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High-Calorie, High-Protein Diet by Maria Adams, MS, MPH, RD

Why Follow a High-Calorie, High-Protein Diet?

A high-calorie, high-protein diet may be recommended if you have recently lost weight, have a poor appetite, or have an increased need for protein, such as with a burn or infection. Eating a high-calorie, high-protein diet can help you:

Have more energy
Gain weight or stop losing weight
Heal
Resist infection
Recover faster from surgery or illness

High-Calorie, High-Protein Diet Food Guide

Below is a list of foods that are high in calories and protein. Whenever possible, include foods from these lists in your snacks and meals:

High-Calorie Foods	High-Protein Foods
Cheese, cream cheese Whole milk, heavy cream, whipped cream Sour cream Butter, margarine, oil Ice cream Cake, cookies, chocolate Gravy Salad dressing, mayonnaise Avocado Jam, jelly, syrup Honey, sugar Dried Fruit	Cheese, cottage cheese Milk, soy milk, milk powder Eggs Yogurt Nuts, seeds Peanut butter Tofu and other soy products Beans, peas, lentils Beef, poultry, pork, and other meats Fish and other seafood

Snack Suggestions

Snack	Directions	Calories
Fruit smoothie	Blend 8 ounces whole milk vanilla yogurt + ½ cup orange juice + 1 cup frozen berries	360
Egg and cheese English muffin	1 whole wheat English muffin + 2 teaspoons margarine spread or butter + 1 ounce cheese + 1 egg	365
Peanut butter and banana sandwich	2 slices of bread + 2 tablespoons peanut butter + 1 sliced banana	400
Trail Mix	½ cup nuts, seeds, and dried fruit	350
Cereal, milk, and banana	1 cup presweetened wheat cereal + 8 ounces whole milk + 1 banana	360
Yogurt and granola	1 cup whole milk flavored yogurt + ½ cup low-fat granola	440

Ten Tips for Increasing Calorie and Protein Intake

Eat small, frequent meals and snacks throughout the day.
Keep prepared, ready-to-eat snacks on hand while at home, at the office, and on the road.
Drink your calories. Choose high-calorie fluids, such as milk, blended coffee drinks, milk shakes, or juice.
Add protein powder or powdered milk to your beverages, smoothies, and foods, such as cream soups, scrambled eggs, gravy, and mashed potatoes.
Melt cheese onto sandwiches, bread, tortillas, eggs, meat, and vegetables.
Use milk in place of water when cooking and when preparing foods, such as hot cereal, cocoa, or pudding.
Load salads with hardboiled eggs, avocado, nuts, cheese, and dressing.
Use peanut butter or creamy salad dressings as a dip for raw veggies.
Try commercial supplements (eg, Boost, Ensure, Resource, Carnation Instant Breakfast).
Talk to a registered dietitian. He can help you develop an individualized eating plan.

RESOURCES:

American Dietetic Association http://www.eatright.org/
Nutrition.gov http://www.nutrition.org/

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canada's Food Guide http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/
Dietitians of Canada http://www.dietitians.ca/

References:

High-calorie, high-protein diet. Dietitians of Canada website. Available at: http://www.dieteticsatwork.com/client_education/sample_high_calorie_high_protein_diet_final.pdf . Accessed February 15, 2006.
High-calorie/high-protein diet. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford website. Available at: http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/oncology/hchpd.html . Accessed February 15, 2006.
My Food-A-Pedia. MyPyramid.gov website. Available at: http://www.myfoodapedia.gov/Default.aspx . Accessed January 3, 2010.
Nutrition care manual. American Dietetic Association website. Available at: http://nutritioncaremanual.org/auth.cfm?p=%2Findex.cfm%3F . Accessed January 3, 2009.
Shield J, Mullen MC. Patient education materials. Supplement to the Manual of Clinical Dietetics. 3rd ed. Chicago, IL: American Dietetic Association; 2001.
Tips for increasing protein in your diet. UPMC Health System website. Available at: http://patienteducation.upmc.com/Pdf/IncreasingProtein.pdf . Accessed February 15. 2006.

Last reviewed March 2013 by Dianne Scheinberg Rishikof MS, RD, LDN

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