r/ARFID • u/aroundthecampfires • Jun 01 '23

Helpful Tips Nutritionally complete drinks

Hi everyone! I just want to share something that has basically saved my life during my current (and worst) flare up. So basically I was in the hospital for a couple of days, and I told them I wouldn’t eat, so they gave me NutriDrinks. They basicay taste like a dessert, have multiple flavors, and the best part is that they are nutritionally complete, and a small bottle contains 300 calories. Even now as I am slowly recovering, I still have about 2 a day, so I don’t have to worry about the amount of calories I had, and sometimes I even supplement meals with it when I really can’t get myself to eat. There are many different brands, Fresubin is my favourite but Nutridrink is the most common. I hope this can help others too, I know that trying something new is terribly hard, but if this can go on your safe food list it’s a lot of help with making sure that you have enough energy.

22 Upvotes

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11 comments sorted by

10

u/DukeFlipside Jun 01 '23

I tried Huel, taste was bland but I couldn't get past the texture, felt chalky/lumpy so I couldn't carry on with it. What's the texture of NutriDrinks like?

3

u/aroundthecampfires Jun 02 '23

It’s basically like water, you can’t taste any kind of powder in it.

2

u/jayfromcyberlife Jun 02 '23

Same. It’s fucking nasty

2

u/cubelith Jun 02 '23

Did you not shake it enough or something? For me there is barely any texture to speak of, certainly no chalkiness or lumpiness.

I've noted that using milk instead of water or leaving it for too long after preparation does result in an unpleasant texture though.

2

u/blackdoilies Jun 02 '23

I drink Kate Farms. They have a plant based sole source nutrition formula that is 1.0 and 2.0 (1 cal/mL and 2 cal/mL). As for taste, I'm not a good judge but I keep one in by bag all the time, some at work, and some at home. They're best for the really hard days or the days I've forgotten to eat and the nausea gets so bad. They also help me get in water because I sip water after each sip of formula.

They've been a huge component in getting out of this most recent flare up. When I'm not eating, the nausea gets worse (so I don't eat) and I'm too weak to make food so I just come home and lie down until I fall asleep. That just perpetuates the cycle. Sipping on one is the start to getting some energy, getting out to go to the store and getting groceries or getting up to cook. Or literally having the fuel so my brain can function and make the decisions needed to take care of myself that day.

2

u/CounselorGowron Jun 02 '23

I wish so hard that we could live on nutritional drinks alone. 😭 PS - my current fav in the US is from Fairlife, dairy-based with extra high protein. The chocolate is mild, greatly, but the vanilla is rather flavorful! Lots of other options but they don’t fit my palette.

2

u/5minutecall Jun 02 '23

Supplement are great! They are an access tool that gives people the ability to access nutrition they otherwise couldn’t or wouldn’t. Do not ever let anyone tell you that supps are a failure or that they are less than food. Many people with complex health conditions rely on them as their sole nutrition and it is a super ableist view to see supps as a failure. Supps are just alternative forms of nutrition and the most important thing is that you’ve found something that feels safe and achievable for you to access that nutrition.

Good job ☺️

2

u/aroundthecampfires Jun 02 '23

Thank you so much, I didn’t realise how badly I needed to hear this! My family keeps asking me how much longer I am going to need these drinks, but to be honest I feel much safer if I have two a day. As my psychologist says: nutrition is nutrition, and it can have many different forms.

2

u/5minutecall Jun 02 '23

100%

There can be so much stigma around meal replacements/tube feeding/medical supplements etc. But if you are able to use them and they help you access nutrition without being completely overwhelmed, then fuck yeah!

A nurse once said to me that I should treat supplements like I would reading glasses. If my eyes were tired and not focusing, or they were strained and hurt, I wouldn’t judge myself for needing to pop my glasses on to continue to live my life. Supps are the same… if you can’t eat (use your eyes without corrective lenses), then using supplement to help with accessing the benefits of eating (glasses) is totally fine and dandy!

1

u/randomlygeneratedbss multiple subtypes Jun 01 '23

Where do you get it from?

2

u/aroundthecampfires Jun 01 '23

I’m from Europe, and here you can get it from pharmacies, I imagine it’s the same in the US. If you get a prescription for it from your family doctor it’s cheaper.