Hand, foot and mouth disease dietary taboos

Do not eat irritating foods during the period of oral herpes ulceration, and do not increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract during the period of digestive disorders. Do not rush to try special foods that you have never eaten before or that may cause allergies before recovery. Most of the rest of the regular light diet can be consumed normally, and there is no need to excessively restrict food.

Last week, I met an anxious grandma at the outpatient clinic. She came in with a crying baby who had a sore mouth. She said she hadn't eaten properly in three days. She checked and said she needed to take vitamin supplements. She drank freshly squeezed orange juice every day. However, the baby cried when she drank it. Today she even vomited a mouthful of blood-streaked saliva. I looked at the baby's throat and found that the herpes in the entire isthmus had burst. The ulcers were stained with the acid of orange juice. Isn't it like adding salt to a wound? Many parents always think that they need to provide nutrition to their sick children, and only choose sweet and sour fruits and nutritious hard stuff. They completely forget that the first thing that hand, foot and mouth attacks is the oral cavity and pharyngeal mucosa. After the herpes breaks out, the wounds will be several times more painful than ordinary oral ulcers. , at this time, the orange juice, kiwi fruit, tomato, even the noodle soup with a little pepper, the steaming porridge just out of the pot, and the crispy grilled steamed bun slices are all real pain when you touch them. If the baby refuses to eat, it is really not a tantrum, but the pain is really unbearable.

As for the "food taboo theory" that has been circulating on the Internet, saying that eggs, milk, beef and mutton should not be touched, in fact, the industry has always had different opinions. Many experienced experts who have practiced medicine for many years will recommend that you try to reduce the intake of heterosexual proteins in the first three days of illness to avoid aggravating the body's immune response and prolonging the fever. ； However, the latest guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of hand, foot and mouth disease in children also clearly mention that as long as the child has not been allergic to these ingredients before and has no obvious pain when swallowing, he can eat normally - after all, adequate protein intake is the basis for immune recovery. My colleague's 3-year-old child suffered from hand, foot and mouth disease last year and couldn't swallow anything else. He loved to drink warm plain milk. After drinking it for 4 days, he recovered faster than the child who was so restricted in the same period that he could only drink rice soup. Of course, if the baby is allergic and is prone to rashes and diarrhea after eating these foods, and his immunity is disordered during the onset of the disease, there is nothing wrong with stopping for a few days.

There are also many parents who fall into the pitfall of "making up for it too quickly". As soon as the fever subsided and the rash disappeared, I rushed to make hen soup for my baby and buy fried chicken and cream cakes to replenish my weight. I completely forgot that the hand, foot and mouth virus not only attacks the mouth, but also damages the intestinal mucosa. Many babies suffer from vomiting and diarrhea during the disease. Even if all superficial symptoms disappear, it will take 1-2 weeks for the intestinal function to recover. Last month, a 5-year-old baby was admitted to the emergency department. His hand, foot and mouth had just recovered for 3 days. His parents took him to a children's meal, which included fried chicken, chips and ice cream. That night, he had a stomachache and was found to have intussusception. Although this is an extreme case, more babies will have food accumulation and repeated diarrhea, which will hinder their recovery.

My usual advice to parents is that when their child's mouth hurts so much that he can't eat, he can give him some warm or even slightly cold food, such as refrigerated plain sugar-free yogurt, cool rice soup, or even semi-soft pure milk ice cream. The coolness can temporarily numb the pain of the ulcer, which is better than eating nothing and getting dehydrated and needing a rehydration injection. Of course, many parents do not accept this approach. They think that eating cold food will hurt the stomach when they are sick. In fact, it depends on the situation: if the child usually eats cold food and is prone to diarrhea, and there are symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting at this stage, then don’t touch it and choose warm food that is slightly lower than body temperature. ； If the baby usually has a gastrointestinal problem and has no other problems except a sore mouth, there is really no big problem if he eats a small amount.

There are also a few little minefields that few people mention: don’t give them carbonated drinks with lots of bubbles. The bubbles will rub against the ulcer and cause throbbing pain.； Don’t give small fruits with pits such as cherries and crispy dates to your baby. If your baby’s mouth hurts and he or she is too lazy to chew, it can easily get stuck in the trachea. ； Don't give sticky things like glutinous rice cakes or toffee. They will stick to the ulcer surface and you can't even pull it off, and the pain won't be relieved for a long time.

After all, the dietary taboos on hand, foot and mouth are really not as complicated as those posted on the Internet. The core principle is just one: if the baby does not feel pain after eating and has no discomfort after eating, then it can be eaten. Don't be bound by all kinds of rules and regulations. If you starve your baby to the point that he can't keep up with his nutrition, he will get better even more slowly.