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These guidelines for meeting the nutritional needs of people with
Huntington's Disease were first published in the
Association's Gateway newsletter Volume 4 No. 5,
September/October 2001. They were prepared by
Karen Keast, Dietitian, Huntington Disease Service NSW, and include material compiled by the Dietitians Association of Australia NSW
Gerontology Special Interest Group. We are grateful to Karen
for this material.
The guidelines were reviewed and revised in August 2004.
If you wish to download or print these guidelines they are available as a separate document Rich Text format, 62 KB or Adobe Acrobat * format, 71 KB.
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a free download. Click on the icon to go to the download site. Link
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The food
suggestions on these pages are intended for people with
Huntington's Disease, who have special nutritional needs. A
diet based on these suggestions may be inappropriate for those who
do not have these special needs.
1. Eat Frequent Meals and Snacks
AS WELL as breakfast, lunch and dinner include morning tea,
afternoon tea and supper.
HAVE double serves of meals and desserts.
2. Ensure All Food is Soft and Moist
AVOID foods which are hard and brittle and more difficult to
swallow such as chips, corn chips, nuts, hard lollies etc.
ADD extra gravy and sauces to savoury foods and custard and creams
to sweet foods.
3. Make Every Mouthful Count
CHOOSE nutritious energy dense food and drinks, eg milk or fruit
juice rather than tea, coffee or clear soup, eg cake and cream
rather than a plain biscuit.
4. Enrich the Food You Eat
ADD foods rich in protein and energy to those you already eat and
drink, eg add cream to fruit and margarine or sour cream to
vegetables.
5. Try to Include a Protein Food with Each
Meal
SUCH AS meat, chicken, fish, egg, cheese, milk, custard or
legumes.
6. Have Ready-to-Eat High Energy Snacks
Handy
eg Yoghurts, FrucheTM, cream cake, fruit
and custard
7. Supplement Your Diet
USE fortified drinks such as high protein milk or
SustagenTM to boost your energy
intake.
8. Enjoy Your Meals and Eat a Variety of
Foods
VARY your meals so eating does not become a chore.
9. Maintain a Calm and Relaxing Environment For
Meals
MINIMISE all distractions, ie turn the TV and radio off.
ALWAYS sit upright for meals and for at least a half-hour after
meals.
ALLOW plenty of time for meals.
EAT slowly.
AVOID eating and drinking at the same time.
10. Monitor Your Weight
CONTACT your doctor or dietitian if you are concerned.
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