How a dietitian can support your family - 6 reasons to reach out for help
One of my goals for writing this blog is to provide education and useful tips for feeding your family and building positive relationships with food. However, there might be a time in which you decide for your kiddo(s) or family that individualized support would be helpful or even necessary. When exploring options for support, you’ll want to find a dietitian or provider whose values and goals align with yours. Seek a provider who is credentialed (for dietitians, that’s with the Commission on Dietetic Registration). If you are needing specialized care, then seek a dietitian that has significant experience and even additional certification for your child’s needs.
Find a dietitian that your kiddo connects with and trusts; the relationship is key to working together. A genuine dietitian will take the time to learn about your family, get to know your kiddo(s), and approach with empathy – not just offer opinions or a one-size-fits-all plan.
Let’s explore 6 reasons you might work with a dietitian and how a dietitian can help -
1. You are concerned about your child meeting their nutrient and energy needs. I hear this most commonly when a kiddo’s pediatrician notes a significant change or fluctuation on growth charts, parents have concerns about picky eating, and in relation to young athletes. A dietitian can explore your kiddo’s relationship with food, assess their typical daily intake, and perform nutrient analyses to determine any potential deficiencies. When parents are worried about picky eating behaviors - maybe you’ve noticed that your kiddo only eats a very limited number of foods, rarely accepts new foods, appears to have sensory aversions to certain foods, or struggles to sit or come to the table for meals and snacks – a dietitian can help identify sources of pressure that might be playing into selective eating tendencies and solutions for how to approach meals and snacks to encourage a safe eating environment. In the case of young athletes, I find that families are often surprised by how much energy a young athlete needs. Many wind up under-fueling, following sports nutrition recommendations that are meant for adults (especially around protein needs), or becoming very rigid about “fueling for sport,” putting them at risk for developing an eating disorder. A sports dietitian that works with young athletes can help offer appropriate recommendations while also preserving a positive relationship with food.
2. You are concerned about your child’s relationship with food and/or body image. Has your kiddo started making comments about foods being healthy or unhealthy? Do they avoid certain foods or even skip meals or snacks they used to eat consistently? Similarly, are they making comments about their body, others’ bodies, or weight? I would be curious about all these changes and where they are coming from. Working with a dietitian that specializes in disordered eating and eating disorders can help identify and begin shifting those relationships or identify if your kiddo might be struggling with an eating disorder already and get set up with a treatment team. Look for an upcoming blog on warning signs and what to do if you suspect your kiddo has an eating disorder or is struggling with their relationship with food and body image.
3. Family meals are a challenge to plan or feel overwhelming.
It can be daunting to plan family meals – whether it’s 3 nights/week, or maybe you prepare all meals and snacks. Yes, you absolutely spend time perusing Pinterest, Instagram or searching for recipes - and there’s nothing wrong with that if you enjoy doing that! Sometimes, though, you want someone to help you make it work for YOUR family, YOUR schedule, and YOUR family’s taste preferences. That’s where a dietitian can come in to get to know your family and personalize a meal planning approach that works for you and helps you regain confidence in feeding your family!
4. Your kiddo is experiencing digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, reflux or discomfort. Digestive issues can have many root causes, so it’s helpful to seek advice before experimenting too much or jumping to food elimination diets (usually out of concern for allergies or intolerances). A dietitian that specializes in GI disorders can help determine if further testing would be helpful, or if the GI issues are related to lack of fiber, too much fiber, dehydration, possible anxiety, etc. My philosophy typically starts with the least invasive approach, while also keeping testing, allergies, intolerances as an option. I’ve seen many kiddos who have spent numerous hours doing testing, only to be told everything checks out. But this can affect a kiddo’s relationship with food and their body to the point that they may feel anxious about eating, fear trying new foods, or feel uncomfortable about eating around others. This isn’t always the case, and there are certainly indications for testing and labs, but I caution jumping into those without further investigation.
5. Your kiddo has a specific medical condition that requires a specialized diet to manage. There are pediatric dietitians that specialize in working with kiddos with diagnosed food allergies or intolerances, as well as kiddos that require specialized diets for managing diabetes (T1 and T2), seizure disorders, GI disorders, and beyond. I absolutely recommend finding a dietitian that has experience and additional education or certification in an area of specialty that fits your kiddo’s needs. You don’t have to go through it alone.
6. You want to work on your own relationship with food or body image. Often the work that we do for ourselves and our relationships with food and body image translates to how we influence our children’s relationships with food and their bodies. It’s difficult to promote a positive relationship with food and body image for our kids if we spend our days engaged in diet culture or shaming our own bodies. Kids are very perceptive - they can pick up on the discrepancy between what you say and what you do for yourself. I have had many parents approach me about their kiddo’s relationship with food, and we end up working together to take a whole family approach to promoting a positive relationship with food and body image. It benefits the entire family!
{You are not alone!}
It’s absolutely okay to reach out for help – I want to normalize seeking support around feeding kiddos and promoting positive relationships with food and body image. There is so much unnecessary pressure on parents to raise kiddos that happily accept all foods, eat “perfectly” (there’s no such thing!), and fit into society’s ideals around body image. Our relationship with food and body image is so much more complex than that. We are all individuals that have different energy needs, taste preferences, and bodies – and our kiddos deserve to have a relationship with food and their bodies that honor those unique needs.
*Note: I don’t often recommend that a dietitian be the sole provider on your team. In addition to working with a dietitian and your pediatrician or family doctor, your kiddo/family may need to seek support from additional providers such as an occupational therapist, speech language pathologist, therapist, or other specialists.
