Parents often do not notice infectious mononucleosis, thinking that the baby has a cold or a sore throat. The disease is overtaken by children aged 3 to 14 years, in extremely rare cases it occurs in babies who are under 2 years old.
In the article, we will consider what kind of disease it is, how parents can understand that their child does not have pharyngitis or SARS, namely, infectious mononucleosis. We will tell in detail how the disease is transmitted, after what period of time the child can return to kindergarten or school.
It is very important to follow a diet for mononucleosis in children, to know why it must be adhered to, how long after an illness, what foods doctors are allowed to consume, and which are strictly prohibited.
What is mononucleosis?
This is a viral disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. In no case should you let the disease drift, since during the mononucleosis, the lymphatic system, liver and spleen are affected. This greatly undermines the immune system, which threatens the acquisition of new diseases. An important factor in maintaining the body during a difficult period is the diet for infectious mononucleosis.
Parents can confuse this viral disease with a cold, since all symptoms indicate ARVI. This is an increase in body temperature, inflammation of the tonsils and lymph nodes. Sometimes the disease goes away and is completely asymptomatic, the mother finds out that her child was ill, only after passing the blood test. Epstein-Barr disease affects most children. So, at the age of 5 years, a blood test shows that children have antibodies to mononucleosis, which suggests that they already had this disease, and their parents did not even know about it. The disease lasts from 2 to 3 weeks, then recovery comes, regardless of the severity of the disease. Diet with mononucleosis in children will contribute to a quicker recovery, restore immunity and enable internal organs to function normally.
Signs of Mononucleosis
If your child is sick, then do not treat him yourself with unnecessary medicines. Contact a specialist to determine what kind of illness the baby has. This can be pharyngitis, tonsillitis, colds, and maybe mononucleosis. An experienced doctor with a visual examination will immediately understand what happened to the baby. But parents should also be aware, because not every cold is given a blood test, but only he can confirm the presence of Epstein-Barr disease.
We list the main symptoms of the disease:
- the child has a sore throat, tonsils are inflamed and there is a runny nose (tonsillitis is never accompanied by discharge from the nose);
- pharyngitis passes with a bright red throat - the soft palate, pharyngeal tonsils become inflamed;
- a nasal voice appears;
- Strong headache;
- snoring at night and restless sleep;
- shortness of breath is often present during the day, it is difficult for the baby to breathe ;
- the lymph nodes are markedly enlarged, especially the anterior and lateral ones, very rarely enlarge on the back of the neck and on the back of the head, during the illness the face becomes puffy;
- high body temperature up to 39 ° C;
- lethargy and general malaise;
- when probing the abdomen, an increase in the liver and spleen is felt.
If the child was not sick in childhood, he can suffer the disease in adulthood, but in people over 25 years of age, the ailment goes away in a more acute form.
How is mononucleosis transmitted?
It’s very easy to catch a disease. It is transmitted through saliva. The baby can become infected with kisses, through objects and toys. Doctors call mononucleosis "a disease of kisses." Infants can also infect the baby, who themselves do not get sick, but are carriers of the virus.
Although the disease often goes away without special treatment, but if you do not follow a diet for mononucleosis in children, you can provoke complications, such as pneumonia or hepatitis, myocarditis or meningitis, encephalitis or myelitis.
Disease treatment
This virus is considered herpes, therefore, in especially severe cases, the doctor may prescribe "Acyclovir" or other antiherpetic drugs.
Antibiotics are not given to the child, since they will further weaken the baby's immunity, and they will not produce any effects on the viral infection. Only if there is a complication of a bacterial infection, the doctor can resort to using these powerful drugs.
How to treat infectious mononucleosis? The treatment is symptomatic. They give antipyretics for high temperatures, and various sprays and rinses will help for sore throats. But to restore the liver, spleen and maintain immunity diet is capable of mononucleosis for children.
Why diet is needed
Before telling which products it is recommended to consume with mononucleosis, and which should be abandoned for a while, we explain why you need a diet, what it will give, since some parents do not understand the importance of such measures and therefore do not follow the recommendations of doctors.
- At the beginning of the disease, the child is weakened, he has no appetite, as he is sluggish, and his throat and fever still hurt. Here you need not to insist on eating, but to provide the child with drink.
- Since the liver, spleen and immunity are affected, it is precisely the right nutrition that will help the fastest recovery and strengthening of the immune system.
- With mononucleosis, the metabolism is disturbed. It is very important during this period to saturate the child with vitamins, which will greatly enhance immunity. And dietary restrictions will lead to correction of the level of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the body.
- Diet for infectious mononucleosis in children should be saturated with vitamins A, C, B and P. The following products contain everything you need.
The drinks
As we already discussed, in the early days of the illness, the child eats poorly, and dehydration may occur from high temperatures.
Therefore, the first thing we pay attention to is drinks. What can be given for children with illness:
- fruit and berry compotes;
- jelly;
- various juices - fruit, berry and tomato; it is advisable not to give children bought in bags, but to make juices at home with a juicer; fresh drinks contain more vitamins and do not have unnecessary additives that are used by technologists in production;
- tea can only be given weak;
- coffee with milk only, condensed milk can be used;
- milk.
Never give children soda drinks!
Decoctions
The diet for mononucleosis in children of 3 years will help cope with the infection, including folk remedies, namely decoctions of herbs. Herbal medicine is carried out for 2-3 weeks, the duration depends on the severity of the disease.
The following herbs will help:
- coltsfoot;
- chamomile;
- burdock root;
- marshmallow;
- elecampane;
- calendula;
- immortelle and chicory.
It is good to make tinctures or decoctions from fees during the diet during the disease mononucleosis, for example, mix 1 tbsp. l coltsfoot with the same number of chamomile and calendula flowers, succession leaves, immortelle and yarrow. The broth of rose hips perfectly affects the body, in addition, it is delicious and children love it.
How to make herbs?
Grind dry grass and 2 tbsp. l pour a liter of boiling water in a thermos. Close the lid and leave to infuse overnight. Before use, the broth should be filtered through gauze or a bandage. If the child refuses to drink, do not worry and do not force him to force it, but rather for taste add sugar or honey if there is no allergy to it.
The recommended dosage is 1/2 cup, drink half an hour before meals in small sips.
When brewing a collection of herbs, the cooking method remains the same, only in a dry bowl, pre-mix an equal amount of each herb, mix thoroughly the bulk mixture, and then take 2 tbsp. l and start the procedure already familiar to you.
Allowed Foods
Nutrition for mononucleosis in children should contain all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. The list of allowed products includes:
- Milk products - low-fat cottage cheese and dishes made of it, hard cheeses, except for savory varieties, sour cream can be added a little to soups, butter should be consumed no more than 50 grams per day.
- Vegetable oil can be added to salads, as vegetables are recommended to be consumed raw.
- Of cereals, the most beneficial substances are found in buckwheat, oat and rice groats.
- Flour products - yesterday’s bread, both wheat and rye. If you only have fresh - just dry it in a toaster or oven. Low-fat cookies, for example, "Zoological", pasta.
- The meat should be dietary, i.e. lean. This is beef and veal, chicken or duck, goose or rabbit, turkey. The meat is cooked only in the form of steam cutlets or simply boiled. Baked in the oven is also suitable, only without the addition of spices.
- Choose low-fat varieties too. This is pike perch, silver hake, notothenia, cod, pike or saffron cod, etc. Fish, like meat, should not be fried. It is better to boil or steam.
- Eggs will also be beneficial, so boil 1 piece at least 2 times a week.
- Almost everything can be given fresh fruits and berries. Only sour ones are not recommended, as they will irritate an already sore throat.
- Greens can be chopped into soups and eat fresh in salads. These are parsley and dill, as well as lettuce.
- Limit sweets, do not give sweets, but jam or honey is possible, and only in moderation.
What is not recommended?
The diet for mononucleosis in children 6 years old has limitations. The list of products that are harmful and even dangerous for this disease are listed below:
- fresh bread and pastries, as well as fried flour products - pancakes and pies, pancakes or cheesecakes;
- fatty meat or fish, as well as lard and fat;
- meat or fish broths;
- categorically not give mushrooms to children (even when they are completely healthy);
- canned fish, meat and vegetables, as well as pickled products;
- completely exclude spicy and sour, including sour berries and fruits;
- omelet fried in a pan;
- chocolate, cakes, pastries, cream and ice cream;
- cocoa and coffee without milk;
- radish and radish, as well as spring onions and sour crops such as spinach and sorrel;
- beans, peas, lentils and other legumes.
Diet after mononucleosis disease
As you can see from the text of the article, all recommended foods are healthy foods full of vitamins, antioxidants and substances that are beneficial to the growing body.
So even after mononucleosis in children, the diet should be continued for at least a month, until the body is completely restored. Then you can return to food in kindergarten or school.
Sample day menu recipes
Breakfast. Add a spoonful of yogurt to low-fat cottage cheese. Make weak tea and give low-fat cookies.
2nd breakfast. Bake an apple in the oven, after removing the core with the bones and putting half a spoonful of honey inside.
Dinner. Vegetable soup with carrots, potatoes, herbs and any cereal. If the child has an appetite, then you can add a second dish, boiling buckwheat porridge and making a steam patty. You can drink it with dried fruit compote.
An afternoon snack. Tea with oatmeal cookies.
Dinner. Boil mashed potatoes, add a little butter, make a piece of pike perch for a couple.
Adhere to the diet and recommendations of doctors, and your baby will recover quickly and without consequences for the body.