How to make Ensure taste better (for older kid)?

[Anonymous]

I have a young teen with significant weight gain challenges, and his GI wants him to drink three 8-oz containers of Ensure a day. We've tried many other things that have not helped enough, so are on board with this plan. The problem is he says it tastes disgusting and can't get it down, and is very despondent. We tried blending the chocolate flavor with chocolate ice cream, but haven't experimented with other approaches.

Does anyone have kids or teens, or themselves, who has found ways to make liquid Ensure more palatable? TIA.

[Anonymous]

That stuff is so nasty. Nothing will make it better.
I gave up trying to drink it and just went chocolate/strawberry milk.

[Anonymous]

It's better really, really cold. You can also blend it with a frozen banana to make more of a smoothie consistency.

Also, I think Boost chocolate tastes a lot better than Ensure, so maybe try that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a young teen with significant weight gain challenges, and his GI wants him to drink three 8-oz containers of Ensure a day. We've tried many other things that have not helped enough, so are on board with this plan. The problem is he says it tastes disgusting and can't get it down, and is very despondent. We tried blending the chocolate flavor with chocolate ice cream, but haven't experimented with other approaches.

Does anyone have kids or teens, or themselves, who has found ways to make liquid Ensure more palatable? TIA.

Have you tried blending with ice cubes? You can do ice cream, but it doesn't really change the texture all that much, and it's not as super cold as ice cubes. Try making it into an icy slushie.

[Anonymous]

Truly vile stuff. The low glycemic Boost version is better because it is not so sickly sweet, but not sure how calories compare. You could try freezing into pop sickles.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried Boost? My teen thinks it tastes much better than Ensure, with the same nutritional profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a young teen with significant weight gain challenges, and his GI wants him to drink three 8-oz containers of Ensure a day. We've tried many other things that have not helped enough, so are on board with this plan. The problem is he says it tastes disgusting and can't get it down, and is very despondent. We tried blending the chocolate flavor with chocolate ice cream, but haven't experimented with other approaches.

Does anyone have kids or teens, or themselves, who has found ways to make liquid Ensure more palatable? TIA.

Try mixing it with Carnation Instant Breakfast.

[Anonymous]

There are other options. Ask your ped Gi what else is ok and do a taste testing.

[Anonymous]

Kate Farms another brand that tastes better. More expensive though.

[Anonymous]

There's nothing special about Ensure that it should be his only option.

Try Orgaine - this one is their highest calorie shake and it tastes pretty good! also better ingredients.
https://www.amazon.com/Orgain-Organic-Nutrition-Chocolate-Packaging/dp/B003FDG4K4

[Anonymous]

My DW makes a smoothie with vanilla Ensure and frozen mixed berries.

[Anonymous]

The Ensure Plus vanilla tastes passable when it’s ice cold but the ingredients are terrible. Agree with the other posters to look for options.

[Anonymous]

Does it have to be the shake kind? Ensure has fruit punch flavor and clear.

[Anonymous]

When my DD was in treatment for anorexia, this was the recipe we used for high calorie supplementing, and she actually liked it:
1/2 c vanilla or strawberry ice cream
1/2 c frozen or fresh berries
1 vanilla or strawberry boost plus
7 Tbsp heavy cream
1 Tbsp strawberry syrup

[Anonymous]

My kid refused Ensure but tolerated Boost. There is a regular high calorie and a super high calorie. He couldn’t hack the super high calorie, but that was something like 550 calories. The regular was fine.

I make a high calorie shake that has more calories than an Ensure. You can also add Benecalorie - a liquid protein and fat supplement that my kid tolerated well. I add those to peanut butter & protein protein powder shakes, as well as to mango lassis (sweetened mango pulp, full fat yogurt, and whole milk).