A healthy, balanced diet for people with cystic fibrosis supplies energy and nutrition. This is important for normal growth and development. A healthy diet also:

• Helps the body fight infection
• Helps keep breathing muscles strong
• Develops strong lungs and helps keep lungs healthy
• Promotes a healthy digestive system

A Healthy Cystic Fibrosis Diet

A healthy diet includes:

• Fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned)
• Whole grains (whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole grain cereal, oatmeal)
• Varied proteins (eggs, dairy, meat, poultry, fish, beans, nuts, legumes, tofu)
• Heart-healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, salmon, nuts, seeds)

A healthy diet also limits high-sugar, low-nutrient foods like juice, soda, and candy.

Specific nutrition needs for people with CF vary from person to person and across life stages. For babies with CF, a healthy diet includes breast milk or infant formula. For kids with CF, getting enough calories to support their physical growth and changes during puberty is important. (Learn about nutrition for kids with CF.) A CF dietitian can recommend nutrition that meets the unique needs of you or your child.

Some people with CF follow a vegetarian diet. If you or your child is a vegetarian, talk with your CF dietitian about how to still get the nutrition you or your child needs. You can also read Cystic Fibrosis and the Vegetarian Diet to learn tips and recipes.

Enzymes

Most people with CF need to take enzymes before they eat to help their body digest food. Enzymes work by helping you to:

• Digest carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (the three nutrients in food that supply calories)
• Gain and maintain a healthy weight
• Absorb essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals

Learn more about enzymes and how to take them.

Vitamins

Besides eating a healthy diet, people with CF may also have to take a CF-specific vitamin or multivitamin supplement. These vitamins that meet the needs of people with CF who take enzymes. Learn more about vitamins for people with CF.

Weight and CF

For some people with CF, a healthy diet and enzyme replacement is enough to maintain a healthy weight. For others, maintaining or gaining weight may be difficult. For example, people with advanced lung disease need a high-calorie, high-fat diet. This is to keep up with the extra calories the body burns when you work harder to breathe. 

If you need help gaining weight, it’s important to include more high-calorie, high-fat foods in your diet to stay healthy. Your CF dietitian can offer some simple ways to add calories to the food you already eat.

Sometimes high-calorie food choices are not enough to maintain a healthy weight. Oral nutrition supplements can help meet high calorie needs. Tube feeding may also be used to ensure calorie needs are met and a healthy weight is reached. You can talk with your CF dietitian about these options.

As the use of CFTR modulator therapy has improved the health of many people with CF, some people have found that they have gained unwanted weight by following a traditional CF diet that is high in calories, fat, and salt. The goal for good health is to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Talk with your CF dietitian if you need help losing weight. 

Read the Foundation’s clinical care guidelines on nutritional considerations for a new era of CF care.

Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes (CFRD)

When people have cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD), it is important to keep blood sugar levels as normal as possible and get enough calories. Learn more about CFRD and following a healthy diet to help manage diabetes.

How Much Water Do I Need?

Every cell in the body needs water to work properly. You can get most of the water you need from what you drink, but you also can get water from many foods. Examples include soup, watermelon, yogurt, oranges, jarred baby food, potatoes, and eggs.

The amount of water you need depends on your age, weight, activity level, general health and the climate. Do not wait until you feel thirsty to drink water. By the time your brain signals you to drink, you may already be dehydrated.

Some symptoms of dehydration are headache, nausea, loss of appetite, and fatigue. You also can tell if you are dehydrated by looking at the color of your urine. Urine should be clear or a pale yellow. If your urine is dark yellow or brownish, you are not getting enough fluids. Vitamins and medications may temporarily affect color.

Your CF dietitian can help you figure out how much water you need each day and help you decide on the best sources.

Help With Paying for Food

Many people with CF need help paying for food. There are local and national programs that can help. Talk with your CF care team or call CF Foundation Compass to find resources that can meet your needs. You can contact Compass by calling 844-COMPASS (1-844-266-7277), emailing compass@cff.org, or submitting an online request form.