High calorie drink ideas?

chouflour

I have gastroparesis (aka lazy stomach), which means my body digests food really slowly. I've been working to maximize the amount and caloric density of solid food I eat, and have hit diminishing returns, so now I'm looking for liquid calories.

I need ~ 600 more calories through the day (range 300-900). Protein would be nice, but I'm generally getting my essential protein. Ideally I'd like something that I can prepare in the morning or the night before and keep in the fridge or on my desk to slowly consume during the day. Warm is slightly preferable to cold because my office is cold. Hyperpalatable is a big benefit, since I'm already varying between "I'm not hungry now" and "I'm so full I'm nauseated"

Exactly what my stomach will tolerate is unpredictable, so I'm hoping to try a wide variety of strategies and see what's most sustainable without displacing solid food.

Chief_Rocka

gravy

jgnatca

My first thought is milk thickened with beneficial bacteria, like yogurt. You could blend it with fruit or chocolate and a little milk to the consistency you like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amasi

jgnatca

Chia seeds have nutritional punch and swell up to many times their size.

http://www.pinterest.com/dahlyshamilton/chia-drinks-chia-smoothies/

Peanut butter packs a caloric punch.

RunTimer

jgnatca wrote: »

Chia seeds have nutritional punch and swell up to many times their size.

http://www.pinterest.com/dahlyshamilton/chia-drinks-chia-smoothies/

Peanut butter packs a caloric punch.

Thanks, @jgnatca. I didn't realize that about chia (ie., swell). Next time I'm tempted to eat high caloric nuts I'll try seeds instead
Cheers!

@chouflour, Another trick (possibly mental) that works for me is ice cold water. It fills me up and makes staves my hunger.

JoRocka

^^ well ice water isn't calories- and OP needs calories.


milk.
Smoothies made with ice cream in them- or greek yogurt- or cream cheese.

I know a guy who blends cheesecake into his smoothies. So I mean- there is that!

htimpaired

But sounds like she doesn't want to be filled up? She already feels full all the time? What about smoothies with peanut butter? Whole milk?

jgnatca

If calories is your goal and you have enough protein, fruit juices add up really quickly too. When I had trouble getting enough calories directly after surgery, I would top off my day with a cup of juice. My dietitian said I was her first patient who managed to achieve their calorie goal in the first weeks after surgery.

And I promised her to go off juice as soon as it got easier to stay on goal.

PwrLftr82

htimpaired wrote: »

But sounds like she doesn't want to be filled up? She already feels full all the time? What about smoothies with peanut butter? Whole milk?

Heavy cream.

jgnatca

http://www.food.com/recipe/baileys-irish-coffee-212682

AliceDark

Hot chocolate or Ovaltine. Kefir is good if you like and can tolerate yogurt.

VeryKatie

I was going to say alcohol until I read what you needed it for
How about tomato juice, V8, clamato juice?

nellyett

I add coconut oil to my coffee in the morning with a bit of cream. Takes a little getting used to, but now I love it! Makes it rich and decadent. I only use a half tablespoon now but used to use a full one. Good fats, anti-bacterial properties, and delicious

nellyett

oh and you could start adding butter to everything.....wouldn't take much to add another few hundred cals to your day by doing that. plus everything is better with butter!!

reachingforarainbow

Egg Nog lol
Hot Chocolate
Tea latte is Milk and Sugar
Smoothies (which has already been said but whatever) make with milk and peanut butter and chocolate syrup and banana.
Protein shakes if you want protein made with milk.
Anything!!! lol.

reachingforarainbow

Or you could try bulletproof coffee... aka basically butter in your coffee. Don't know if it even tastes good, but it would be warm, and it would help you get in more calories

mustgetmuscles1

1 scoop whey protein
1 cup whole milk
2 Reeses Peanut butter cups
Blend, Drink, Enjoy.

450+ calories.

Laurend224

Coconut milk. Do you have to restrict fats, though? Soda? Tea and coffee with sugar.

ninerbuff

chouflour wrote: »

I have gastroparesis (aka lazy stomach), which means my body digests food really slowly. I've been working to maximize the amount and caloric density of solid food I eat, and have hit diminishing returns, so now I'm looking for liquid calories.

I need ~ 600 more calories through the day (range 300-900). Protein would be nice, but I'm generally getting my essential protein. Ideally I'd like something that I can prepare in the morning or the night before and keep in the fridge or on my desk to slowly consume during the day. Warm is slightly preferable to cold because my office is cold. Hyperpalatable is a big benefit, since I'm already varying between "I'm not hungry now" and "I'm so full I'm nauseated"

Exactly what my stomach will tolerate is unpredictable, so I'm hoping to try a wide variety of strategies and see what's most sustainable without displacing solid food.

Coconut milk. Some put it in coffee.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

xcalygrl

My first thought was a mass gainer shake, but that would be awful warm!

Some ideas that come to mind:
Peanut butter/almond butter/nutella (I could eat any of these off a spoon at my desk if I needed )
Juice
Hot chocolate or cider (around 120 per packet, make it with milk for more calories)
Yogurt (not non-fat, yogurt with fat in it can hit about 240 calories for a cup)
Coffee with protein powder in it (mix the powder with a bit of water first, then add the coffee otherwise it will get lumpy.)

LolBroScience

beer

chouflour

Thanks. I think I need to find a protein powder I find palatable, and start working through the rest of this list. Fortunately, my husband is on LCHF, so I've got company with mixing everything with mayo, dipping it in butter then topping it with guacamole. I just wash mine down with a milkshake.

Morriganmum

A nice hot drink I make is a commercial protein chocolate shake (such as bolthouse) heated with a tablespoon of coconut oil stirred in. Quick, easy, loads of calories.

libbydoodle11

JoRocka wrote: »

^^ well ice water isn't calories- and OP needs calories.


milk.
Smoothies made with ice cream in them- or greek yogurt- or cream cheese.

I know a guy who blends cheesecake into his smoothies. So I mean- there is that!

That is a waste of good cheesecake.

pinkshoelaces

libbydoodle11 wrote: »

That is a waste of good cheesecake.

I know, I was thinking the same thing, haha! I'm like, if I can fit cheesecake into my day, I'm not gonna waste it by liquefying it. I want to enjoy every bite.

To each their own, though.

pinkshoelaces

You could always drink Ensure or something like that. They're pretty high calorie and small so it won't feel like you're trying to chug down a gallon of milkshake.

pebbleslaura1

i also suffer with this and am trying to find a good smoothie so hard when you cant stomach alot if i find any ideas ill let you know

sheepotato

My first thought is some sort of coconut or almond milkshake, with an added nut butter or an avocado (once you add sugar to avocados they only taste creamy), maybe with some cocoa and some sort of sugar for taste/calories. I usually add agave in smoothies/shakes because liquid sugar seems to blend easier and it's lower glycemic, I would normally suggest fruit but you won't want a lot of dietary fiber if you are having a hard time with slow digestion as it is.



That's assuming you don't have issues digesting fats, they are my go-to if I am full or nauseated but need to eat more calories.

chouflour

I drink a lot of smoothies, pebbleslaura1. I just consider them meals instead of beverages. The dietician pretty much said "Everyone's ability to digest is different - experiment and make everything you put in your mouth count." Along with some generic "low fat, low fiber, low sugar", which is remarkably low calorie.

I do have to watch fat and fiber - I'm nearing the upper bounds on fat, which seems to free up a little fiber. So if I move some fat and calories to beverages then I might get options like green vegetables back.

Yesterday I had a cup and a half of salad, which is an incredibly inefficient use of stomach capacity - but it tasted SO GOOD.

sheepotato

Your situation might be one of the few that could benefit from juicing. If you don't have the capacity for the filling dietary fiber of the vegetables and only need the calories.

MoiAussi93

This may not be the healthiest suggestion, but since it's that time of year you might throw in some eggnog as a holiday treat. One cup is about 350 calories...it has a good amount of protein, but unfortunately also a lot of sugar. But if you're only having one serving, you could call it dessert and depending on what the rest of your diet looks like it might not be bad. One cup is pretty easy to drink in a short amount of time. And while most like it cold, some people do drink it warm.