Know About Cystic Fibrosis and Save your Kids

Even the slightest change in the behavior of your child could be an indication that something is potentially wrong with his/her body. Reading the signs of your child's body might be a difficult job. At times, things that seem normal to us might be symptoms of something very severe and fatal. We tend to ignore the changes and that's where we go wrong. 

Consistent coughing and shortness of breath should not be mistaken as a change in season or a regular change. Cystic Fibrosis symptoms are what you need to be aware of. Cystic Fibrosis is a slowly growing disease that leads to consistent lung infections and lowers the ability to breathe properly. 

The various symptoms of CF include:

1. Skin turning into very salty-tasting
2. Coughing continuously, even with phlegm
3. Being highly prone to lung infections like bronchitis and pneumonia
4. Shortness of breath
5. Not being able to grow your body or not being able to lose weight, despite a good diet
6. Difficulty with bowel movements
7. Infertility in males

What causes Cystic Fibrosis?

1. It is a genetic disease
2. For a person to have CF, he should receive 2 copies of defective CF gene from his parents
3. If a person has only one defective CF gene then he/she is not prone to the disease but can certainly forward it if matched to another defected CF gene person.
4. People with only one defective CF gene are known as carriers
5. When two people with defected CF genes have their child the chances are as follows:

There is a 25% chance that their child will have Cystic Fibrosis

There is a 50% chance that the child will become a carrier but not have CF

There is a 25% chance that the child will come out absolutely clean

 More than 70,000 people have been living with this disease worldwide with approximately 1000 new cases diagnosed every year. Cystic Fibrosis symptoms and severity varies from person to person making it a complex disease. There are breakthrough treatments available which add years to the lives of people suffering from CF. A number of treatments are available but there has not been a permanent cure found yet. 

With Nutrition 4 Kids get aware of the slightest change in your ward's body by our qualified expert's advice. Our mission is to lead parents create a healthy lifestyle for their kids.

Like this post, please also read - Top 5 Tips for Living with Cystic Fibrosis

Top 5 Sugar Substitutes You Need to Know

A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides sugar like sweet taste; some of them are natural while others are made synthetically. Those that are not produced naturally are called artificial sweeteners. Sugar is an inseparable part of the food we consume. Some products that contain sugar substitute are diet soda, sugar-free syrup, gum, ice cream, fruit cups, yogurt, pudding and much more. Besides its benefits, it has been proven that artificial sweeteners prove out to be best in this case. 

In this guide we will discuss some of the best sugar substitutes:

1. Honey:

Raw honey is the best form of natural sweetener and is easily available al around the globe. It has been used as a sugar substitute for many centuries. It can be mixed with milk, lukewarm water or can be spread on bread for breakfast. For losing weight, you should drink or eat some amount of honey every morning. As honey is rich in antioxidants, so it proves out to be helpful in fighting a variety of diseases. 

2. Date Sugar

The sugar made from different kinds of dates have a good glycemic index which provides it with antioxidant properties. It contains very small amount of calories, but its taste is same as that of normal sugar. Due to fewer calories present in date sugar, it is helpful in preventing us from various diseases like diabetes, obesity and much more, thus helps a person to remain healthy and fit. 

3. Maple syrup

Maple syrup is the boiled-down sap of the maple tree. It is two times sweeter than the original white sugar and also has a mouth-watering caramel taste in it. Maple syrup is one of the best sugar substitutes and is good for things like pancakes and waffles. Being one of the healthier substitutes, maple syrup has many benefits because of its higher antioxidant capacity.   

4. Coconut sugar

Coconut sugar can prove out to be the best replacement of white sugar. This sugar won't increase your weight but give you perfect sweet taste. When baking, you can use coconut sugar as a replacement.

5. Stevia

The sugar obtained from stevia plant is 200-300 times sweeter than white sugar. You can replace one and a half cup of white sugar with one-fourth cup of Stevia in any food recipe and enjoy the sweetness in your life. 

Sugar substitutes can help people to lose weight as they provide sweetness of sugar to foods and drinks without adding extra calories. It can also help in preventing dental decay and in maintaining sugar level in people suffering from diabetes. In other words, artificial sweetener allows people to stick to a good diet for a longer period of time. They are called as free food as they don’t count as a carbohydrate, fat or any other exchange. With the wide selection of sugar substitutes present in the market, you have to be very specific according to your needs. Choose the one which suits best according to your diet and health condition.     

For more details to Sugar Substitutes click here 

Specific Carbohydrate Diet: Things You Need to Know

Carbohydrates provide energy to the body, particularly through glucose, a simpler sugar that is found in many basic foods. It contains both soluble and insoluble elements; the insoluble part is known as fiber, which promotes regular bowel movement, regulates the rate of consumption of blood glucose and also helps in removing excess cholesterol from the body. But, regular consumption of carbohydrates creates many problems besides weight gain. It results in high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, high uric acid levels and blood clotting problems. So, it is always advised to take a specific carbohydrate diet, especially for kids. 

In this guide, we will discuss tips to raise kids with proper carbohydrate diet: 

1. Balanced carbohydrates in diet:

Childhood obesity is a huge problem today. Lots of parents wondering - how to raise children without feeding them excessive carbohydrates. Children should not be lying on sugars, grains and high carbohydrate snacks all the time. Going back to basics - meat, vegetables, low sugar fruits, seeds, nuts and healthy fat. Simple food is always healthy. The amount of carbohydrates in the diet should be balanced.

2. Why lower the Carbohydrates:

When children eat low Carbohydrate nutritious meals, they avoid high/low blood sugar, they avoid energy slumps and more importantly they avoid all the inflammatory elements in our modern diet. A limited amount of carbohydrates is sufficient for kids for their balanced diet. 

3. Fruits and Vegetables:

These should be the main source of carbohydrates for kids. There is a valuable source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Fruits are highly rich in fructose, so choose low sugar fruits for a proper diet. 

4. Carbohydrate turns to fats:

Healthy fats are essential for hormone production, healthy brain function, tissue development, appetite control and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Choose healthy fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, butter, oily fish, nuts, seeds, eggs, and meat. 

For a healthy future, encourage your children to eat more vegetables, meat, nuts, seeds and healthy fats. Help them develop a taste for real food. For a healthy and balanced diet, kids above the age of two years should be taking between 50-60% of specific carbohydrate diet. In case, you are worried about your child’s health or diet plan; you should consult Nutrition4Kids for the best advice and right food choices. 

To know more and to register, please visit: http://www.nutrition4kids.com 

Find it helpful? Just read my previous post - Predigested Formula