A guide to oral nutritional supplements (ONS) to obtain adequate nutrients for cancer, malnutrition, stroke, and other health conditions.
What are Oral Nutritional Supplements?
Oral nutrition supplements (ONS) are foods and beverages that help reach nutrition goals by adding calories, protein, vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients to a daily diet when you cannot meet your nutrition needs with food alone.
Oral Nutritional Supplements Come in Different Forms
Ready-to-drink beverages with milk-style and juice-style
Powders that can be prepared as drinks and shakes
Dessert types
Soup types – some are ready mixed, and others are a powder to mix with water or milk
Characteristics of Oral Nutritional Supplements
Suitable for lactose intolerance, dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and halal and kosher diets
Plant-based, vegan, and milk-based options
Disease-specific for diabetes, kidney, wound healing, malabsorption, fluid restriction, etc.
Wide range of different concentrations of nutrients and calories: from 0.6 calories per ml to 2.2 calories per ml, and some may provide high protein, MCT oil, peptide-based, fiber, arginine, omega-3 fatty acids, dietary nucleotides, and other nutrients.
Benefits of Oral Nutritional Supplements
Protein-calorie malnutrition is a health issue with implications in patients with cancer and other diseases, increasing morbidity and mortality.
Oral nutritional supplements can bring extra nutrients and calories when your body has higher nutrient needs to sustain and gain weight, prevent and treat malnutrition, and improve quality of life.
Oral nutritional supplements for wound healing, malnutrition, weight gain, muscle gain, supporting the body’s immune system, and optimizing glucose levels, can help you meet your nutrition treatment goals.
Oral nutritional supplements can be part of the nutrition care plan and intervention to provide protein and other essential nutrients to people with cancer, stroke, surgery, and other health issues.
Your clinical dietitian can help you calculate your calorie requirements and the nutrients your body needs to tell you how much to drink. When choosing supplements for malnutrition, look for nutritional supplements with healthy fats and less sugar content.
How to Use Oral Nutrition Supplements?
I always recommend obtaining all calories and nutrients from whole foods first. However, eating can be difficult with some health conditions, or sometimes our body needs a boost of nutrients to regain weight, repair and build muscles or heal from surgery.
You can drink oral nutritional supplements to replace a meal with a poor appetite, in between meals as a snack, and even after a workout to bring nutrients and nourish your body.
When using oral nutrition supplements daily for a long time, consider getting different flavors and brands to have a variety and prevent taste fatigue. Use them in different ways, like making milkshakes by mixing them with fruits, nuts, and other foods in a blender to change flavors and add extra nutrients.
I recommend adding ONS to foods like cereals such as oatmeal or overnight oats, puddings, and other foods. I also recommend diluting the oral nutritional supplement with milk or plant-based milk to reduce the sweetness and flavor so that you can tolerate it better when having food aversions.
Some recommended oral nutritional supplements for cancer, malnutrition, and other health conditions include brands like Premier Protein®, Orgain®, Kate Farms®, Soylent®, and more.
Consider any relevant food allergies and intolerances closely and check the nutrition facts panel to ensure the product is offering the macronutrients & micronutrients that meet your dietary needs.
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