NUTRITION AND HYDRATION
Nutrition and hydration: the key role of care home catering
Neel Radia, national chair of the National Association of Care Catering (NACC), reflects on the importance nutrition and hydration have on physical and mental wellbeing within the care setting
It is no secret that good nutrition and hydration is the path to a healthy life, no matter what age you are. Whether we live in care or at home, we all need the balance of good nutrition and hydration to remain as well as we can be. Residents who are losing weight may lack energy and their original zest for life. It is essential that every dining experience needs to encourage the resident to dine well, fighting against the threats of malnutrition and poor hydration.
Nutrition and hydration Good nutrition and hydration are essential for residents in helping to support their physical health by strengthening immunity, muscle, and bone health. They may also boost cognitive function, mood, and energy levels, reduce fatigue, and enhance social interaction – improving both
physical and mental wellbeing. Once upon a time, the thinking was simply
to add excessive amounts of cream or butter to recipes in order to fortify meals for the elderly, but now there are so many better strategies for creating nutrient dense foods – adding highly nutritious ingredients to boost the overall nutrient value without increasing the volume of food. This may involve adding foods such as eggs or egg products, dairy skimmed milk powders, nut or nuts-derivative foods or legumes and, if the dish lacks calories, adding fats too to create a nutrient dense dish.
Tips to fortify meals and beverages n Add additional protein rich foods, such as eggs, dairy skimmed milk powder, dairy products like cheese and yoghurt and fortified soya in routine meals where a dish may lack protein.
n By adding just four rounded tablespoons (60g) of 100 per cent dairy skimmed milk powder to a pint of milk, care caterers can provide an extra 250 calories and over 30g of protein. That is more protein than 100g of steak or three eggs would provide. This fortified milk can replace ordinary milk in teas, coffees, and milk drinks throughout the day, and even for breakfast cereals. Use it also when making desserts, soups, main meals, and accompaniments.
Malnutrition – or not delivering a balanced diet – can lead to a decreased quality of life of residents.
THE CARE HOME INDUSTRY HANDBOOK 2026 23
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