So, what, are you trying to make your kids fat?

Why yes, yes I am. Well, not technically "Fat" per say, but a little on the chunky side. Why you might ask? Several studies have shown that children with Cystic Fibrosis who are a little on the "heavier" side of the BMI index tend to do better with lung function, so, yes, let the McDonald's happy meals roll in! We do what we can to keep the girls' healthy and if that means loading them down with fatty meals, then so be it. They have already been prescribed high calorie, high fat meals as it is. They're on Whole milk, and often get Pediasure in between meals to add more calories! Cheetos are their favorite snack, and I allow them to eat as many as they want. They eat like little piggies and will devour an entire can of Chef Boyardee ravioli split between them, and then I add bread to their tray and it's gone in 2 seconds. Did I mention that I add butter to EVERYTHING they eat? :) Yeah, why not add a few more calories here and there :) Anytime I give them bread, it's buttered bread.

I always told myself that I would never fall into the rut of "take-out" when the girls got old enough to eat real food on their own, but it looks as though God has his own way of making a joke and saying "ha ha, yeah right". I always watched those shows on TV that would show morbidly obese children and think to myself, "I'll never let my kids get that way!" and I won't, but because of the girls' CF, they will be able to eat basically anything they want without getting that way, which is kinda cool...wish that worked for me! haha! Unfortunately, the side effect of ALL of the fatty, high calorie foods is that it goes in one end, and out the other....literally :o/ Now, if you don't like to talk about poo, then don't read any further :) My girls poop more in one day that a healthy adult does in one week....isn't that nice? :) I change A LOT of poopy diapers, and they stink!, I mean...STINK!!! The downside to CF is that the girls' digestives systems don't work like ours. They can't break down and process food like healthy people do, so whatever they eat goes right through them...no joke, and the odor is HORRENDOUS! That's where the enzymes come in. The enzymes aid in digestion, but they don't "fix" the problem. Research companies are still working on that! :)

Now don't think that all I give them is junk food, that's not the case. I still give them lots of vegetables and fruit to go with their "fatty" portions of their meal. They LOVE green beans and sliced cooked carrots (which are buttered and salted), and they will indulge in blueberries and strawberries often! They like just about any type of fruit and will eat whatever fruit I put in front of them. The nice thing about fruit is that enzymes aren't required when they eat fruit! :) Fruits are acidic enough and produce their own enzymes that "prescribed" enzymes aren't needed! cool huh? :) As far as the salting of the their food goes, they have to have EXTRA salt added to their food because according to their sweat test, they are heavy sweaters, and heavy salt losers, which means that when they sweat, they lose large amounts of salt. You always hear that salt raises blood pressure and cholesterol and causes all kinds of problems, but in this case, it's the exact opposite. Go figure!

So the next time you see me in the grocery store stocking up on cheetos, bologna, and french fries, or in the drive through at McD's, keep in mind...it's NOT FOR ME! :) haha! I'm just keeping my girls "healthy" and out of the hospital :) The foods I buy probably aren't healthy for anybody, but they're just what the doctor ordered for my girls :)

Here is a typical list of foods that you might see on a diet for a CF child :) Don't you wish we could eat like this all the time?!? These are just basically meals, this doesn't include SNACKS! :)

Alfredo Pesto Pasta
Bacon Cheeseburger
Bacon Mushroom Chicken
Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Quiche
Baked Beans
Baked Creamy Chicken
Banana Bread
Beef Stroganoff
Broccoli Salad
Cheesecake Squares
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
Coleslaw
Creamy Chicken Fettuccine
Dirt Pudding
Enchilada Casserole
Italian Burgers
Macaroni and Cheese
Mashed Potatoes
Mighty Milk
Milkshake
PB and J French Toast
Powerful Oatmeal
Sausage Meatballs
Scalloped Potatoes
Shepherd's Pie
Southern-Style Beef Pie
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Sweet Potato Casserole
Tex-Mex Sausage and Scrambled Eggs
Trail Mix
Yummy Chicken