CF Awareness Month Blog- Diet

Diet. This is an interesting and often confusing part of CF. We need calories and lots and lots of them. What is the easiest way to get lots of calories? Junk food- ice cream, candy, chips. The problem is that as a CF we desperately need a diet that is rich in nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants- none of which can be found in junk food. So the dilemma is finding healthy food that will provide enough calories to sustain our bodies that need so very much.

As someone who struggles with weight gain and the idea of eating foods that are highly processed I am constantly working on finding a balance. I got my degree in nutrition in 2006 (eek, that ages me!) and have been careful to eat from the earth rather than a package since then (although we ate really healthy growing up too). Luckily, my husband and daughter are both great eaters and so we all eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. I try to incorporate healthy high fat foods as often as possible such as avocado and nuts, but I don't obsess about getting enough fat/calories since I think the secret to a good healthy diet is enjoying food. If I feel like a salad, I eat a salad. If I feel like eating an apple void of peanut butter or cheese (my dietitian always says to slather with cheese, peanut butter, or butter) I do it.

I currently (and have during different times in the past) am having trouble maintaining weight with my diet alone so I drink Ensure Plus to provide the extra calories I need. I think being sick for a few months and nursing an 11 month old both contributed to my need of an obscene amount of calories. I just can't possibly eat enough calories in the day and enjoy healthy foods without a supplement at this point in my life.

Okay, before you role your eyes at my ultra healthy diet I will be the first to admit that I am not perfect. Of course I eat crap out of a package sometimes. But my day to day life I try to eat as healthy as possible since I really believe that although highly processed foods may give us the fat content we need, it will ultimately negatively effect our bodies in a way that will not be conducive to health which is the whole point we try to gain weight anyway..

I also just started juicing which I have fallen in love with!