What is a nutritional supplement?
A nutritional supplement is a palatable, ready-made drink packed full of calories (energy), protein, vitamins and minerals. Sip feeds are designed to provide the essential nutrients that you usually obtain from a varied diet. Most sip feeds are nutritionally balanced and so help meet your dietary needs. Nutritional supplement are available in a variety of styles and in many different flavours. When appetite is poor and nutritional requirements are not being met through ordinary food many people find it easier to drink than to eat and sip feeds can act as a valuable ‘top-up’ to ordinary food. Sip feeds are also versatile, whilst they are usually taken between meals; you can also mix them into food and, serve them warm, chilled pr even frozen. How nutritional supplements can help boost nutrition intake? Nutritional supplements (also known as sip feeds) have been shown to help increase nutritional intake. Getting the right amount of nutrition may help to reduce the amount of weight loss in people with cancer. If you are having difficulties eating enough food or you are worried about weight loss, then you may require a nutritional supplement. This should be discussed with your nurse, family doctor or dietitian. The extra nutrition provided by supplements should not reduce your intake of normal foods. It is sometimes helpful to experiment with the time that you take your supplement to see the time of day that suits you best and enables you to make the most of your meal times and achieve your recommended quantity of supplements. Who recommends nutritional supplements? Nutritional supplements are usually recommended by a healthcare professional. In the hospital dietitians, nurses and doctors make sure that people who need extra nourishment from supplements get them. Dieticians are experts who advise on diets for people with special dietary needs. When people are back at home, family doctors can continue to prescribe supplements and in some cases may initiate their use. Often, district nurses or nursing home staff will also help with nutritional advice and with obtaining an appropriate prescription. Once your doctor has prescribed supplements, your local pharmacist will be able to supply them. Some pharmacists may even deliver directly to your home.
Source: Nutrition in cancer Editorial Board
