Menu for people with burns
Injuries increase the value of your nutritional needs. The larger the burn, the more nutrients you need to heal.
A reasonable diet helps to treat burn wounds more effectively
1. How are nutrition needs determined?
The medical team decide how much nutrition you need. They set your nutrition needs based on your weight, height, age, and burn size. Vitamins and minerals are also important for healing and preventing infection.
- Vitamin C, zinc, and copper help burns heal.
- Vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium are antioxidants. They help to reduce the body’s stress response after an injury.
- Vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc help to prevent and treat infections.
If you eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, you may not need extra vitamins. Ask your doctor if you have concerns about your nutrition needs.
2. How do patients meet their nutritional needs while hospitalized?
Healing a burn wound requires more calories and protein than any other type of injury. You may need more nutrients than you get from just taking them by mouth. In the case of severe burns, tube feeding can provide more nutrients.
You may need to add nutritious snacks and drinks in between meals. For example, drinking milk or a smoothie can help you meet your calorie and protein needs. Protein-rich foods include meat, fish, eggs, legumes, milk, yogurt, cheese, and nuts. You should eat protein-rich foods at every meal. If needed, your doctor may recommend that you take extra vitamins.
The treatment of burn wounds requires more calories and protein than any other type of injury.
3. What if I have diabetes or high blood sugar?
After a burn injury, stress forces the level of sugar in your blood to increase. High blood sugar interferes with healing. Even if you don’t have diabetes, you may have high blood sugar. Your health care team may prescribe insulin which lowers blood sugar. Until your blood sugar improves, you might have to limit the amount of foods you consume that are high in carbohydrates, such as bread, juice, potatoes, fruit, and desserts.
4. What should I eat at home?
Remember, your body requires fewer calories than when you were hospitalized. If your burn wounds are still open, your diet should include extra protein. As you continue to heal, your nutrition needs will be like they were before the injury. At the hospital, you likely ate large meals, drank nutrition supplements, and ate a lot of snacks. So your appetite may be big when you get home. Now focus on a balanced diet. Avoid foods with little nutritional value, such as sugary beverages, desserts, candy, fatty meats, whole-fat dairy, and white breads or crackers. Eat more lean meats, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy.