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Nutrition

Good nutrition helps healing. With the help of the dietitian, patients are instructed on the importance of maintaining a high calorie and protein intake (3,000 to 5,000 calories daily).

Someone who has been burned needs a diet higher in calories and proteins to help the healing process. They may have an intravenous (IV) for extra fluids when they first come to the hospital. When they are more alert and feeling better, they can start to eat.

Most people do not eat as well when they are feeling sick or when they are in the hospital. There are many ways to help encourage eating, including the following:

• Bring favorite foods from home.
  
• Serve small frequent meals.
  
• Praise after eating, even if it was only a small amount eaten.
  
• Offer high-calorie shakes and snacks (ice creams, puddings, and custards). Avoid candy and soda, as they do not contain any nutritional value. The dietitian will help you pick proper snacks.
  
• Let them choose their own meals.

Make sure to serve a variety of foods that have good nutrients to help the skin heal. Vitamins A and C are important vitamins for the skin. Some foods that have Vitamin A and C are oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, and carrots. Many enriched cereals also contain vitamins. Foods that contain protein such as meat, fish, eggs, peanut butter, chicken, and milk are also important to skin healing.

Consult the dietitian for diet and nutritional information.