Nutrition Care Services For Kids And Teens
One-on-one nutrition counseling is a great way to improve kids health and wellness.
Kids and teens all have unique nutritional needs as they grow into adulthood. In order to stay healthy, provide nutrients, and develop optimal potential, they must eat the right amount of nutritious foods.
For example, Omega 3 fatty acid is a type of polyunsaturated fat and one of the essential fatty acids that is important to a child’s development of brain, eyes, and nervous system, but our bodies do not make it. We need to get it from the environment, preferably from food. Kids who eat the proper amount of it have much better chance at building sound foundation for their brain activity and potentials later on in life.
Too many calories and too little nutrients can not only impair growth but also increase the risk of chronic conditions and diseases in adulthood, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and osteoporosis.
The sooner a child or teen is exposed to the healthier lifestyle, the easier maintaining that lifestyle will be for them in the future. Encouraging exercise and eating healthy, nutritious foods will go a long way in helping to shape good health and a good relationship with food.
Initial Visit
During the initial session, our goal is to learn about the child’s family life and build trust. We will work together with the child and their family to assess current eating patterns and identify areas for improvement.
During the visit, the child may be measured for height and weight. The dietitian will need a child’s growth chart, recent lab results, medication list, medical history records, and a food diary for complete assessment. A visit progress note with findings and recommendations will be shared with the child’s physician.
Follow-Up Visits
At our follow up visits, teaching age appropriate nutrition concepts with a focus on practical, small changes is our goal.