How eating can help your wounds heal. Information for patients

Transcription

1 How eating can help your wounds heal Information for patients

2 How your diet can help wounds heal Your body needs the right food and drink to help heal wounds. The Food Standards Agency s Eatwell Plate shows you what types of foods are in which food groups and how much you should eat from each group. Your body needs more of certain foods to help wounds heal quickly. Your diet plays an important part during recovery. It can affect things like how fast your wound heals, how strong the wound tissue becomes, the duration of your recovery period, and how well your body fights off infection. A poor diet can turn a normal wound into a chronic wound that never seems to get better.

3 Here are some diet tips to help wounds to heal well: Increase the amount of carbohydrates and fats you eat Carbohydrates are found in foods like potatoes, bread, rice and pasta. It is better to choose wholegrain options where possible. If you find you are losing weight, you should increase your fat intake. Fats are found in full-fat dairy products or dairy alternatives. This includes food like milk, cream, butter, full fat yoghurts, cheese, olive oil and nuts. If you are overweight or you are diabetic, try to increase your protein intake instead of increasing your intake of carbohydrates and fats. Make sure you are eating enough protein Protein acts like building blocks for our bodies. You should try to eat 20 to 30 grams of protein in every meal. An example of this would be a palm-sized piece of chicken. Protein is found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. It is also found in nuts, soya, lentils, beans, Quorn, tofu and pulses. Make sure your diet includes foods with vitamins C, A and E Vitamins C, A and E help you to maintain a healthy immune system and helps tissue to heal. Vitamins A and E can be found in foods like fish, eggs, cheese, milk, sesame seeds and soya. Vitamin C is found in fruit and vegetables, especially leafy greens, oranges, red and black fruits and dried fruits. Try to have at least five portions of these foods every day.

4 Making the most of your food Make sure your diet includes iron and zinc Iron transports oxygen to the wound and zinc helps the wound to heal. Iron and zinc can be found in foods like white and red meat, fish, shellfish, dairy products, eggs, liver and kidneys, mushrooms, spinach, cashew nuts, cacao, beans, pulses, peas and dried fruit. Drink lots of fluids You will need enough liquid to replace any fluids lost from the wound and to keep your skin elastic-like and strong. Try to drink eight to 10 glasses of water each day. The following information is taken from the Managing Adult Malnutrition in the Community website. Eat little and often Try to eat smaller meals and have snacks and nourishing drinks in between meals Eating snacks in between meals helps to boost your total daily food intake Increase your daily protein intake to supplement any nutrient loss from your wounds Try to eat pudding twice a day. Some ideas for snacks: Sandwiches, fruit, nuts, crisps, cereals, soups, yogurts, finger foods (such as, sausage rolls and scotch eggs), toasted tea cakes with butter, crackers and cheese, toast with a topping (such as beans, scrambled egg, butter) and tinned fruit in syrup.

5 Enriching your food Eat full fat foods Add cheese to soups, mashed potatoes, vegetables and pasta dishes Use butter in sandwiches, potatoes, crackers and vegetables Add cream or condensed milk to puddings. If you are diabetic, it is better to fortify your food with milk powder instead. See the nourishing drinks section below for more information about how to do this If you are not diabetic, you can add sugar, jam, honey or milk powder to porridge, breakfast cereals or puddings. Nourishing drinks Milk is full of goodness and can help wounds to heal Add milk to nourishing drinks such as hot chocolate, other hot drinks, malted drinks, milkshakes and smoothies If you need to fortify your milk instead, add four tablespoons of milk powder to one pint of milk. You can do this throughout the day and use it for drinks, on cereals, in sauces and to make custard Drink fruit juices If you are losing weight, powdered supplements such as Complan and Build Up can help. They are available from most supermarkets and pharmacies and can be used between meals.

6 Other helpful tips Eat food and drink that you enjoy Do not skip meals If you find it difficult to prepare meals, try ready meals. They are quick and easy to prepare Always keep a stock of basic food items such as, tinned food, long life milk, cereals, vegetables, biscuits and cereal. Keep company at meal times if possible. Eating with friends can make a meal more enjoyable Supplement food with multivitamins, where appropriate. Vitamins A and E can be toxic if taken in excess. Please speak to your GP if you are unsure. Factors that affect your ability to eat If you wear dentures, make sure they fit well and your mouth is not sore If you have difficulty chewing your food or swallowing then make sure food is soft and moist Make sure you are in the right position: You should eat sitting up Use special cutlery if you need to: Bigger handles are easier to hold Use non-slip trays and beakers or straws for drinks If you have mobility or eye sight problems, keep snacks and drinks within easy reach Make sure any food packaging is easy to open Consume the food and drink you enjoy Anxiety, pain and the environment may affect your ability to eat well.

7 Tell us, we re listening Underlying conditions that may need a special diet and referral to a dietician: Heart disease Kidney disease Liver disease Our staff want to know how they are doing. To send us general feedback, make a compliment or a complaint our Patient Support Service on feedback.cnwl@nhs.net or call Diabetes Malnutrition secondary to disease, for example Cancer or other degenerative disease. Vegetarians and vegans may need advice from a dietician to make sure they receive enough protein and minerals. They may need supplements and multi-vitamins. If you are not getting enough nutrients from a normal diet, energy or protein drinks may be prescribed by a GP.

8 This document is also available in other languages, large print, Braille, and audio format upon request. Please Arabic Farsi Bengali Dokumentigaan waxaa xitaa lagu heli karaa luqado kale, daabacad far waa-wayn, farta indhoolaha (Braille) iyo hab dhegaysi ah markii la soo codsado. Somali Mediante solicitação, este documento encontra-se também disponível noutras línguas, num formato de impressão maior, em Braille e em áudio. Portuguese Tamil Este documento también está disponible y puede solicitarse en otros idiomas, letra grande, braille y formato de audio. Spanish Dokument ten jest na życzenie udostępniany także w innych wersjach językowych, w dużym druku, w alfabecie Braille a lub w formacie audio. Polish Gujarati Be belge istenirse, başka dillerde, iri harflerle, Braille ile (görme engelliler için) ve ses kasetinde de temin edilebilir. Turkish Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Stephenson House, 75 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PL. Tel: Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust Ref: 0891_FEB2018 February 2018