Advice after your nerve block for surgery
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Introduction
If you have unintentionally lost weight, need to gain weight, lost interest in food, or noticed that you are skipping meals without feeling hungry, this booklet is for you.
You may be experiencing a poor appetite, which can cause fluctuations in your blood glucose levels and may lead to malnutrition over time.
Why do you Need to Eat Well?
Eating well helps your body get all the nutrients it needs to function properly. It supports strong muscles and bones and helps keep your bowels regular. For people with diabetes, a healthy diet also helps maintain a healthy weight, stabilise blood glucose levels and reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications.
Meeting your nutritional needs is now your priority. To do this, you should focus on increasing your overall energy (calories) and protein intake. This may involve eating more carbohydrates, which can affect your diabetes control. Your diabetes medication can be adjusted to help manage this. Please talk to your diabetes team if you need support or have any questions.
Handy Hints for a Poor Appetite
- Little and often: eat three small meals with three snacks in between per day rather than three large meals
- Small portions are often more appealing and can be followed by a second helping
- A light meal can be as nutritious as a bigger meal
2. Try not to skip meals, have a milky drink instead if you can’t manage a meal
3. Meals, snacks and drinks should be high in calories and protein
- Follow the suggestions throughout this booklet
4. Fortification: enriching foods with extra calories and protein without adding bulk
- Follow the suggestions throughout this booklet
5. Avoid drinking at mealtimes or just before a meal: drinks could fill you up and prevent you from eating enough.
6. Make eating as easy as possible. Try ready meals or convenience foods.
7. Get out if you can and eat in a well-ventilated room: fresh air can stimulate your appetite
8. Eat anything you particularly fancy
9. Aim to eat more if your appetite is better at certain times of the day
Many people with diabetes may also have a higher risk of developing
cardiovascular disease. For these people, limiting saturated-fat intake is
important. Suggestions in this booklet which are suitable for this purpose are
indicated by a heart ❤.
High Energy (Calories) and Protein Meals Ideas
| Meat and Fish |
• Include meat, chicken or fish in cooked meals • Have 1 portion (140g) of oily fish once a week (e.g. salmon, mackerel, pilchards, sardines or herrings) ❤ • Use convenience meals as a standby, e.g. fish in sauce, shepherd’s pie, lasagne, roast dinner, beef, chicken or sausage casseroles • For a lighter meal: try smaller portions of meat or fish in a sandwich or on toast, e.g. sardines or pilchards on toast ❤, ham sandwich |
| Cheese and eggs | • Have cheese-based meals, e.g. cauliflower cheese • Have egg-based meals, e.g. scrambled egg or omelette❤ • For a lighter meal: try cheese and egg sandwich or on toast |
| Beans and lentils | • Try lentil or bean soups ❤ • Add tinned (ready to eat) beans such as butter beans, baked beans or kidney beans to soups or casseroles ❤ |
| Starchy | • Roast potatoes • Chips • For pasta, mashed or boiled potato: try adding pesto sauce with olive or rapeseed oil❤ |
| Another lighter meal | • Croissant with ham and cheese • Avocado on toast❤ • Sandwiches (e.g. tuna mayonnaise, prawn mayonnaise) • Bowl of creamy soup (chicken, tomato, mushroom) with a roll • Crumpets with cheese or peanut butter |
Snack
| Savoury |
|
| Sweet |
|
Drinks (Fortified)
Sipping nourishing drinks between meals or drinking one as a snack can be both enjoyable and beneficial to your health.
| Milky drink |
Milk shake - Mix and whisk well
|
|
Hot chocolate malted drink
|
|
|
Full fat milk
|
|
| Fruit drink | Fruit Smoothies - Liquidise all ingredients together
|
| Soup | Nourishing Soup
Heat milk until simmering, mix and whisk with soup and milk powder |
| Complan Soups❤ |
Fortification
1/ Add extra cheeses, spreads and oils to your meals, e.g. sandwiches, potatoes, meat and fish, and vegetables
2/ Thicken sauces and soups by adding extra cheeses and cream or ground
almonds
3/ Use full-fat milk to make milky drinks and cereals
4/ Add 4 tablespoons of dried milk powder to any milky, creamy dishes and
drinks
5/ Use evaporated milk, custard or cream as a topping for fruit or cereal
❤ If you need to limit your saturated fat intake, swap the following items on
the lists:
- semi-skimmed milk instead of full-fat milk
- lighter mayonnaise, reduced-fat cheese/spread instead of full-fat
- low-fat ice cream instead of regular
- use high-protein yoghurts instead of creamy yoghurts
- nut butter instead of dairy butter
- baked crisps instead of fried
Oral Nutritional Supplement
Your GP may have prescribed fortified milkshake-style drinks for you to take. It is recommended that you closely monitor your blood glucose levels, as the supplements can be high in carbohydrates.
If you take medications for your diabetes, you may need to review them while you are taking these products.
Contact us
If you have any queries relating to this information, please contact the Dietetics service.
About this information
Service:
Dietetics
Reference:
DT/049
Approval date:
1 March 2026
Review date:
1 March 2029
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Important note
This page provides general information only. It is developed by clinical staff and is reviewed regularly every 3 years for accuracy. For personal advice about your health, or if you have any concerns, please speak to your doctor.