People with cystic fibrosis (CF) have to maintain a high-calorie, high-fat diet to get the nutrition they need to grow and maintain a healthy weight. Essentially, those with CF have to throw everything they have ever heard about healthy eating for the general population out the window, because the rules are entirely different for them.
The CF diet is hard enough for an adult to maintain, but let’s face it, getting a picky toddler or child to comply can be a pretty big challenge. The key to success with young children is to focus on quality over quantity. It’s a whole lot easier to get your child to eat normal portions of nutrient-dense foods than to try and get them to eat huge quantities of other foods.
So what kinds of foods do kids love that pack the most punch? Here are some things you can try:
For snacks, serve:
- Cheese
- Cheese sticks - the kind that are breaded and baked or fried
- Peanut butter
- Muffins with butter
- Biscuits with butter and jelly
- Bagels and cream cheese
- Higher fat meats, such as bacon, sausage, pepperoni or hot dogs
- Potato chips and dip
- French fries
- Milk shakes - these can be beefed up even more by making with a calorie-rich shake product, such as Scandishake or instant breakfast drinks
- Premium ice cream - the higher the fat content, the better. Go for the good stuff!
When preparing meals try to:
- Substitute heavy cream for milk whenever possible. If using milk, be sure to use whole milk.
- Put butter, margarine or mayonnaise on everything — and be generous!
- Fry things that can be fried rather than baking, grilling or broiling
- Choose fatty cuts of meat, and avoid low-calorie or low-fat versions of foods
- Add calorie enhancers, such as Duocal, to your child’s food. You can find Duocal in some local drug stores or order it online.
