High Calorie Liquid Diet

“High Calorie Liquid Diet” was written by Amanda Crowe, MS, RDN, CD & edited by Ashlee Mikles, RD, CD, CLS. Final review/edit completed by Aly Bouzek, MS, RDN. 

What is a Liquid Diet?

A liquid diet is a diet made completely from liquids; no chewing necessary.  

There are several reasons why someone would be prescribed a liquid diet or would choose to follow a liquid diet. Usually this diet is used for short term reasons such as:

• Preparing for surgery
• Recovering from surgery
• Problems with dentition, swallowing, chewing, or jaw pain
• Medical conditions that require giving your gut a rest

Some people may follow a liquid diet long-term. Reasons for doing so might include having your jaw wired shut, difficulty swallowing food, or following a medically supervised weight loss plan.  Reach out to a healthcare provider or dietitian before starting a liquid diet.

Clear Liquids

A clear liquid diet consists of liquids that are see-through (in other words they are clear, not cloudy). A clear liquid diet is typically used short-term. Examples of uses for a clear liquid diet are for colonoscopy prep, after surgery (medical or dental), or if your gut needs a rest. 

Popular clear liquids include:

• Tea
• Jell-O
• Popsicles (pulp free)
• Broth
• Clear Nutritional Drinks

Full Liquids

A full liquid diet consists of all the things that are on the clear liquid diet plus foods that turn to liquid at room temperature (they also cannot contain chunks of food). A full liquid diet can be used to transition from a clear liquid diet to a soft foods diet. 

Full liquids may include:

• Cream soups (no chunks)
• Ice cream (no chunks)
• Frozen yogurt (no chunks)
• Sherbet
• Milkshake or smoothie (no chunks)
• Milk
• Yogurt or pudding (no chunks)
• Nutritional drinks

Liquid Diet

A liquid diet can be anything that is liquid (so this encompasses both clear liquid and full liquid diets). Unlike a full-liquid diet, a liquid diet has more options, so it does not need to contain as many sweetened items. A liquid diet can be customized to your food preferences.  

A liquid diet might be needed long-term if it is difficult to chew foods. If someone is experiencing a decrease in appetite, then a liquid diet can help. This is because sometimes it is easier to drink calories than chew them. 

A high calorie liquid diet can help these individuals prevent weight loss.    

High Calorie Liquid Diet

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The ideas for a high calorie liquid diet are only limited by your imagination. If you are going to be following a high calorie diet for a long period of time, then it is definitely worth it to invest in a quality blender*. This makes it easier to blend things like nuts, seeds, and vegetables.

High Calorie Liquid Diet Meal Ideas

For breakfast on-the-go, consider a smoothie. Smoothies make it easy to hide your vegetables like this Spinach Peanut Butter Smoothie from our sister site, High Calorie Recipes. A store-bought meal replacement shake can be used if a faster meal is needed.

Additionally, make your own smoothie and add a meal replacement shake, instant breakfast packet, or protein powder to boost your calories. 

For lunch or dinner, consider soup!

In order to make soup fit in a liquid diet, it will need extra liquid for when it goes in the blender.

Also, make sure that there is a vent for the hot air to escape when making soup in a blender.  

Some favorites like tomato basil soup can be made completely liquid.

Other soups, such as split pea soup, cream of broccoli, butternut squash soup, and golden soup can easily be run through a blender and the consistency can be adjusted as needed.  

For higher calorie liquid diet options during blending, choose whole milk, gravy, cream, or fruit/vegetable juice instead of water or broth. 

High Calorie Liquid Diet Tips 

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A registered dietitian can help to make sure that there are enough calories and protein in your diet. They can also help you decide if a multivitamin or other supplements are needed.

Healthy fats need to be intentional on a high calorie liquid diet. Adding walnuts, almonds, flax seeds or pumpkin seeds to a smoothie is a great way to add fat, protein, and fiber.  

Adding 1 TBSP of olive oil offers 126 calories and 14 grams of fat which can boost your smoothies without affecting taste or texture. 

Or try adding syrup or honey to your blender as a way to boost calories and flavor!

If making a vegetable soup, vegetables can be sautéed in oil or butter before running through the blender as a way to increase fat in your high calorie liquid diet.    

Iron can be harder to get from food sources on a high calorie liquid diet.

Using an iron fish* or cast iron cookware* when cooking is an easy way to add iron to your diet without the need to eat meat. Spinach, broccoli, or dark chocolate can also be used to add iron to smoothies.   

Making a big batch of soup can be helpful for meal prepping. After the soup is made, portion it into meal-sized containers/bags and freeze them.

When ready to eat, take the soup out of the freezer and thaw it in your fridge. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

And don’t forget about good old fashioned whole milk! It helps to pack on the calories, protein, and healthy fats – especially if you make our homemade Weight Gain Milk recipe. Spoiler: it’s just 2 ingredients!

Even More High Calorie Liquid Diet Tips

Check out some more of our favorite tips to pack in the nutrients while following a high calorie liquid diet:

• Fiber, vitamins, and minerals can be added to liquids by blending fruits and vegetables
• Fruit is a great way to cover up the taste of vegetables if you’re not a fan
• Vegetables and spices can be added to bone broth and then heated to create an infinite number of soup combinations
• Meal replacement shakes can be used for protein and vitamins
• If you don’t want to purchase a premade shake, then protein powders can be added to your smoothies
• Nuts, seeds, and yogurt can be added to smoothies or soups to increase protein

Conclusion

A high calorie liquid diet needs to be intentional to make sure they provide everything needed in a healthy balanced diet. It is important to eat a variety of foods on a high calorie liquid diet to provide a variety of vitamins and minerals.  

Please note that this article is not meant to replace advice from a healthcare professional. It is best to talk with a dietitian or your doctor before starting a liquid diet to make sure that you will be getting enough calories, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.  

What is your favorite high calorie liquid diet meal?