Nutrition in Wound Healing
Resource to help raise awareness of the role of nutrition in wound healing
Addressing Malnutrition - Fortification
Having identified malnutrition, fortification of the individual's diet should be recommended. This normally involves increasing the individual's nutritional intake of protein and energy through adapting the patient's normal diet, and can be an easy yet effective way to address such protein or energy deficiencies. However some such as diabetics may not be suitable for such regimes and this should be assessed by a doctor or dietician.
Wright (2006) suggests a variety of methods to fortify a diet. These include:
- Adding milk, milk powder or dairy products such as cheese, to other foods or sauces and puddings to increase protein and energy intake.
- Using full fat products (i.e. full fat milk) rather than low fat varieties.
- Having evaporated milk or cream instead of milk with cereals or other products.
- Fortify milk by adding four tablespoons of milk powder to one pint of milk.
- Promote high calorific intake by using butter rather than low fat spreads, and encourage the eating of chocolate!
- Eat nuts to increase protein and calorific intake.
Think of patient you have cared for who was malnourished. In what way was their diet fortified? Could the nurse have taken any further action to fortify their diet?
