WHO ARE DIETITIANS?
Dietitians are expects in food and nutrition. Our dietitians provide advice to help children achieve optimal health and wellbeing through meeting their nutritional requires.
WHAT DO THEY ASSESS?
#1 – Assess a child’s nutrient intake and address any nutrient deficiencies
#2 – Assess a child’s food choices
#3 – Assess a child’s growth through weight and height measurements
#4 – Assess if their medical condition/s are impacting their food intake and / or food choices
HOW DO DIETITIANS HELP?
Our dietitians work with families to:
#1 – Implement tailored nutrition strategies to address the nutritional concerns (food suggestions, feeding plans, supplements)
#2 – Educate families on the latest research to support the nutrition strategies implemented
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE?
It is important that children are:
#1 – Growing in proportion (height and weight) as this reflects a state of health. Being underweight or overweight equally has health implications long term.
#2 – Eating a variety of foods from the 5 food groups (everyday foods) which supports normal growth and development and it will minimise the risk of nutrient deficiencies.
#3 – Not exceeding the discretionary foods choice (sometimes foods) as this can cause long term health consequences such as Diabetes, Overweight / Obesity.
WHEN SHOULD YOU CONTACT A DIETITIAN?
Dietitians can help with nutritional or diet concerns which you may have; more specifically…
#1 – Fussy Eating
Fussy eaters will have very selective eating habits, and aren’t open to trying any new foods and/or parents/carers are unsure how to introduce new foods.
#2 – Sensory Restrictions
Some children won’t be able to tolerate certain foods due to taste, texture and even smell. At times, this can cause the child to gag and/or vomit when in contact with the certain “trigger” foods.
#3 – Weight Concerns
A child is constantly growing and developing however, there are times when a child may be underweight or overweight. This could be due to certain medications, medical conditions, sensory restrictions and/or behavioural attributes.
If you need assistance from a Dietitian contact us! We would love to connect with you!!