DIABETES IN INFANTS-NUTRITION INTERVENTION

In Kenya today, most of the women with children are clueless of the diabetic nature of their infants. Some of them realize when it is too late because they do not quite understand the symptoms.Normally, the symptoms that are degenerative for infants with the disease are:

Weight loss
 children and babies in unexpected and unexplained weight loss. Since glucose in diabetics is not taken by cells, fat is used a s a source of energy, which leads to weight loss. The child may be eating normally but still loses weight with diabetes.


Polyuria
Polyuria is some of the early signs that a baby may have diabetes. Polyuria is an increased amount of urine produced, which causes babies to urinate more frequently.. Since diabetic babies do not produce enough insulin to release the glucose from the blood, it goes to the kidneys. Kidneys have to flush this over abundance of glucose in their tissues. To do this more urine is produced. SO watch for an increase in the urinary frequency of a babies as an early sign of diabetes.


Breath odor
Another sign of babies having diabetes is an increase in the intensity of the smell of their breath. The smell is kind of a sweet smell. This smell is the result of a condition developed by diabetics known as ketoacidosis: an increase in the concentration of ketones in their bodies. Ketoacidosis also causes babies skin to dry excessively and to have a pale tone.

Increase in the frequency of skin rashes
Babies with diabetes seem to have a tendency to get skin rashes more frequently. Diaper rash seem to be more prominent in babies with diabetes. This may be the result of skin getting dry through the process of ketoacidosis.

If you realize your child has these symptoms then you need to rush them to the doctor for prognosis. But how do you get there? It all revolves around the food given to the infant!
 Today Kenya has over two million people and 25,000 children living with diabetes type 1, a trend experts blame on poor dieting, genetics and unhealthy lifestyle. Out of every 100 diabetics, ten of them are children. Type 1 diabetes, which is also referred to as childhood-onset diabetes, is caused by inability of the pancreas to produce insulin.
Normally, this happens after the child has been weaned into taking food components which confuses the parents. The children ought to be leveled to a habit of taking in healthy and unrefined foods. Restrain your child from taking foods in too much energy yet they do not exercise!
Let your child take more foods rich in fiber and low in carbohydrates right from the time weaning begins.

You know the way everyone thinks that mashed bananas and pumpkins are the food for the baby, it is important to let the baby eat what you are eating that is healthier. A dish of brown rice with legume protein like ndengu and spoinach blended into one makes a good meal for the infant!
As well, eating out creates the problem with children overgrowing their weight after engaging in habits that are unhealthy..
It is sad that once you get the diabetes, you have to live with it! for a child this is a struggle by itself.
A mother ought to therefore, insist on being tested for sugar levels especially during the second trimester of pregnancy to avoid the baby growing too big which causes diabetes in the life of the child.

I recommend these foods:
Fibre diet that can be taken for breakfast:
Weetabix
other preferred cereals with milk
Banana-ensure it is just one since it is a culprit of increase in energy levels
Vegetables
Bread-give bread occassionally since it increases calories which are lethargic especially for a child who is not active

Vegetables:
emphasize on cabbage intake in plenty to beat the fat and calories in the body.

proteins need a tone down to avoid their intake being converted into excess sugar in the blood.
There is a recommended porridge flour for diabetics that can be given to the child, and can be found in supermarkets by the name FaFA D.

for any questions email me on ndutaniceness@gmail.com

Nduta
Nutrition counselor

WEIGHT GAIN:THE TRUTH ABOUT PEANUT BUTTER

Today, having peanut butter on bread seems a natural thing to do. For some they do not even realize what value they are adding to their diet while using it. I will begin with the good, the bad and logical use of peanut butter towards weight gain!

While peanut butter does provide your body with much-needed nutrients, it's important to remember that a little goes a long way. We've found that it's hard to eat just one serving of peanut butter, and, depending on the brand, it may actually be causing more harm than good.

If you're like me, peanut butter is among the foods you crave the most. It's rich, it's sticky, and it tastes like roasted peanuts. It's ready whenever you are. But I've had to face two eye-opening facts about peanut butter:

1. All those calories! Two tablespoons contains 190 calories. Eat too much peanut butter, and you will gain weight--very quickly.

 2. Health positive effects are priceless!

Peanut butter is a great source of unsaturated fats and vegetarian protein; over 80 percent of the fats found in peanut butter are unsaturated, 50 percent being monounsaturated fats that can help cut bad cholesterol (LDL). Also, peanuts contain important B vitamins, potassium and resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant known to have cancer fighting properties. However, wholesome as it may be, moderation is the rule of thumb when it comes to enjoying peanut butter because some brands can be high in calories.

The good side:

• It's anti-aging. Peanut butter contains the antioxidant resveratrol — also found in red wine — which can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
• It's rich in nutrients. Peanut butter is full of vitamin E, calcium, iron, potassium and folate — all of which provide for better circulation and cardiovascular health.
• It can help fight cancer. Loaded with antioxidants, peanut butter can help reduce your risk for cancer and heart disease.
• It can help gain weight quickly but has to be taken in moderation!

The bad side:

Typically, extra sugar is added to many common brands causing the calorie count to be even higher. To keep peanut butter from separating, cheap oils — such as palm oil — are added. Palm oil adds significantly more saturated fat to the already high-in-fat food. It's also very hard to eat just one serving. In other words, peanut butter is just a little too tasty, if we say so ourselves. Eating three servings will put you at more than 600 calories and 45 grams of fat — that's an entire meal's worth!

The brands in Kenya market include Skippy, butter by other companies that are crunchy and so on...Which is the best? Any of them is a good bet but if you learnt to make your own is best.

Logically, it is amazing to find the immense effects of peanut butter on children who are underweight! Most times I have counseled mothers who have such children and administered plumpy nut which is a form of peanut butter! 

Plumpy’ nut can be safely administered at home by anyone, not just by a doctor or nurse in a hospital. The paste is shelf-stable for 24 months, does not need to be refrigerated, and requires no special equipment.

Two or three 92g packets a day of the sweet stuff can bring a severely underweight child to a healthy weight range in three to six weeks.

This shows the strength that peanut butter has on weight gain! 

Now if you know or have seen a child who is malnourished or you think is underweight, please contact me on ndutaniceness@gmail.com and let’s make better the life of that child!

Nduta 

Nutrition counselor