You, should drink Ensure powder with water, although if you want extra calories and a thicker texture, you can use milk with the Ensure powder.
But Ensure is commonly mixed with water as directed on the label, but mixing the Ensure powder with milk is okay if you want the extra calories or the texture to be thicker.
Using water for the Ensure powder is what the Ensure Original Powder Instructions sate for accurate nutrition and keeps the Ensure drink suitable for those with lactose intolerance and keeps the calories and macros aligned with the product label.
Milk mixed with the Ensure powder adds extra fat, calories and protein, which can help you if you're trying to gain weight and changes the official nutritional profile of the Ensure drink that is listed on the package.
Using milk with Ensure also adds lactose, which means that the Ensure powder drink is no longer safe for people with lactose intolerance.
You can live off of Ensure only, but only for a short time or in certain and specific medical situations.
Although living off of Ensure only is not best or ideal for long term health.
Ensure is good for short term help and short term nutrition as Ensure does provide calories, protein, vitamins and minerals and Ensure also helps when you're sick, recovering from surgery or when you're unable to chew solid food or have a loss of appetite.
Although drinking only Ensure for a long time can cause health issues as Ensure lacks diverse fiber, has high amounts of sugar and also misses some of the whole food nutrients that keep the gut healthy.
Any and all liquid diets like Ensure diets need close watch by a doctor or a dietitian.
And medical professionals may need to add some extra water, fiber or specific nutrients to make the liquid diet safe.
So while Ensure is good as a supplement to your normal whole food diet, living off of Ensure by itself is not recommended.
If you have a loss of appetite and can't eat enough whole foods, then Ensure can help you gain weight and get some nutrients but the Ensure should not be your only nutrition.
Or if you simply need to add or help maintain some weight and keep your nutrition up, then drinking some Ensure drinks through the day along with your other foods can help.
If you're malnourished you should also see a doctor to find why the malnourishment is occurring as malnourishment is not good for the body and can be a serious health concern.
Malnourishment can be reversed with proper medical care, dietary changes and targeted nutrient supplements.
Treatment for malnourishment involves finding and treating the underlying cause, which could be underlying physical or mental health conditions that stop proper eating.
Increasing your calories, proteins, and vitamins slowly to prevent dangerous shifts in health, which is also known as refeeding syndrome.
Eating specialized pastes or high energy supplements that are packed with essential vitamins and eating balanced meals like adding whole foods, proteins, fruits and vegetables frequently throughout the day when it becomes safe to do so.
Many people that are malnourished, make a complete recovery with early help and regular monitoring.
Severe, long lasting nutrient deficiencies can sometimes leave permanent issues such as stunted growth or vision loss.
Even anxiety can make it difficult to eat and lead to malnourishment, which medication can help with.