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Tips for Benecalorie

'Around the Dinner Table' Online Forum for Parents and Carers
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Caregiver 29 posts jpmca Caregiver 29 posts
jpmca
We have just learned about Benecalorie and want to add it in wherever we can so my D14 gets additional calories. But we are wary of tipping her off that we are doing it.    Specifically we want to add to her Boost drink supplement- do we simply mix it in? or somehow dilute it with water or anything first?

Also if we don't use a whole packet of benecalorie, do we have to refrigerate it?

Thank you so much!
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SHN29 Caregiver 674 posts
SHN29

1CE29188-04D2-4388-B5C1-A488D4DDC668.pngHello, 

I haven’t used this ( not sure it’s available in England) but here’s a link to the nestle website who make it.  And if you look at the ingredients it is basically sunflower oil and a milk extract.


You might like to consider adding double cream to her drink? i think you might call it heavy whipping cream.  Easy to
stir in and very tasty.  Or plain sunflower oil/ rapeseed oil from the supermarket.   Also very high in calories and much cheaper and easier to get hold of. And stirring in melted butter at any opportunity is something a lot of us have done.  High levels of fats are needed by kids in recovery.

https://www.nestlemedicalhub.com/products/benecalorie

or you could try making your own home version of a high calorie smoothie/shake. @PurpleRain has a good recipe I hope she can share. 
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Foodsupport_AUS Lead Moderator 7,392 posts
Foodsupport_AUS
We also didn't use this. I have heard of people putting it in meals but not in drinks. Since it is primarily an oil you would have to see how it mixes up and whether it tends to split after mixing. I suspect it may. 

We did use a lot of butter in all sorts of things and I know a few have managed with using Canola/Rapeseed oil to mix in. 
D diagnosed restrictive AN June 2010 age 13. Mostly recovered 10 years later.  Treatment: multiple hospitalisations and individual and family therapy.
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SHN29 Caregiver 674 posts
SHN29
I found Purplerain’s smoothie post: 

042A0685-3563-4223-BDDB-8FD2FEAFE0DA.png
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PurpleRain Moderator 2,689 posts
PurpleRain
You beat me!
13 yo d started to eat "healthy" September 2018. Dx with restrictive anorexia february 2019.We found ATDT and started refeeding at home march 2019, WR+ cushion June 2019.
I have found inner strenght, patience and compassion that I did not know I had.

Just keep swiming.
 
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SHN29 Caregiver 674 posts
SHN29
hi @jpmca 

I came across this thread discussing the various “fortified” products available and thought you might find it helpful. 


https://www.aroundthedinnertable.org/post/boost-ensure-fortisip-benecalorie-etc-9838989?trail=50#36
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jen76 Caregiver 4 posts
jen76
We have had some success mixing it into macaroni and cheese and milk/yogurt with granola for my ten year old daughter. It is oily and you need to shake/stir it well. It might mix okay into an ensure or a boost if it was the creamier kind (not the clear) if you mixed it really well. 
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Frizzo Caregiver 8 posts
Frizzo
I used to put two into a smoothie when my daughter was significantly underweight along with heavy cream, fruit and milk and it blended in well with no detection. The smoothie was around 2,000 calories. I used to put one into oatmeal with heavy cream for breakfast which would make a 1,000 calorie meal. I’ve also put the smoothie in the freezer with benecalorie in it and it would freeze well and thaw with no detection. Pretty sure refrigerating it for a short amount of time would be fine as long as it was in a sealed container and mixed well before using. There are directions on the nestle website that I referred to in the past. Link below👇
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Frizzo Caregiver 8 posts
Frizzo
https://www.nestlemedicalhub.com/sites/default/files/2020-10/Benecalorie_Patient_Handout_Mixing_Ideas_Recipes.pdf

This link has information about benecalorie and some recipes as well. 
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Snowvalley Caregiver 79 posts
Snowvalley
Hello,

We are using Benecalorie and I believe that this is what made the difference and the reason why he has started to gain weight. It works wonders in scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes!! I use half of it in the morning and the other half in the evening! 
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PurpleRain Moderator 2,689 posts
PurpleRain
@Snowvalley great to hear from.you and thst your kid is gaining weight!
13 yo d started to eat "healthy" September 2018. Dx with restrictive anorexia february 2019.We found ATDT and started refeeding at home march 2019, WR+ cushion June 2019.
I have found inner strenght, patience and compassion that I did not know I had.

Just keep swiming.
 
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jpmca Caregiver 29 posts
jpmca
Thank you so much to everyone!
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evamusby_UK Caregiver 1,098 posts
evamusby_UK

There's a thread here with lots of recipes for increasing calories

https://www.feast-ed.org/how-to-increase-calories-big-impact-small-footprint/

A tip I sometimes share, because my daughter was, for a while, freaked out to see oily swirls in her food: boil double cream/heavy whipping cream till it reduces in volume and becomes very thick. When you stir that into a spaghetti sauce or curry etc, it blends in perfectly.

It would be great if we could add a link to the Nestle recipes to the thread on Benecalorie  but it's closed to replies. Can that be changed, moderators?  https://www.feast-ed.org/forum/?p=post%2Fboost-ensure-fortisip-benecalorie-etc-9838989

Also, for those in countries like the UK where there is no Benecalorie, someone told me they used NIDO. and someone else used "Nourish by Jane Clarke"

 
Eva Musby, mother, author, produces lots of resources for parents at https://anorexiafamily.com and on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/EvaMusby/playlists
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