It’s very common for children to be picky eaters and even adults too. We tend to eat the food we know and like which is perfectly normal.  Most families regularly eat the same kind of foods depending on taste preference, culture, budget and principles.

During weaning your little one may have tried lots of foods, pulled faces at different flavours and textures, and indicated a preference for some tastes.  How this was managed may have impacted the foods they now will or won’t accept.  There is no blame here – we all choose foods we like and dismiss those we don’t like.

But when should you be concerned about what your child will or won’t eat?

• If their diet excludes main food groups, for example, protein, dairy, fruit or vegetables.
• If they have known health implications relating to their diet such as constipation or vitamin/mineral deficiency.
• If their diet means they are not gaining weight to match their growth.
• If their diet is imbalanced with lots of high sugar/high fat snack foods.

Struggling with the mine field of information and limited foods, high price tags in free from isle of supermarkets.  Here to give some practical advise and support.

What is a food allergy? 

A food allergy is caused by the body’s immune system producing an abnormal reaction to specific foods.  These can be IgE-mediated or non IgE- mediated.

IgE- mediated is normally a reaction that occurs almost immediately or within a few hours.  Only IgE-mediated allergies will show up on blood or skin prick tests.

Non IgE-mediated can give a wide variety of symptoms that can be more challenging to recognised.  A blood test or skin prick test will not show a positive reaction as there is no IgE response.  Although this reaction can be less sever it can still impact your child’s health and well being.  We strongly recommend you AVOID other non evidenced based allergy test to avoid unnecessary food exclusions.

Methods for identifying non IgE-mediated can be carried out with exclusion diets and rechallenging the suspected food allergy.  For infants with suspected milk allergies it is always best to get support from a health professional.

In some case your child may have multiple allergies with a combination of IgE mediated and non IgE mediated.

If your child has a IgE mediated allergy they should be seen by an allergist or immunologist for advice and support on any considerations for re-introduction of known allergy food.

Cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) is the most common food allergy seen in infants under the age of 1 year.  It is estimated around 1 in 40 babies are diagnosed with a CMPA.

Diagnosis can often be challenging with non IgE mediated responses as the symptoms can relate to generally variants with young babies.

An autoimmune disorder, where the body’s immune system produces an abnormal reaction to the protein found in wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats.  The protein is called gluten.  Treatment involves full and lifetime exclusion of gluten.

• Struggling to find foods your child will eat?
• Need support on the practicalities of eating away from home?
• Finding gluten free options in supermarkets?

The Dietitian online can support your child and family in making the changes and ensure their diet remains balance with the right nutrients.

Recurring tummy pain, constipation, diarrhoea or vomiting?

This can often be common in young infants and children for a variety or reasons.  A full assessment of your child’s symptoms and dietary intake can help identify the cause and support with managing their symptoms.

For children with dysphagia who require a modified textured diet, the challenge is often to provide enough calories and protein.  For support with recipes considering specific dietary requirements and food consistencies can be provided with nutritional values.

If you are booking an appointment, please state what IDSSI level your child has been recommended to have.

Blended diets via enteral feeding tubes has become more popular and is now supported by many health professionals.  A blended diet is using whole foods that are blended to a suitable consistency that will pass through their feeding tube.  Parents report and evidence is now showing that this can improve reflux, vomiting and help improve gut motility resulting in less constipation.

For support from The Dietitian Online we would need confirmation from your child’s dietitian.

Childhood obesity is a health risk and can often lead to mental health issues in the future.  With changes in society our diets often mean we are having more fast food containing high calories.  With technology there has been more children spending time on computer games and reducing their physically active.

The Dietitian Online takes a sensitive approach, promoting positive body image, focusing on improving the balance of diet and encouraging physical activity.

Previously referred to as failure to thrive, faltering growth is defined as the measurement of height and weight that is plotted on a growth chart.  This looks at the percentile lines for the age and sex of a child.

The criteria of faltering growth is when either:

• Weight is 2 or more percentiles below height
• Weight or height have dropped percentiles
• Weight or height is below the 2^nd percentile

Faltering growth can often have multifactorial reasons such as medical condition, genetics or undernutrition.

If you are concerned about their weight or growth complete my weight/growth check form this is available on request, please email info@thedietitianonline.com

If you require advice and support on helping your child increase their nutritional intake to promote weight gain and development book one to one consultation.