Calorie Boosters

Calorie boosters are foods, usually powders or liquids, that can be added to other foods to increase the caloric intake per ounce. Many of the items listed below are available over the counter or as a prescription, while others are regular foods, such as baby rice cereal or powdered skim milk. For many children who are picky eaters, calorie boosters should be approached with cautious enthusiasm. Some of the below will change the consistency, color or flavor of foods. If your child is particularly selective and will only eat strawberry trix yogurt, for example, the first time you try a calorie booster you do not want to add a calorie booster such as rice cereal because it will thicken the food and may betray your child’s trust, now making strawberry trix yogurt a food he refuses to eat.

Protein

Promod

Beneprotein

Gelatin (incomplete protein)

Protein powder

Soy Pro, Promod and Beneprotein are all available over the counter and do not change the flavor or consistency of a food. They are all powders that can be added to yogurt, pudding, pureed food and soups. A doctor or dietitian should be consulted before adding protein powder to foods, since excessive protein intake can lead to health problems.

Carbohydrate

Polycose (Powder and Liquid)

Dry Infant Rice Cereal (1Tbsp/oz)

Cornstarch

Corn Syrup (not for children under 2)

Dextrose

Sucrose (table sugar)

Hershey’s Syrup

Honey (not for children under 2)

Maple Syrup

The carbohydrate boosters can be tricky. Moducal and Polycose are available by prescription. Moducal does not have a flavor, but polycose can taste slightly sweet. Dry infant rice cereal and cornstarch can be used as thickeners, so be careful if you have a child who will only accept thin purees or smooth foods. Corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose and honey are all sweet since they are all forms of sugar. Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry syrup can be added to milk to increase calories, and maple syrup can be added in pancake and waffle batter and put in hot cereal. The point? Get creative! See what your child will accept, but do it carefully and slowly, increasing the amount gradually so she has time to get used to it.

Fat

Margarine

Benecalorie

Avocado

Duocal

Gravy

Cheese

Microlipid

Heavy Cream

Half and Half

Mayonnaise

Sour Cream

Olive Oil

The fat category has the most calorie boosters. Of these, Microlipid, Duocal and Benecalorie are supplements. Duocal is a combination of fat and carbohydrate that comes in a powder and does not change the flavor or consistency of foods. Benecalorie has protein and fat and has 330 calories in just 1.5 ounces. The opportunities to add fat to foods are endless, and fat usually makes food tastier. Butter and oil can be added to just about anything, and when cooking for your underweight child you can use extra fat as well. Many parents are concerned about saturated and trans-fats, so resist using butter and margarine. Although this concern is understandable, if you have an underweight child who will not gain weight but loves grilled cheese with a lot of butter, you can certainly give him grilled cheese a few times a week. Olive oil is the ideal unsaturated fat, as is avocado. Just be careful when adding oil, since of course too much oil makes the food greasy and unpalatable.

If you would like more customized options for your child or feel are still having trouble decided how and what to feed your child, it might be beneficial to make an appointment with a dietitian. Make an appointment with us today! Return Home from Calorie Boosters