Food Allergies
Food allergies occur in around 1 in 10 children, and 1 in 50 adults. The majority of food allergies in children are outgrown with time. The most common allergy triggers are eggs, cows milk, peanuts and tree nuts.
Other common triggers include seafood, sesame, soy, fish and wheat. Peanuts, tree nuts, seeds and seafood are less likely to be outgrown and tend to be lifelong allergies. Some food allergies can be severe, causing life threatening reactions known as anaphylaxis. Some babies and young children may need specialised infant formula and mums may need to modify their diet when breastfeeding. We aim to reduce confusion, make supermarket shopping choices easy, and mealtimes less stressful.
Bris Kids Nutrition can help you devise a nutritious, age appropriate meal plan with a list of foods to be avoided and recommended alternatives. Our dietitian is affiliated with the Compass Immunology Group at Greenslopes Hospital and Compass Kids at the Grange.
Support for kids with ASD & ADHD
Children with ADHD on medication often experience a reduced appetite during the time when the medication is in full effect. This may result in slow weight gain or even weight loss. At Bris Kids we will advocate for your child's nutrition and give you the tools and strategies you need to ensure that your child is meeting their nutritional requirements.
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Children with ASD often have sensory challenges when it comes to food. They may dislike certain textures, smells and tastes and as a result may have a limited diet. We will help you to find solutions to these feeding challenges by giving you the practical tools and strategies to help your child try new foods. We can also work through your questions and provide tips to assist your child to meet their nutrition needs. We may recommend a nutrition supplement or a complete nutritional drink to make up the difference while you work on strategies at home.
Picky Eating
Fussy eating is one of the most common stressors for parents concerned about the development of their children. Families can become very distressed over household conflict surrounding food. Fussy eaters refuse to eat many foods leaving parents fearful that this will lead to sickness or growth and development issues. Quite often concerns may be elevated by comments or opinions about a child's eating habits expressed by extended family members or their circle of friends.
Bris Kids Nutrition can assess a child's nutrition intake against national standards, identify nutrients at risk and work with parents to include high nutrient foods into their child's diet. While this may not always be easy, our aim is to guide the parent on how to make their child feel more comfortable with a wider variety of foods. Our practitioners use the 'making sense of mealtimes,' and 'division of responsibility' approach and work closely with Occupational and Speech feeding therapists.
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Our goal is to provide parents with the confidence to understand their child's food preferences in order to enable happier and healthier mealtimes. Click here for more information on transforming family meals into joyful, healthful, struggle-free events, free from drama and conflict.
Faltering Growth
Infants or children who are not gaining weight in the normal range are often referred to a Dietitian by their GP, Paediatrician or Paediatric Gastroenterologist. There may be many reasons, however once inadequate growth has been recognised it is important that an assessment of nutrition is conducted to identify deficiencies affecting your child's well being. Correcting deficiencies in the early years should be treated seriously as evidence indicates deficiencies may have long term consequences.
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Bris Kids Nutrition can assess your child's need for dietary intervention, beginning with a review of their growth history and diet. Infants may require formula modification whilst toddlers and children can benefit from diet fortification or nutrition supplements. We work with you, implementing proven strategies specific to your child's circumstances and growth objectives.
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Food Intolerances
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Because food intolerances don't invoke an immune reaction, there are no reliable skin or blood tests to diagnose food intolerances. Some clinics offer intolerance testing however their accuracy is unproven. They may be expensive and suggest a long list of problem foods to avoid leading to malnutrition and impact the growth of a child. The accuracy of diagnosing food intolerances in this way is unproven and avoiding foods may make it hard for your child to maintain a healthy diet. Click here for more information about unproven testing.
The only proven way to test for food chemical intolerance is to follow a special test diet, known as the Elimination Diet. The Elimination Diet is a bland, low-chemical, low-additive diet. It is followed for four to six weeks to allow time for symptoms to resolve. If there is a positive reduction in symptoms during this diet, we reintroduce or 'challenge' the normal foods one-by-one to identify problem foods. It is important to note that this is a 'test diet' only and not designed to stay on long term as it is nutritionally inadequate. Consultation with a specialist Dietitian will help guide you through the process.
Bris Kids Nutrition can assist you through this process, increasing the likelihood of identifying and eliminating causes while achieving a nutritious and manageable diet. Bris Kids Nutrition can help you devise a nutritious, age appropriate meal plan with a list of foods to be avoided and recommended alternatives. Our dietitian is affiliated with the Compass Immunology clinics at Greenslopes Hospital and Compass Kids at the Grange.
Foods & Behaviours
Some children are sensitive to the chemicals that occur naturally in whole foods or to food additives. This may or may not be further complicated by a diagnosed condition like ADHD or ASD. In any case, there is no one diet fix to suit all situations. Some conditions make children especially more prone to deficiencies, while for others, diet does not play a role in behaviour at all. Bris Kids Nutrition follows a scientific, evidence-based approach only, not the 'latest remedy'. Diagnosing food intolerances and determining the interactions between an individual's diet and behaviour is complex, time consuming and most importantly should not leave a child with a nutritionally inadequate diet.
Bris Kids Nutrition can help you sort fact from fiction and safely guide you through exclusion diets if necessary, and in consultation with your child's medical practitioner.
Weight Management
In Australia, overweight and obesity rates in children have doubled over the past 30 years. In 2011-12 one in four children in Queensland were above their healthy weight according to Australia's National Health survey. Improved weight management can help children cope with self-esteem and confidence, academic performance and metabolic health. .
Bris Kids Nutrition understands that children's weight can be a difficult and personal subject and offers a personalised consultation tailored to your child's circumstances using a 'non-diet' family based approach. Nurturing a healthy self body image and worth is always our top priority We will assist by implementing strategies most likely to work for your child and your situation. Our objective is for healthy, happy and confident young Australians.
Constipation
Constipation can cause:
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Stomach cramps (pain tends to come and go)
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Loss of appetite
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Irritable behaviour
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Stomach bloating
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Holding-on behaviour to avoid doing a painful poo, such as squatting, crossing legs or refusing to sit on the toilet
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Anal fissures - small splits of the skin at the anus/bottom which cause pain and bleeding when doing a poo
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Long-term constipation can cause involuntary soiling the pants, also known as encopresis. This occurs when a child's rectum becomes stretched from being full for a long period. Your child may not get the urge to go to the toilet because the rectum always feels stretched. The poo can then pass into your child's pants, without them feeling it. Soiling is medically called encopresis or faecal incontinence.
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There are numerous causes of constipation in children, diet being a significant one. Bris Kids Nutrition can perform a dietary and social assessment looking at quantity of fibre (soluble and insoluble), fluid intake, varying toileting environments, potential food allergies and natural tendencies. We can advise a diet plan, including the addition of laxatives or stool softeners if and when required.
