WAG Rebuilding after illness

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leotardmakermum

Proud Parent
My daughter recently suffered an illness that meant that she was on a much reduced intake of food for about 5 days. All in all it was a pretty awful illness, and kept her away from gym for about two weeks. She was the sickest I have ever seen her. She's very skinny normally (all muscle, no fat), and with the illness, she lost any reserves she may have had.

Back to gym, and her coaches who were very concerned for her health, are helping her to ease back in to training slowly. We're about two weeks into the easing back in process. They recognise that she has lost a lot of weight, a lot of strength and a lot of stamina. She is on a reduced program of strength and conditioning, and does fewer repetitions than her team mates. She is making it through the training sessions by feeding herself Glucodin (glucose tablets) when she feels she is flagging or when her coach tells her to have one. (Her coach knows her energy needs very well.)

She normally eats like a horse and I have trouble keeping up with her food intake at the best of times. Now I need to try to fatten her up because she's lost so much weight. I am at a loss to know how to do this! I keep thinking things like "don't drink water when you can drink something with calories", but then I don't want to just feed her sugary stuff. Our doctor said lots of protein. Of course I am following that advice, but there's only so much protein a kid can eat (especially when she is allergic to dairy, and her stomach doesn't tolerate beans/legumes).

I know the theory of weight loss is that calorie intake should be lower than the calories you burn. Therefore I guess that the theory of weight gain is that calorie intake should be higher than the calories you burn. However, when you have a kid that burns all their calories through exercise, I'm just not sure how to do it!

And then the next thing is, does she actually NEED to put weight back on? My head says yes, because she simply has no reserves if she was to get sick again, and because her clothes don't fit her so well anymore!

Has anyone got any good tips or tricks for rebuilding after illness? I'm even wondering if it is time to head back to the sports dietitian I have previously taken her to, just because it's doing my head in so much!
 
lots of bananas, peanut butter, coconut juice, almond milk, raisans, chicken n rice, cheese sticks, yogurt. My daughter is lactose intolerant and was not gaining weight or strength either. After her diagnosis and change of diet, shes gained ten pounds of pure muscle. Asparagus and spinach are good also. Give nuts too any kind. They all have protein. Oatmeal is good.

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A lot of protein shakes and drinks like Ensure or Boost are lactose free you could try that. Some of them taste pretty good if you freeze them or mix them into a smoothie.
 
Just to clarify, there is a difference between allergic to dairy and being lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerant means you can't have lactose. A dairy allergy means that you are allergic to the proteins in dairy - whey, caseins etc. This means protein shakes are precisely the sort of thing she can't have - they focus on exactly what she is allergic to! Other protein shakes that are not dairy based are usually based on peas, which she can't have either because they are legumes. So no protein shakes for her.

I love the ideas of bananas, peanut butter, coconut juice, almond milk and nuts. These are all things she can tolerate and will enjoy. Thanks!
 
Can she eat meat? Are you vegetarian? If not, eggs and especially beef liver helps with illness/recovery..

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I'm not a dietician, but rather an old and wise person who uses logic and history to understand how things work. Our bodies gain weight in muscle mass and fat reserves for two simple reasons, we need to have the muscles to move us about, and an energy supply to do that with. So while I would never advocate an excess amount of fat reserves, I can see their utility..... even in modern times when food is easily found and consumed.

Your daughter is a pretty good example of the need for fat reserves. She's trying to get through practices by boosting and supplementing her glycogen reserves with glucose, but "bonks" because that's not a sustainable, nor appropriate source of energy for a lengthy work-out. She needs dietary fat because it's a slower burning fuel that provides energy in the background until glycogen is called upon to provide instant energy...... kinda like a a log fire to heat a room versus a flash of flame from gasoline to recover the room temperature when the outside air rushes in from an opened door.

Protein and complex carbs are fine, but fat is where it's at. Feed her a little extra of foods higher in fat and protein each meal, even if it means sacrificing some of the complex carbs. Try to avoid simple sugars entirely, as they are a stop gap remedy that cause more harm than good when consumed in the absence of fat, or in a "fat scarce" metabolic environment. A fat favored diet for the next 2-3 weeks ought to do the trick, and should be adjusted back to her normal once she stops bonking at practice.

One last thing. Our bodies store fat in various ways according to our genetic make up, and it's not easy to assess their fat stores by looks alone. Many people can look thin as a rail while carrying their fat reserves internally, and others will look more cherubic because their fat stores are just below the skin, even if both have exactly the same percentage of body weight in fat reserves. Keep that in mind when trying to figure whether your dd has recovered, and favor intuition over visual assessment.
 
My dairy allergic dd loves these smoothies I make - ok actually all my kids do, but i really make them for her.

2 cups of chocolate almond or soy milk
1 heaping tablespoon or peanut butter
1 frozen (slightly thawed) banana

Blend well and enjoy.

I think your dd will likely regain the weight naturally over time. Make sure she is well hydrated and trying to get her to eat more will help. She likely wasn't eating very much for some time and now has to get back in the habit of eating a lot again. I know after I have the stomach flu, I eat very small portion sizes for a few days as my body gets back to normal. She is likely dealing with this in a more magnified way. Good luck!
 
Is she able to have tofu? You can make smoothies and shakes with that and it's a great source of protein. When I make smoothies for dd I use bananas, raspberries and so on (she can have milk) and I put some ground wheatgerm in to thicken it up and give some slower release energy. Yes to all the nuts, omelettes are good too. Also have a look in walking and hiking shops. I used to do challenge walks (like 20-30 miles in 8 hours over open hills) and ate protein bars they sold in specialist shops. They are a bit chewy and an acquired taste but packed with good things for replaces energy used through exercise. Better than glucose tablets which are just a very temporary boost. Also if she has been ill, make sure her electrolyte levels are back up if she was dehydrated. That can also make you feel really drained.
 
Hemp milk


jago 
I was going to suggest the same. You can add it to smoothies just like any other non-dairy milk. Nuts and nut butters would be good, meats, jerky, granola, eggs. Encourage snacking (on good snacks) throughout the day. Clif bars make a kids version (Z bars) that are pretty tasty and not too terrible, but I'm not sure about the ingredients. But perhaps a similar kind of nutrition bars?
 
Thanks, Iwannacoach. Your comments are really valuable. I guess one of my issues is that we are so used to eating "good" foods, which don't have excess fat, that I'm just not used to finding sources of "good" fats!

When we saw the dietitian some time back she actually said at the time that my daughter will never need to use low fat products (we never have anyway), and using extra oil (good quality) when I am cooking would be a good idea, because she needs the fat.

I suppose when she has her salad for lunch, I could put olive oil on it as a dressing. I can certainly give her nuts, which I know are a source of fats. Coconut is fine too. Avocados she can't have (she's on a low fructose diet due to digestion issues, and avocados have excess fructose) though they would be a good suggestion otherwise.

It just seems completely counter-cultural to eat high fat food! We are continually told low fat is good for us (though I sincerely believe that foods which have had their fat reduced are often rubbish because they increase the sugar content to replace the flavour), and so that's the way I've been taught to eat, and to feed my kids. It feels like I am being naughty to feed my daughter high fat foods! I must somehow move past this mental block!

We do use the Glucodin on the advice of the dietitian. She recognised that it would be a useful supplement to my daughter's diet. With all the food issues my daughter had, the dietitian (one of the top sports dietitians in our city) even said "I can see why you're having problems figuring out what to feed her - so am I!"

Addressing some of the other suggestions people have made (THANK YOU!):
Hemp is not approved for human consumption (in any form!) in Australia. Hemp milk is therefore not available.

We have different products available to us here in Australia, so I think "clif" bars might be a muesli bar, but I am not sure. I have looked at ALL the muesli bars available in our local shops, and she is unable to have any of them due to her low fructose diet (due to digestion issues, not because we like to try fad diets). Many have honey in them or dried fruits, which are problems for her. I have also made my own muesli bars in the past with suitable ingredients, but still haven't found a recipe which holds together, cuts well and that she likes! She does have our homemade muesli for breakfast, which is packed with seeds, oats, nuts etc.

No tofu. Tofu is a soy product. Soy is a legume and she can't have that, again due to her low fructose diet.

Already eating lots of meat. Like many kids she doesn't like eggs but will eat them as an ingredient in something else. So we do that. (Bright idea! I will make her some egg custard with her milk. She'll enjoy that!)

I already make her smoothies regularly (with fruit, drinking chocolate and non-dairy milk). They are what she has during breaks at gym as they provide good nutrition but are easily digestible. I can't add the suggested wheatgerm (even wheat has excess fructose!) but I did read about adding chia seeds to smoothies yesterday. That might work.

Thank you all for your ideas. I really appreciate them, and have found some which I will definitely be able to incorporate even with her low fructose diet. Thanks!
 
I've just gone through all of this with her, and she objected to the idea of olive oil on her salad. She said "what about mayonnaise?" Great suggestion! I can make mayonnaise for her salad!
 
I have a huge glut of eggs atm ( own chickens and ducks) and am desperately trying to use them up - got at least 130 in the larder !

Today I made 5 sponge cakes, brownies, ginger cake, quiche and little baked custards. I know when Pink and Fluffy comes out of gym the first thing she says is "What have you got me?"

Can she eat any of these - I have some great recipes.

'margo
 
Hi 'Margo, We'll just pop over to your place for afternoon tea, shall we? :) She can eat those things, as I am pretty good at substituting ingredients to make them suitable for her diet. The other day we made GF, DF crumpets from scratch. They were great! Happy to have any recipes you would like to share. Thanks!
 
mmmm, love crumpets.

I make my own bread after hearing what is in flour improvers (("The majority of L-cysteine is obtained industrially by hydrolysis of poultry feathers or human hair.[SUP][6][/SUP] Synthetically produced L-cysteine, compliant with Jewish Kosher and Muslim Halal rules, is also available, albeit at a higher price.[SUP][7][/SUP] The synthetic route involves fermentation utilizing a mutant of E. coli. Degussa introduced a route from substituted thiazolines.[SUP][8][/SUP] Following this technology, L-cysteine is produced by the hydrolysis of racemic 2-amino-Δ[SUP]2[/SUP]-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid using Pseudomonas thiazolinophilum.[SUP][9]" [/SUP]Shudder))

We currently have a great programme on BBC about baking hosted by a great baker called Paul Hollywood who is making all the ladies of a certain age swoon. Check out his bread recipes on the BBC Food website if you can.
 
That looks like a mouth-watering TV show! I looked at his recipes but as yet, I am not experienced with making GF bread. I've put a call out on facebook for my friends to recommend their favourite GF bread recipe. Hopefully that should bring some useful suggestions. I'm ok with substituting for baking though. :)
 
You can soak almonds overnight to add to smoothies, they really go very well in them. I add Greek yogurt (high in protein and you can get the full fat version, yum) I then powdered cocoa and banana to this. Not sure if your little one can eat bananas though. Sometimes I use Vega one chocolate powder, great vegan product for an instant meal, though I add some ice to help with the powderyness.
 
Thanks Bog. We've done the almond thing. I persisted with it for quite a while until she really complained about the grittyness. I whizzed them as long as I could in the food processor but they just weren't fine enough for her liking! Bananas are fine, but yoghurt is not (dairy allergy). Honestly this is a minefield! Thanks for the suggestions.
 
I feel for you, my dd is a vegetarian and that is challenging enough and there are no health implications. I can only imagine how challenging it is to get the right foods in her that will build her up and not make her sick.

i did invest in a vitamix blender as it does blend the grit put of everything. My dd insists that bananas have seeds that she can feel, but no longer!!
 

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