A health body in East Staffordshire is helping inthe battle against malnutrition by showing people how to make delicious meal supplements in their own home.
Virgin Care is the private firm that operates a care coordination service in East Staffordshire, based out of its headquarters, in Anglesey Road, Burton.
The service has now launched a nutrition support service.
Patients will be referred to Virgin Care as they are deemed at risk of malnutrition and have a very low body weight. virgin Care staff will then visit them in their homes and demonstrate quick and easy meals, for cheap prices, which they can make. It is hoped the scheme will work well if demonstrates are carried out in the comfort of their own homes.
These patients may have experienced unplanned sudden weight loss due to illness and are at risk of not getting the right nutrients needed to remain healthy, said a spokesman for Virgin Care.
Typically, patients experiencing this might be prescribed supplements by their GP, which can be high in calories.
Virgin Care is attempting to educate residents that there is an alternative with ingredients that can be bought from the supermarket.
Patients are given a demonstration in their own kitchens and handed recipe cards to be able to try out the meals.
The recipes all include fortified milk, which provides an extra 600 kcals and 40g of protein.
Gillian Rudge, the community dietitian for Virgin Care said: "We hope that this new initiative helps people to take back some control of their own wellbeing.
"By giving demonstrations to people in their own homes, we can show them just how easy it is to make their own supplements using normal everyday ingredients.
"By adding extra goodness to the food that they already enjoy we hope to support patients enjoy the eating experience once more."
Here's an example of what will be on the menu
Peaches and cream smoothie
One of the most popular recipes taught is a peaches and cream smoothie.
Weighing in at 299 kcals with 7.5 grams of protein and costing just £0.68 to make.
Ingredients include: 50ml of full fat milk, 50ml of tinned coconut milk, two tablespoons, or 14 grams, of dried skim milk powder, one scoop, or 35 grams of ice cream and 125 grams of drained peaches.
