Cerebral palsy is a set of disorders caused by a brain injury that occurs either before birth or within the first two years of life. According to the website 4MyChild, 35 percent of children who are born with cerebral palsy are malnourished. Mealtime can be filled with frustration and anxiety when individuals with cerebral palsy have difficulty with chewing and swallowing. Nutritional needs are the same as other healthy individuals but it is challenging to find foods and methods of feeding that improve the nutritional intake for appropriate growth and development.
Caloric Needs
According to the State of Alaska Health and Human Services resource on Medical Nutritional Therapy, every child and adult should be evaluated individually for specific caloric needs to support growth and development. Consideration should be given to energy requirements, amount of muscular spasticity, growth patterns and fat deposits to determine an adequate amount of calories. According to a 2004 article in the "Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, these energy requirements are disease specific and will differ from healthy children based on the degree of mobility, severity of the disease and altered metabolism from muscle wasting.
Fiber
At 4MyChild, dietitians recommend the use of high fiber diets to avoid constipation in a child who has limited mobility and limited caloric intake. Gastric motility is dependent upon several factors, exercise and mobility of the individual is one. Fiber helps to improve gastric motility and prevent constipation in individuals who have limited mobility.
Ketogenic Diet
Children and adults with cerebral palsy commonly suffer from seizure disorders. When drugs do not work to control these abnormal brain impulses, a diet change may help to decrease the severity and frequency of the seizures. According to 4MyChild, this dietary change is called the ketogenic diet. The diet is high in fat and restricts carbohydrates, which puts the body into a state of ketosis. Fat is burned to compensate for the low amount of glucose and ketones build in the bloodstream. When the diet is effective the response is often rapid and dramatic. Patients may require supplementation with calcium, vitamin D, iron and folic acid.
Tube Feeding
According to the Nutrition and Food Web Archive, tube feedings may be recommended when children or adults display difficulty with eating and swallowing that lead to malnutrition or aspiration pneumonia. Videoflouroscopic swallow studies can visually demonstrate common abnormalities. The decision to use a feeding tube can be made on the criteria of swallow difficulties and caregiver burden. On average mothers with children who have cerebral palsy will spend 3.5 hours per day feeding their child as compared to 0.8 hours per day with a child who does not have feeding difficulties, according to the Nutrition and Food Web Archive.
References
- 4MyChild: Cerebral Palsy Treatments and Therapies
- State of Alaska Health and Human Services: Medical Nutritional Therapy
- "Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research"; Energy Requirement of Children with Cerebral Palsy; SE Hogan; Fall 2004
- 4MyChild: Ketogenic Diet and Cerebral Palsy
- Nutrition and Food Web Archive: Nutrition in Cerebral Palsy
