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Elderly parents
Original poster

What high-protein sweet things can I encourage friends and relatives to take into my 93 yo aunt in hospital?

38 replies

loveyouradvice · 11/04/2026 23:04

Just that really - what's easy to find in Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury's... she loves coffee things and I see Waitrose's cappucino mousse is surprisingly high in protein (5g). She's recovering from an op and is also on antibiotics so anything kefir or greek yogourt related also good. But there dont seem to be many in one-portion sizes... she would hate the waste of bigger sizes.

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Original poster
loveyouradvice · 22/04/2026 16:57

huge thanks everyone - some fabulous suggestions.... she/s now out of hospitaal so fingers crossed....

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Rictasmorticia · 20/04/2026 14:40

Make some small soft white bread sandwiches with dairylee or fish paste filling. Don’t make too many or too big as this can be overwhelming. Fruit corner yogurts and milk chocolate mousse is good.

HoraceGoesBonkers · 20/04/2026 13:47

Second Aldi. Various kinds of high protein yoghurt, pancakes and puddings. The chocolate pudding is nice.

Id also suggest some pears for fibre - protein can bung you up!

Protein powder can be easier to store if she'd drink shakes.

Phineyj · 19/04/2026 16:19

My dad had a brush with death a few years ago and was an inpatient for a month. He joked he was put on the "lemon drizzle cake diet'.

MysterOfwomanY · 19/04/2026 14:36

I come to this thread late OP, but if she likes cheese, a bit of high quality cheese of her choice maybe?

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 19/04/2026 13:24

From all I’ve ever read or heard re elderly relatives, calories are more important than anything else, so TBH whatever you know they really like and will eat.

Among (not many!) other things my DM liked the little individual fresh cream trifles.

FlatErica · 14/04/2026 20:10

Isey Skyr is delicious and comes in individual tubs in a range of flavours. It’s very high in protein and has a milder flavour than yoghurt. You can get it in Waitrose and Marks & Spencer‘s.

Original poster
loveyouradvice · 14/04/2026 20:02

Thnak you all ... really helpful... and Im crossing my fingers she is out soon... last time was a very long stay

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Unpaidworkmakestheeconomytick · 12/04/2026 22:10

When my sister was in hospital she loved it when I brought in little pots of jelly. It was like being back at school. It’s probably not very nutritious but it is easy to eat and digest and if she likes it, pleasurable.

Morepositivemum · 12/04/2026 21:45

Don’t assume protein, we had my son in hospital last year for a week, the nurses basically vetoed everything we thought would be good for him because of the medication he was on. Ask them or just get people to bring in magazines newspapers and flowers

Candleabra · 12/04/2026 21:42

id just go with whatever she fancies eating. She could be overwhelmed by lots of new rich foods. What does she like normally as a treat?

Soontobe60 · 12/04/2026 21:39

loveyouradvice · 12/04/2026 21:34

Good point @TheProvincialLady ... luckily she does love prawns and greek yogourt and cappucino mouss and eats them regularly ... shes also quite an adventurous eater so would enjoy trying something new so long as it felt fairly safe... Im thinking kefir drinks.

Please don’t take prawns onto a hot hospital ward - the smell could be very offensive to some other patients!

TheDevilFindsWorkForIdleMums · 12/04/2026 21:36

Aldi have a really good protein range including high protein coffee and sweets. They even do pancakes.

Original poster
loveyouradvice · 12/04/2026 21:34

Good point @TheProvincialLady ... luckily she does love prawns and greek yogourt and cappucino mouss and eats them regularly ... shes also quite an adventurous eater so would enjoy trying something new so long as it felt fairly safe... Im thinking kefir drinks.

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TheProvincialLady · 12/04/2026 17:29

I should think a change of diet is the last thing she needs at the moment. I would focus on whatever she fancies from her usual things. A sudden increase in protein or dairy etc might very well upset her digestion.

MabelEstherAllen · 12/04/2026 15:29

Fage Greek yoghurt is very high in protein. Mixed with a spoonful of honey, it’s absolutely delicious. I don’t know if they do it in small pots (I buy the 1kg tubs) but could you split it into smaller Tupperware pots, mix with honey and/or high-protein granola and/or raspberries (for fibre), and take it in daily?

Original poster
loveyouradvice · 12/04/2026 14:57

Oh yes @SleepingisanArt - my Mum too, and sadly died from dementia in her mid 80s.... but wonderful memories of eating treats together, as we did when I was a child

Lots of fab ideas on here - huge thanks everyone. Calories not such an issue, as she loves her chocolate and luckily has not yet shrunk... though of course, worth bearing in mind.

Going to go and browse all these - Really appreciate the input!!

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SleepingisanArt · 12/04/2026 14:35

My Mum really enjoyed individual pots of custard and rice pudding! Not as old as your aunt but she was very unwell (unfortunately died without going home) and got a lot of pleasure from things which reminded her of when I was a small child and we'd eat them as a treat.

PermanentTemporary · 12/04/2026 14:20

Salmon mousse.

Greybeardy · 12/04/2026 12:43

have you discussed high protein with the hospital? I'd expect the dieticians to have been involved if there was specific advice (and I'd certainly want to know her kidneys were ok before cranking up on the protein). It may be the right thing to do, but post-op geriatric physiology isn't always straightforward.

Blocksfruity · 12/04/2026 11:05

Be careful of anything marketed high protein, check the ingredients for difficult to digest sweeteners and bulking agents. Protein bars are often full of inulin / chicory and oligofructose or maltitol etc. All these things will cause gastric upset.

Petrine · 12/04/2026 11:05

Just buy some nice things for her to eat. It does the world of good to have some treats to enjoy.

caringcarer · 12/04/2026 11:02

Protein pancakes with chopped up strawberries and cream.

ecuse · 12/04/2026 11:00

I really like the Lindahl kvarg (quark) yoghurts. Lots of flavours and 20g protein per pot.

catofglory · 12/04/2026 10:59

I agree I wouldn't focus particularly on protein at this point, I would buy anything she likes and is happy to eat. When my mother was in her 80s she broke her hip and while in hospital she was happiest drinking smoothies. Mousses and yoghurts are easy to eat so they are also a good option. Your aunt can focus more on protein (if she wants to) in future.