September 29th, 2010 by Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist
As if feeding yourself properly wasn’t difficult enough, now you have an additional little growing mouth (or mouths) to feed. Finding balance for the whole family can be challenging from starting babies on solids and feeding toddlers; all the way to those unpredictable teenage ye
ars –each life cycle stage presents its own set of challenges. So when you do call in the help of diet experts like registered dietitians (RD)? According the American Dietetic Association (ADA), here are 10 reasons to see or consult a dietitian:
1. You have diabetes, cardiovascular problems or high blood pressure. An RD serves as an integral part of your health-care team by helping you safely change your eating plan without compromising taste or nutrition.
2. Your toddler is not growing properly or refuses to eat. Your pediatrician may suggest you see an RD or pediatric RD to make sure your child is getting enough of the nutrients needed for proper growth.
You have digestive problems. A registered dietitian will work with your physician to help fine-tune your diet so you are not aggravating your condition with fried foods, too much caffeine or carbonation.
You’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant. A registered dietitian can help make sure you get nutrients like folate, especially during the first three months of pregnancy, lowering your newborn’s risk for neural tube or spinal cord defects.
You need guidance and confidence for breastfeeding your baby. A registered dietitian can help make sure you’re getting enough iron, vitamin D, fluoride and B vitamins for you and your little one.
Your teenager has issues with food and eating healthfully. A registered dietitian can assist with eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and overweight issues.
You need to gain or lose weight. A registered dietitian can suggest additional calorie sources for healthy weight gain or a restricted-calorie eating plan plus regular physical activity for weight loss while still eating all your favorite foods.
You’re caring for an aging parent. A registered dietitian can help with food or drug interaction, proper hydration, special diets for hypertension and changing taste buds as you age.
You want to eat smarter. A registered dietitian can help you sort through misinformation; learn how to read labels at the supermarket; discover that healthy cooking is inexpensive, learn how to eat out without ruining your eating plan and how to resist workplace temptations.
You want to improve your performance in sports. A registered dietitian can help you set goals to achieve results — whether you’re running a marathon, skiing or jogging with your dog.
Tags: dietitian, starting on solids, toddler feeding
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 at 7:09 pm and is filed under Women's Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
View the original article here
No comments:
Post a Comment