Cookies for Breakfast

I am a big advocate of eating breakfast, just ask anyone near and dear to me. Whether they want it or not, I'm always preaching how important it is to not skip meals and eat breakfast. The biggest complaint I hear is "I don't have enough time" which I can fully relate to. My day starts early and ends late (if I haven't fallen asleep by 10pm) and when my alarm goes off the next morning, I'd rather squeeze in any extra minutes I can than eat breakfast. This is where a new food product comes into play. This new product is Belvita, a breakfast biscuit or as they like to call it "a new kind of breakfast". They are like cookies, very convenient and portable as they come prepackaged. There are 4 biscuits in a package and they are packed with whole grains, B vitamins, and fiber. All 4 biscuits contains only 230 calories, 8 grams of fat, 35 grams of carbohydrates (18-20 of these are whole grain carbohydrates), and 4 grams of protein. Another added bonus: they contain NO high fructose corn syrup, no partially hydrogenated oils, and no artificial sweeteners. I have only tasted the golden oat (they also have blueberry and apple cinnamon), in fact I had them for breakfast this morning. The taste is comparable to graham crackers but sweeter and crunchier. I paired it with a glass of milk to give myself a little more protein because I knew I would be having a late lunch today. I was surprised to find I stayed full until about 1pm but I'm usually starving by 11am.  Other breakfast pairings with Belvita could be fresh fruit with greek yogurt, an apple, or a banana with the one (or two) cups of coffee we need in the morning. So, along with the new breakfast biscuits and other breakfast tips and tricks there are literally no more excuses. 

What's Your Poo Telling You?

Today marked the end of my 3rd week in peds and the end of my GI rotation. I spent all week talking about none other than poop, or to put it lightly 'output'. Most of the patients I saw had Crohn's disease or short gut syndrome. 


Here's a little bit about each of those: 
Crohn's- A form of inflammatory bowl disease that usually affects the intestines. People with Crohn's disease have chronic inflammation anywhere along the GI tract. With chronic inflammation you can imagine that it wouldn't be too fun to eat. So, we work with them on 'safe' foods, what their eating patterns should be, or if they are on enteral feeds we adjust their feeds to best fit their needs 
Short Gut- This name has a literal meaning...these kids have a short gut. This is because their intestines are not working correctly, usually exhibiting significant malabsorption and they have had some type of bowel resection to correct this problem. To get nutrition, these kids are usually on enteral nutrition and sometimes TPN. We work with their feeds to make sure they get the proper nutrition they need. 


To know if the kids are tolerating their feeds and their intestines are working correctly we had to focus on their output. How much, what did it look like, etc. that way we can make adjustments if needed. Sounds like fun, right? It's amazing how much your poop can tell you. Here are a couple of fun facts:


1. Poop should sink- Floating stools can indicate a high fat content, which can be the sign of malabsorption (your not absorbing enough fat and other nutrients from the food your eating). 
2. Shape matters- The perfect stool is an S shape. This shows that your getting enough fiber in your diet (fiber helps bulk up your stools and keep them together).
3.75% of your poop is water
4. The average human poops 2 pounds a day. 


So, the next time you hit the john check out what your poo is telling you.