COPD: Avoiding Weight Loss

How can you avoid weight loss?

Here are some ways to get more calories and protein to avoid weight loss when you have COPD.

• Eat high-calorie snacks.

  Snack foods that can help you add calories to your diet include:

  • Ice cream.
  • Pudding.
  • Cheese.
  • Granola bars.
  • Custard.
  • Avocado.
  • Eggs.
  • Crackers with peanut butter.
  • Cereal with half-and-half.
  • High-calorie drinks like whole milk, milkshakes, and nutritional supplements, such as nutrition shakes.
• Add calories to a meal or snack.

  Making simple changes to the foods you already eat can help you add calories and protein to your diet.

  • Add an egg or egg yolk to meat loaf, macaroni and cheese, or similar foods. Be sure to cook the food after adding the egg.
  • Add powdered milk to creamed soups, scrambled eggs, pudding, potatoes, yogurt, and casseroles.
  • Add cheese to sandwiches, crackers, casseroles, soups, toast, and pasta.
  • Add extra vegetable oil or olive oil, mayonnaise, butter, or sour cream to sandwiches, bread, casseroles, soups, cooked cereals, pasta, potatoes, rice, or vegetables.
  • Grind up some nuts and sprinkle them on puddings, gravy, mashed potatoes, casseroles, salads, and yogurt.
• Add protein to your diet.

  Milk, milk products, and meats are high in protein. Try to eat more of these foods, or:

  • Add skim milk powder to milk, cold cereals, scrambled eggs, soups, and ground meat.
  • Add cheese or peanut butter to snacks.
  • Choose desserts that use eggs, such as sponge cake, egg custard, and rice pudding.
  • Use nutritional supplements high in protein, such as nutrition shakes.