For some children, it’s important to pack every mouthful with as many calories as possible. Try adding these calorie boosters to your child’s foods. Small amounts provide big calorie payoffs!
Butter, Vegetable Oil, Mayonnaise
(35 to 40 calories/teaspoon)
Add to baby foods, vegetables, sandwiches, casseroles, soups, rice, pasta, and whatever. These calorie boosters go with almost any food.
Wheat Germ
(25 calories/tablespoon)
Wheat germ can be added easily to homemade baked goodies such as pancakes, cookies, and breads. It is also good over yogurt, fruit, and cooked cereals.
Powdered Milk
(25 calories/tablespoon)
Your child won’t even know when you add it to ground meat, milk shakes, mashed potatoes, cooked cereals, casseroles, and yogurt.
Sprinkle on Cheese
(about 100 calories/ounce)
Add grated cheese or cheese sauce or sprinkle parmesan on buttered toast, creamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, scrambled eggs, cooked cereals, casseroles, meat, and fish.
Cream Cheese
(50 calories/tablespoon)
Cream cheese makes the start of a good dip for crackers, vegetables, and fruits. It also makes a nice spread for baked breads and buttered muffins.
Cooked Egg Yolk
(about 60 calories/yolk)
Cooked egg yolk can be added to all kinds of foods. The egg yolk must be already cooked if it is going to be added to a food that will not be cooked. This is to prevent salmonella infection. The American Heart Association suggests limiting whole eggs to three a week.
Whipping Cream (Heavy)
(50 calories/tablespoon)
Add a touch to drinks or desserts.
Peanut Butter
(100 calories/tablespoon)
Makes a great spread on some vegetables, crackers, toast, muffins, waffles—but make sure your child has the feeding skills to eat it. Peanut butter also tastes great in milk shakes, cookies, and pudding.
Sour Cream
(25 calories/teaspoon)
Tastes great on potatoes or added to casseroles and sauces.
Avocado
(75 calories per ¼ avocado)
Kids usually like avocados. Try adding them to vegetables, on top of crackers, with meats or beans, and as a guacamole dip.
Salad Dressing
(65-85 calories/tablespoon)
Salad dressings can be used on vegetables and salads and over meats as a cooking sauce. Avoid diet dressings.
Commercial Calorie Supplements
(variable)
A variety of commercial high-calorie drinks and puddings are available. They come in different flavors, so try different ones to find your child’s favorites. The most common types are Enrich, Ensure, Ensure Plus, and Sustacal. Some high-calorie supplements are nutritionally incomplete and should be used only as additions to your child’s diet—not as the main diet.
The information on this web site is provided for entertainment purposes only; it is a general reference for healthcare consumers and providers; it is not a prescription for any individual person. It is important that you consult your child’s qualified healthcare provider before implementing any of the research discussed on this web site.
Disclaimer: This is based solely on our experience and should not be treated as medical advice. You should always consult your doctor(s) with any medical or health concerns before starting any new diet, products or supplements.
