Feeding Your Child With Cystic
Fibrosis
How many calories does my child need?Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) often have trouble consuming
enough calories to grow or gain weight. Infections, breathing problems,
and malabsorption can all contribute to increased calorie needs. The diet
for children with CF should be high in calories. If your child consumes
the extra calories he/she needs then he/she should grow and develop
normally. Children should eat three meals and two to three snacks a day to
help meet their calorie needs. It can help to add extra fat to meals and
snacks to meet you child's calorie needs. Pancreatic enzymes will usually
be needed to help digest this diet.
How can extra calories be added?
- Add butter, margarine, or vegetable oil to:
- breads, toast, crackers, or sandwiches.
- potatoes, hot cereals, rice, noodles, soups, or casseroles.
- Add sour cream to:
- potatoes, rice, pasta, or vegetables.
- use as a dip for vegetables, or chips.
- Add mayonnaise to:
- sandwiches or crackers.
- dips, salad dressing, or sauces.
- meat, fish, eggs, or vegetable salads.
- Add cream cheese to:
- fruit slices, raw vegetables, bread, toast, or crackers.
- Use heavy creams in:
- soups, sauces, batters, custards, puddings, shakes, mashed
potatoes, or cooked cereals.
- Use whipping cream on:
- pancakes, waffles, fruit, ice cream, pudding, hot chocolate, or
other desserts.
- mix in cream soups, hot cereals, mashed potatoes, pudding, and
custards.
- Add brown sugar, maple syrup, or syrup to:
- hot cereals, cold cereals, fruits, ice cream, or puddings.
- use as a glaze on meats, or vegetables.
- Add powdered milk to:
- cereals, potatoes, cream soups, eggs, puddings, gravy, and
casseroles.
- add two to four tablespoons of powdered milk to one cup of whole
milk to make "super milk."
- Add cheese to:
- sandwiches, burgers, toast, crackers, eggs, potatoes, noodles, and
snacks.
- Add peanut butter to:
- sandwiches, crackers, toast, fruit slices, vegetables, ice cream,
or milkshakes.
- Use high-calorie drinks such as:
- homemade milkshakes, Carnation Instant Breakfast®, Scandishakes®,
Pediasure®, Boost®, Boost Plus®, Ensure®, Ensure Plus®, etc.
Does my child need extra vitamins?Vitamins A, D, E, and K are known as fat-soluble vitamins.
Vitamins are important for proper growth and development. Many children
with CF do not get enough of these vitamins from the foods they eat,
because they have difficulty digesting and absorbing fat. When this
happens, your child may need to take extra vitamins. Your child's
physician can recommend the type and amount of vitamins you should give to
your child. There are vitamins specifically made for children with CF.
Consult your child's physician for more information.
Does my child need extra salt?Children with CF need extra salt in their diets because they
lose more salt in their sweat than other children. Add extra salt by using
the salt shaker at meals and including salty foods and snacks (i.e.,
chips, pretzels, fast foods, french fries, pickles, nuts, and luncheon
meats). Extra salt intake is important in the hot weather when children
are playing outside and sweating.
What if my child is not gaining weight?Sometimes, children with CF do not grow or gain weight despite
a high-calorie diet. This can occur if your child's appetite is poor,
he/she has frequent infections, or he/she has malabsorption. If your child
is unable to eat enough food to promote appropriate growth and
development, then supplemental oral or tube feedings may be needed, as
directed by your child's physician. This involves placing a small tube
through the nose which ends in the stomach. This is referred to as a
nasogastric tube, or NG tube. A high-calorie formula or supplement can be
given to your child though this tube to help promote appropriate growth
and development. Some patients with CF require long-term calorie
supplementation by placement of a feeding tube (gastrostomy or "G-tube")
through the stomach wall, or by giving intravenous fat solutions
(intralipids). Consult your child's physician for more information.
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