Recommendations for high calorie foods that are easy to eat

[BoofTheFloof]

I posted a message here a while ago asking if my DD had an eating disorder. Got some brilliant support and I think came to the conclusion that she has disordered eating caused largely by 1) not caring about food. 2) playing a lot of sport and 3) being on ADHD medication that reduces appetite further.

As per the advice I've been keeping an eye in things. I've said that if her weight goes below 7 st (she's 5'3") then she needs to stop the gym but she's kept it around 7st 2 for months now. Over Christmas she decided to go off her ADHD medication for a week or so to enjoy Xmas food and to try to gain a bit more weight.

She really seemed to eat a lot for her. Seconds, puddings, chocolate.

She was quite excited to weigh herself- only to find out she'd managed to lose a pound. (How you ask? Well- she's very sociable. She ate a lot when she was at home and meals were presented to her. However when out with friends it doesn't seem to occur to her to eat. I've now had a quiet word with her best friend and boyfriend and they've said they'll remind her. Thing is- they stop for food. DD just doesn't buy any!)

She's now a bit depressed about it. She's back in her ADHD meds as it's her GCSE year and they kill her appetite. I'm making her a big breakfast in the morning and she's eating that and a meal in the evening, but sadly I think she's not able to eat much in the day.

I suggested something like a protein drink she could take in with her and she's quite interested in the idea. Does anyone have any recommendations of drinks that don't taste like chalk and sadness and that are high calorie?

Form nutrition do a nice plant protein shake that has a lot of goodness in it. I'm always looking for extra calories too so following with interest.

I have adhd and forget to eat often.
That's without medication suppressing my appetite.
I prefer dry things so I always have cereal bars on my person. They are high energy.
Trail mix also.

They're not drinks, I realise.
A fancy shake from 5 guys would be high calorie and delicious. They would even put bacon in,if she asked. I have them without though.

Malt used to be a god high energy thing to eat. Quite yummy bupy the spoonful but no substitute for vegetables etc

Friend makes home-made cakes that are very high in fat.

Add double cream to soup.

I don't mean to be too personal but could she be on the pill? I lost a LOT of weight whilst on the pill!

pasties?

mac&cheese bites? (add a couple of eggs to the cooled down creamy cheese sauce before mixing in the cooked paste. bake in muffin cases)

Hummus with breadsticks/veg gives both calories and the feeling of “health” so useful rather than just sugar etc

You're probably best visiting a sports nutrition shop and getting some protein bars etc. They are full of good things, are heavy and have all the good calories rather then just fat or grease etc.

Avocado and bananas are healthy and contain relatively a lot of calories.
Peanut butter.
Nuts, like walnuts and cashews.

DS makes smoothies with milk, whey powder for protein, banana and peanut butter. You could also add some honey for sweetness. They are really delicious.

If she’s receiving support, could you ask for a referral to a dietitian or nutritionist?

Also, mayonnaise contains a lot of calories.
It can add up easily if you serve it with things like baked potatoes, fried chicken, on a sandwich etc. I know because I need to mind my calorie intake and I absolutely love mayonnaise 😭

Add stuff like maple syrup, honey, dates, and peanut butter to a shake? Made with milk or fruit juice and maybe a protein shake added?

Thanks everyone. I'm managing ok at home but like the idea of the cakes and things. She's not a fan of Mac n cheese though. I think it over faces her. It's really school that's the problem. She needs something she can eat/ drink at lunchtime. The medication gives her a dry mouth as well so she's much better with liquids and has in fact historically always been better with sugary drinks as opposed to sugary snacks.

Sports nutrition is a good idea. I've always assumed they'd be low calorie but of course now I'm thinking about it properly that's obviously not going to be the case. DH used to cycle a lot but I do remember his energy drinks and gels being rank.

Love the idea of a Five guys milkshake (with bacon!) but sadly not possible daily... 😃

avocado on seeded oatcakes
eggs scrambled with butter on sourdough toast with avocado, can add a side of garlicky kale
homemade peanut butter granola with full fat greek yoghurt (plus berries / any fruit)
homemade cakes
homemade oatcakes (nigella has a brilliant and easy recipe)
sourdough toast with butter/marmite or avocado, chilli, salt, squeeze of lemon
oat milk based drinks! flat white, decaf flat white, hot chocolate (with flakes rather than powder as you know it's just grated dark chocolate)

I am naturally slim and don't get hungry until it's almost too late, ie I am losing energy and feel 'off'; these are some of my immediate 'go-tos' to get me back on track as quickly as possible

Joe Wicks does some really nice recipes for smoothies which are nutritionally a complete meal. They've usually got protein powder in them although protein powder in any smoothie recipe can easily be substituted for 4x the amount in full fat Greek yoghurt.

@mamakoukla

If she’s receiving support, could you ask for a referral to a dietitian or nutritionist?

The thing is she's always been on the bottom end of the bmi scale. It's been pretty consistent from birth. She's the same body type as both her grandmothers (5'4", 7-8 stone all their lives) so we didn't really worry until recently. She was 7.5 stone going into the medication, is 7st 1 now- it's not considered a big enough drop, despite the fact that she had nothing to lose in the first place!

Apparently she'd like her boobs back, but can't physically bring herself to eat in the day.

Be careful with sugary drinks as they’re very bad for teeth. I ended up with tooth erosion after drinking too much sugary drinks as a teen, wish I could go back in time. At least use a straw as my dentist advices, finish them within a short amount of time and preferably rinse your mouth with water after finishing the drink.

@Blueuggboots

Add double cream to soup.

Doesn't like cream. Or ice cream. It's so difficult. I don't think this is an eating disorder as such- she has just never liked the taste of fatty oily things. She's always cut the fat off everything even as a young child. Even the crispy bacon fat!!!!!

Both my DC needed to try and gain weight at some point. I recommend a scoop of vanilla flavoured protein powder, mixed in with full fat (gold top) milk and a banana, with a teaspoonful of almond or peanut butter and maybe some strawberries or raspberries to stop it tasting too fatty and gloopy. Blitz it in a jug with a hand blender.

I also used to make a cake using ground almonds to replace half the flour, with equal weights of flour, butter, sugar and eggs. Make it a flavour she likes, then she can have a slice at breakfast and after school. It's very high calorie per bite and has lots of protein from the eggs and nuts.

With main meals, rather than steaming veg, roast it in oil or toss boiled/steamed veg in some melted butter, maybe flavoured with garlic or chilli if she likes them. And make some creamy suaces you can pour over things like chicken breast, or as PP said, add mayo to burgers etc to increase the calories.

@sittingonacornflake

Joe Wicks does some really nice recipes for smoothies which are nutritionally a complete meal. They've usually got protein powder in them although protein powder in any smoothie recipe can easily be substituted for 4x the amount in full fat Greek yoghurt.

That's interesting. I make her a smoothie every morning as part of the big breakfast and add protein powder and peanut butter but I think she's getting a bit bored if the same thing every day.

Can you still get Complan?

My DD forgets to eat and gets hangry/illogical so I started giving her the Nutramino protein shakes from Holland and Barrett. They don't need to be stored cold so she keeps one in her bag and if she realises she's forgotten to eat lunch she can drink it at school or on the bus home.

They contain 50g protein and 50g carbs , not sure of calories. They definitely are not as nice as a five guys milkshake (says DD) but they aren't bad.

Huel? I personally don’t love it but my DH likes it, and you can get all kinds of flavours to add to the base mix.