such as Protifar, Maxipro or Vitapro to a pint (450mls) of full-cream milk. Instead, you could add 2–3 teaspoons of an energy supplement such as Polycal Powder, Vitajoule, Maxijul or Caloreen to a cup of tea or coffee. Energy supplements are almost flavourless and are not as sweet as sugar.