The effect of a fortified traditional food (HALIM) on improvement of burn injury patients

Background: Burn injury patients have special dietary needs as their bodies require extra nutrients in order to rebuild the damaged tissue and fight infection. It has been found that nutrition specialists and health care professionals suggest that a burn survivor should eat an increased diet in both calories and proteins.Objective: We aimed to assess the effects of a fortified traditional meal (HALIM) on return to normal weight and build the damaged tissue.Design: This was a prospective trial in 32 patients aged 4.9±3.3 Y with burns on 36±15% of their body surface area. Their feeding was controlled by nutritionist and head nurses. Halim was offered as three or more midday snack extra of their main meal to case group while control group had regular hospital meals and snack. Halim has several ingredients including: whole wheat, meat, milk, olive oiled, natural honey).Results: The weight of patients before and after intervention was 15.21± 5.4 kg. And 16.84±5.3 kg. While the weight of control group of patients who had high protein and high calories hospital meals but don,t use Halim as snack , before and after the study were 15.45± 4.6 kg. And 14.84±5.1kg. No significant difference was seen between two age groups (p=0.89), but there was a significant one in their weight gain (p=0.03).Conclusion: Using this fortified traditional package of food as snack may be associated with an increased skin tissue and reduction on skin protein catabolism.