Overview
Eating well to promote healing
Important
This information is produced for adults under the care of Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals. We usually give you the information after an assessment or appointment. Your dietitian or other healthcare professional may give you different guidance, depending on your specific medical needs.
It is important to check with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet. Please contact your dietitian if you have any questions or concerns.
If you are not a patient at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals, please contact a GP or specialist healthcare professional.
Your food and fluid needs will increase if you have:
- a pressure ulcer (skin and tissue damage from being under pressure for too long)
- an open wound
- a skin ulcer
To encourage your skin to heal and prevent more damage, it is important to have a variety of nourishing foods and drinks. This information gives you general tips to achieve this, together with specific tips if you are underweight or overweight.
*If you have diabetes, you will need to continue to choose sugar-free options. However, you can have a moderate amount of food that contains sugar as part of a fortified diet. Speak to your GP, nurse or diabetes team for more information.
Nourishing foods and drinks
Vitamin C, zinc, protein and iron are essential nutrients to promote wound healing.
Vitamin C
Try to include some of these foods and drinks that are rich in vitamin C in your diet:
- Oranges
- Strawberries
- Broccoli
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Fruit juice
Zinc
Try to include some of these foods and drinks that are rich in zinc in your diet:
- Meat
- Shellfish
- Milk
- Cheese
- Bread
- Baked beans
Protein
Try to include some of these foods and drinks that are rich in protein in your diet:
- Meat
- Fish
- Milk
- Eggs
- Nuts (like almonds and cashews)
- Seeds (like hemp, chia and flaxseeds)
- Pulses (like lentils, chickpeas, split peas and black-eyed peas)
- Legumes (like edamame, kidney beans, black beans and green peas)
- Soy products (like tofu and tempeh)
- Plant-based alternatives to meat made from mycoprotein (Quorn®)
Iron
Try to include some of these foods and drinks that are rich in iron in your diet:
- Meat
- Beans, peas and lentils
- Nuts and seeds
- Dried fruit
- Kale, spinach and broccoli
- Fortified breakfast cereals
General tips on eating well to promote healing
Here are general tips to choose foods and drinks that promote healing:
Do
- Have nutritious and high protein snacks in between meals. Examples include a Greek or Greek-style yoghurt or plant-based yoghurt, unsalted peanuts or cheese and crackers.
- Aim to drink at least 1.6 to 2 litres of fluid each day to stay hydrated and improve healing.
- Drink nourishing fluids, such as fortified milk or whole or barista-style plant-based milks, milkshakes, smoothies or fruit juices*.
- Fortify your milk to add extra protein. You can add 2 to 4 heaped tablespoons of dried milk powder to a pint of full-fat milk. Mix well and then use this like regular milk.
- Take a multivitamin or mineral supplement, which you can buy from a pharmacy or shop, if you find it difficult to have a varied diet.
Do
- Choose full-fat and full-sugar* products rather than diet, low fat or healthy eating varieties. They give you more calories.
- Try eating little and often. Smaller portions and snacks are easier to manage.
- Add ingredients like skimmed milk powder, cheese, nut spreads and double cream or plant-based cream to make your meals more nutritious.
Don't
- Do not try to gain weight while you have a pressure ulcer or open wound. The priority is wound healing.
Do
- Have regular, balanced meals.
- Choose low fat and low sugar or light (lite) options.
- Choose low fat cooking methods, such as baking, air frying, grilling and steaming.
Don't
- Do not try to lose weight while you have a pressure ulcer or open wound. The priority is wound healing.
Resource number: 4057/VER4
Last reviewed: January 2026
Next review: January 2029
