Eat Better to Feel Better – Improving your nutrition during and after your hospital stay

Nikki Harrison

  • Reference Number: HEY1450/2026
  • Departments: Dietetics
  • Last Updated: 31 May 2026
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Introduction

When you are unwell you often do not eat or drink as much as you normally would. You may find that your taste is different, you feel full easily or you have no appetite. Eating smaller amounts and missing meals can lead to unwanted weight loss which slows down your recovery.

Eating enough is important to help your body recover more quickly from illness, infection and surgery. A good nutritional intake can help wounds to heal and to build strength.

Please Note: The information contained in this leaflet may not be suitable for you if you are following a special diet e.g. low potassium, low residue.

General advice for when you are in hospital

During your hospital admission, the nursing team will calculate a nutritional screening score for you. The score indicates your risk of becoming malnourished and is based on a history of weight changes, how well you are eating, your medical condition and any special dietary needs that you may have.

The score from the nutritional screening is the start of your nutritional care plan. If you have been identified as moderate or high risk, you will be offered nutritional supplements twice a day to help maintain your nutrition. You will also be encouraged to choose foods from the menu that are higher in energy and protein. Energy dense menu options are identified with the letters ED or with this symbol ↗.

You can also try the following to help improve your nutritional intake during your admission:

  • Choose protein rich foods twice a day e.g. meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, beans and pulses, meat alternatives.
  • Choose milky drinks or milk from the drinks trolley
  • Choose a hot main meal at least once a day.
  • Include a dessert at least once a day, e.g. milk pudding, yoghurt, sponge and custard, mousse.
  • Ask to see the snack list and request additional snacks.

Advice for when at home

It is important to maintain your nutrition once you are home as this will help with your recovery. Where possible, continue to have small, frequent meals and snacks until your appetite returns to normal.

Other helpful hints for when you are home:

  • Nutritious drinks are a good way of boosting your energy and protein intake and can include milkshakes, smoothies, malted drinks and fruit juices. Milk alternatives can be used if you follow a plant-based diet.
  • Ready meals (frozen, chilled or tinned) need less effort to prepare and are helpful if you tire easily

Ask your GP or Health Care Professional to refer you to a dietitian if:

  • You continue to lose weight, or you are concerned about your appetite
  • You are on a special diet or there are any health concerns which have previously required you to limit fat and/or sugar in your diet

Should you require further advice, please do not hesitate to contact the Dietetics Department on:

Your Feedback Matters to Us

To ensure we deliver a safe and quality service and to help us understand the experience you have of the care you receive from our staff we would value your thoughts about the service you received.

You may be contacted as part of our quality assurance programme which is where we visit our teams and staff and talk to them about the care they provide to our patients or at any time during or after you have needed our services.

To collect this feedback, we would contact you using the registered telephone number we hold in your care record. This feedback will be strictly anonymous and whilst we will share the feedback as part of the process, we will not share any details which may identify you.

We will never ask you any personal questions about your health during these telephone calls. If you do not wish to speak to us, please say this when we call, we do not want you to feel pressured.