Clinical Nutrition
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is important for all kids, but for some, what they eat is critical to stabilize or maintain their overall health. When your child is facing a condition such as diabetes, epilepsy, kidney disease or gastrointestinal complications, a specialized diet is a vital part of their treatment plan.
Our team offers expert knowledge and can coordinate diets for common conditions, as well as complex medical conditions. Registered dietitians that are assigned to our specialized outpatient clinics, such as cystic fibrosis, metabolics, oncology and cardiology, work hand-in-hand with your family to provide long-term dietary support for your child
Our Programs
Conditions We Treat
- Pediatric and adolescent abnormal weight gain
- Pediatric and adolescent abnormal weight loss
- Failure to thrive (FTT) in children
- Pediatric feeding disorder (PFD)
- Childhood obesity
- Protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) in children
- Pediatric vitamin B-1 deficiency (thiamine)
- Anorexia nervosa in children
- Bulimia nervosa in children
- Pediatric hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol)
MyPlate
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
Choose, orange and dark green vegetables.
Fruit, vegetables or unsalted make great snacks.
Switch to skim or 1% milk
Get the same amount of calcium and other nutrients with less fat and calories.
Try calcium-fortified soy products as a dairy alternative.
Make at least half of your grains whole
Choose 100% whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers etc.
Check the ingredients to fine whole-grain foods.
Vary your protein food choices
Make seafood the protein on your plate twice a week.
Eat beans - a natural source of fiber and protein.
Keep meat and poultry portion small and lean.
Our outpatient nutrition clinic takes time to develop a diet that makes sense for your child and your family.
Should a physician refer your child to the Children’s Health outpatient nutrition clinic, our registered dietitians will get to know your child and your family’s lifestyle. We will develop a balanced diet that consists of a variety of foods, help set schedules, and plan snacks and meals that improve your child’s overall health. We can also recommend ways to integrate your child’s new diet into your family’s mealtimes so you have the best chance of success in helping treat your child’s condition.
Eating breakfast is the best way to start the day, for children and adults alike.
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) that uses the latest innovative approaches to treating complex health conditions.
If your child is suffering from a complex health condition, we may be able to help them through nutritional modification. Our physicians and registered dietitians are on the cutting edge of nutrition therapy and can recommend research-based diets, such as the Ketogenic diet to treat epilepsy and glucose transporter type 1 (Glut1) deficiency syndrome, a rare genetic metabolic disorder. Our team is dedicated to finding what works best for your child and helping them develop new, sustainable eating habits to maintain overall health. Learn more about medical nutrition therapy.
Resources
For Healthcare Professionals
The Clinical Nutrition department at Children’s Health produces the Pediatric Nutrition Handbook. This handbook serves as the primary nutrition reference within the hospital and is an essential resource for dietitians and other healthcare professionals.
Our outpatient nutrition clinic takes time to develop a diet that makes sense for your child and your family.
Should a physician refer your child to the Children’s Health outpatient nutrition clinic, our registered dietitians will get to know your child and your family’s lifestyle. We will develop a balanced diet that consists of a variety of foods, help set schedules, and plan snacks and meals that improve your child’s overall health. We can also recommend ways to integrate your child’s new diet into your family’s mealtimes so you have the best chance of success in helping treat your child’s condition.
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) that uses the latest innovative approaches to treating complex health conditions.
If your child is suffering from a complex health condition, we may be able to help them through nutritional modification. Our physicians and registered dietitians are on the cutting edge of nutrition therapy and can recommend research-based diets, such as the Ketogenic diet to treat epilepsy and glucose transporter type 1 (Glut1) deficiency syndrome, a rare genetic metabolic disorder. Our team is dedicated to finding what works best for your child and helping them develop new, sustainable eating habits to maintain overall health. Learn more about medical nutrition therapy.
Resources
For Healthcare Professionals
The Clinical Nutrition department at Children’s Health produces the Pediatric Nutrition Handbook. This handbook serves as the primary nutrition reference within the hospital and is an essential resource for dietitians and other healthcare professionals.
