How important do you view nutrition and healthy eating?

Very important, especially because fatigue can often be a huge problem with long-term conditions such as CP. I always try to make sure I have a balanced diet and include plenty of fruit and vegetables (though I do have a treat every now and then...everything in moderation!)
I tend to eat what I fancy to eat, and find this works well for me. So even if I fancy a burger I'll make my own with lean minced meat, fresh salad and maybe skip any bacon/mayonnaise to make it a healthier meal. I frequently make oven baked potato wedges, which are in my opinion just as good as the fried version of chips. Baked sweet potato chips are also delicious! I think you can make many things healthy if you try to, and hopefully it'll keep your body working as well as it possibly can.
I'd see a nutritionist if I thought it'd help but for now I feel like I'm doing the best I possibly can do.

A lettuce from the garden (with no Monsanto!) will wilt  in a fridge in 2/3 days, but, including the reaping, the logistics, time on shelf and it's sell by date ! plus you expect it 'fresh', by the time you get one home from your superarket, it's probably more than the '3 days'. So how do they do it ? They've no real idea and we're the guinea pigs, well our death certificates may say ! ! !

Hi All,

Good nutrition is really important for all of us if we are going to be as physically and mentally healthy as we can be, regardless of cp, but it is certainly true that cp can present some additional challenges to maintaining nutritional balance especially for those with complex needs.

The 'thing' about people with cp needing to eat more calories gets mentioned regularly but maybe it would we clearer if we added the caveat "people whose muscles are doing a lot of work need more calories" . So certainly people who have a lot of spasms or other uncontrolled movements or (for example) use a lot of muscle energy to compensate for their walking gait, may need to consume more calories than the general population. 

Of course cp is a very diverse condition and some people with cp have comparatively sedentary lives so require fewer calories. There are a significant number of people who struggle to maintain an appropriate weight and need support to avoid excessive weight negatively impacting on mobility etc.

Of course weight isn't necessarily an indicator or good nutrition (the correct balance of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients) It is perfectly possible to be the ideally weight, or be too thin or too fat and still be diagnosed with malnutrition, if your diet is of poor quality or your body struggles to absorb what you need for some reason. Some studies have suggested that in the region of 35% of children with cp have malnutrition.  For those that want to read a bit more this article discusses some of the reasons why that might be: https://www.indi.ie/diseases,-allergies-and-medical-conditions/disability/389-cerebral-palsy-meeting-nutritional-needs.html

With any concerns relating to cp and diet/nutrition I would say ask your GP for a referral to a Dietitian:  https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/how-can-i-find-a-registered-dietitian-or-nutritionist/

I think @he1en raises an important point about how difficult it can be for wheelchair users to get weighed. The cost of appropriate scales is coming down but they are still a lot more expensive than  most people would be able to pay to have their own set at home, see:  https://www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk/bathing/wheelchair-scales-1317-p/ However really not the expensive for a GP surgery or health club to consider buying so I hope that such places will become more inclusive by obtaining wheelchair scales, seems like a very reasonable adjustment to me! 


Best Wishes

Jean