Helping Kids with Cerebral Palsy Get the Nutrients They Need to Stay Healthy

Have you been following the Disability Living blog this week? If so, you know that DL has been blogging about nutrition. In our last blog post (http://www.disabilityliving.ca/disability-canada-how-can-kids-autism-get-nutrition-they-need/) we offered some helpful tips to ensure kids with autism get the nutrition they need. This is important since sensory issues can prevent children with autism from eating properly. Kids with cerebral palsy also sometimes have trouble eating and swallowing healthy foods. Read on to learn ways to help children with cerebral palsy get the nutrients they need to stay healthy.

Some children with cerebral palsy are malnourished.

Did you know that some kids with cerebral palsy are malnourished as a result of not eating enough healthy food? The fact is, food choices directly affect a person’s health. When food choices are poor, health often suffers. Kids with cerebral palsy sometimes have health conditions such as constipation and acid reflux, which are often due to poor muscle tone. Poor muscle tone may result from lack of proper nutrition.

It is important to make every bite count.

It is vital to make every bite of food eaten by a child with cerebral palsy count. Food should be packed with nutrients, and high-value calories are essential. Empty calories, such as those found in soda, candy, etc., should be avoided. It should be noted that children with cerebral palsy may not be able to eat a lot of food at one time. Therefore food should not only be highly nutritious, but also be presented in a form that a child can consume.

Smoothies are usually a great food for children with cerebral palsy. This is because smoothies are easily consumable and packed with nutrition (whole foods such as yogurt, fruit, honey, etc., can be included).

If your child has cerebral palsy, make sure he or she eats the following foods on a regular basis:

– Fiber-rich foods
– Whole grains
– Cultured dairy products
– Honey
– Bananas

Note: Bland foods may help diminish acid reflux.

How do you make sure your child with cerebral palsy gets properly nourished?

Does your child have cerebral palsy? If so, how do you ensure he or she gets the nutrition needed for good health? Disability Living would love to hear from you, so feel free to comment on this blog post today. We appreciate your input!