Calories from gummy bears?

Question

Hello,

CF patients are told to eat more calories, so far so simple. Does it play a role in which way I take the calories, via wholefood/ bio wholefood according to Dr. Bruker, via fast food from McDonalds or via much malt drinks, gummy bears and soft cheese?
Best regards and many thanks for the information!
F.

Answer

Dear F.,
no, it does play a role how the calories are taken.
Sweets: the metabolic products, which emerge from a diet rich in carbohydrates respectively sugar, increase the breathing work. Furthermore, gummy bears, soft drinks and similar products do not provide any considerable nutrients (vitamins, minerals, trace elements, secondary plant substances, dietary fibers), that could support the infection defense and the reduction of reactive oxygen species (that emerge in any inflammation).
Fast food: also these foodstuffs cannot cover the nutrient need. Furthermore, those fats that are in the fast food, are rather unfavorable. The CF patient needs more omega-3-fatty acids, as the turnover in the body is increased due to inflammatory processes. These can hardly be found in fast food. CF patients should also take a long view: because of the increased life expectancy, diseases of civilization like arteriosclerosis and its sequelae are also possible for them. Too much of saturated fatty acids and trans-fatty acids support their occurrence.
Wholefood nutrition according to Dr. Bruker: It is for sure not necessary, to have the nutrition changed completely in the direction of bio wholefood. For those, who do not want to deal with nutrition, it is not a realistic recommendation. For sure, the supply with vitamins, minerals and above all dietary fibers etc. would be very favorable with this kind of nutrition, assumed the recommendations for CF are realized (increasing fat content via valuable plant oils, nuts, seeds, avocado and fatty fish, salt). Who considers this kind of nutrition to be too inconvenient or too drastic, should notice, that also in this case the golden mean from all kinds of nutrition is absolutely sufficient. Fast food or canteen food for one meal, salad/fresh vegetables with meat/fish and side dishes or whole-grain bread for another meal, a sweet a day and the caloric enrichment of food with plant oil (grilled vegetables with olive oil, humus with sesame oil on bread, nuts/seeds on vegetables or in the salad) and via snacks rich in fat: nuts and raisins, nachos with self-made avocado dip, cereal bars with nuts etc.
I hope to have answered your question herewith and stay with my best regards,
Suzanne van Dullemen

10.11.2014