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Feeding

Question
Hello, my son 5.5 years does not gain weight, he even lost (300g) at his last visit to the CF Center, if he doesn't gain weight, he will be back in hospital! I wonder if there are books with high-caloric recipes or links where I could find this kind of recipes. I have looked for it in the net but I found nothing !!
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Best Regards.
Answer
Hello,

Maintaining good nutrition is essential in cystic fibrosis; it is correlated with better overall activity, a lower incidence of secondary infections, and improved respiratory function. In CF, caloric needs are increased, and the diet should be high caloric, while remaining balanced. For this, your CF dietitian can advise you wisely, taking into account the eating habits of your child. Generally, four meals are essential; the child can eat family meals, with some enrichment: tablespoon of margarine or vegetable oil, grated cheese, yolks in the mash, a second dairy whole milk , etc ... Calorie oral supplements can also be offered in addition to the meal. It is important to maintain a friendly atmosphere around meals without blackmail or forcing.

In all cases, the intake of pancreatic extracts must be perfectly suited to food intake in order to minimize losses in the stool.

High-caloric recipe booklets were published several years ago by the Solvay laboratory and distributed by CF center: perhaps they are available in your CF Center.

But sometimes, enriched diet is not enough to restore satisfactory weight despite the combined efforts of the child, his entourage and the healthcare team. We must not then feel frustrated and consider hospitalization as a "punishment" but as an aid to better understand why your son does not gain weight, and to start if needed nutritional assistance to enable weight gain.

Good luck to you,
Sincerely
Dr Michèle Gérardin
08.03.2015