Case Files: I love Maggie Noodles

by Sanjana - Dietitian on 08. Jul, 2008 in Case Files, Health

This is one of the most interesting case files I have come across. It has become a fashion to eat instant noodles and hence have risen the cases of stomach infection and pancreatitis. Let me share with you this experience.

I got a call this morning for a reference for a gastroenterology case and when I went to see the patient, I was a little taken aback to see a boy barely 18 years. I read the file and the pateint has been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. The boy was very lean infact he was underweight. So I started taking down his food habits. Sadly the boy had whatsoever no proper food habits and timings too. He was starving all the time and missed alot of meals. He was not drinking a drop of water in a day. The parents were not ready to disclose about his drinking and smoking habits but little did they know that i knew about it as it was mentioned in the file. The boy was drinking alcohol daily.

The boy had very high intake of fat and sugar, chugging down only coke instead of water.

Medically his symtoms were nausea, vomiting, sudden weight loss, bloating and stomach cramps.

First I had to tell the patient first to stop his intake of junk, oily snacks and coke. When I was explaining him about his diet, he happened to mention that he was addicted to maggi instant noodles and was having it regularly for dinner. Now I could deduce that his problem was from eating instant noodles. The noodles have an harmful waxy coat which can cause alot of digestive problems and do not form the part of a balanced diet and nor do they give any valuable nutrients.

He was prescribed to have a diet with very high caloric load. A high carbohydrate, high protein and a low fat diet was prescribed. He was supossed to eat every 2 hourly starting from 7 a.m in the morning.

Simple carbohydrates such as juices, glucose water was provided in every alternate meal. Every meal had to have some protein to prevent weight loss and gain some muscle. Low fat were provided from MCT oils which are easily absorbed in the body and the best example is coconut oil.

Egg yolks, fried meats, potato wafers and coke were replaced by egg whites, lean well cooked meats, boiled potatos and skimmed milk. Fermented milk products like low fat yogurt was used to replenish the gut friendly bacteria and mainly was asked to chew very slowly and was also referred to a psychiatrist for learning relaxation techniques and counselling. His family was encouraged to give him a calm environment and to allow him to heal both physically and mentally.

There was considerable difference in his energy levels and has been better than ever and also has realized the toll his body had taken due to unhealthy eating habits.

It would be very important for him to stick to a healthy diet as many of the cases are prone to Diabetes due to the strain on the pancreas which are the main organ for blood sugar metabolism.

Encourage healthy eating habits from a younger age and reap the benefits later.

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One Response to “Case Files: I love Maggie Noodles”

Mayur 30. Aug, 2009 at 1:49 pm #

But what about his ALCOHOL intake and smoking habit? If he does not put an end to it, then he may eat the healthiest of foods, but he will have to face unpleasant consequences in the future.

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