Find out why it's important to eat and drink regularly while you're recovering from illness in hospital.
Food and drink : Keep up your strength –Get well soon
Elaine - I didn’t think you’d need to eat or drink much in hospital because you’re not doing a whole lot.
John - But I found out it’s even more important than usual – it’s as important as taking your medicine. In fact, it can actually help your medicine to work better.
Louise - The doctor told me it would help to speed up my recovery and give my body a bit more strength.
Keith - And that I need to eat and drink well all the time if I want to stay well as I get older.
Enetta / Thelma - But sometimes you just don’t feel like eating when you’re in hospital.
Elaine - I asked the nurse if it was okay for my family to bring in some of the things I’m used to eating at home so I could make sure I had lots of snacks and drinks on hand.
John - I got into a bit of a routine so that each time I’d eat or drink, I’d also get up and go to the bathroom or stretch my legs around the ward.
Peter - Sometimes I was embarrassed about needing some help when I was a bit unsteady on my feet.
Thelma - I also didn’t want to ask for help with sitting up to eat and I had a bit of trouble opening some of the packaging on my lunch...
Louise - … but I quickly learnt that that’s what hospital staff are there for. It’s okay to ask for help.
Keith - Once I started eating and drinking regularly, it made a world of difference.
Elaine - I guess the extra energy helped me to heal.