Posts Tagged ‘pediatric nutritionist York Region’
Autism – A New Understanding
A woman brought her son into my office and within minutes, he started moving his hand, making waves in the air above his head. His mother saw this and said, “You see that is not normal. That is one of the reasons I had him assessed!” I asked the mother if I could talk to her four year old son. She gave me permission and I asked the boy if he was seeing numbers above his head. He said “Yes.” I asked if all the numbers went together. He said “Yes, big numbers, all fitting together.” I said to his mother “You see, children with autism don’t fit into our norm but that is only because they are way beyond us.” His mother was completely taken aback. The intelligence of children with autism is immeasurable; our usual tests cannot measure it. And unfortunately, our regular school systems often bore these children.
Read More12 Little Known Facts about Commonly Eaten Foods
People are often surprised to learn these 12 little known facts about foods they commonly eat. I thought I would share these with you this week. Did you know?
Read MoreDrugs for ADHD – Side Effects and Repercussions
You will notice that many of these behaviours are commonly found in children as well as adults! Unfortunately, 90% of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) are prescribed Ritalin or similiar drugs. Ritalin is actually a class 2 controlled narcotic, in the same category as cocaine, and is highly susceptible to abuse and dependence. The two most common side effects of Ritalin are insomnia and lack of appetite – lack of sleep and lack of nutrients, pretty major side effects. And most of the children that are prescribed Ritalin, end up becoming a shell of their former selves because a type of numbness sets in. Other side effects of Ritalin include:
Read More3 Things Doctors Don’t Tell You About the Flu Shot
This mother had contacted me after the first dose of the shot, describing similar symptoms. After that dose, the children were sick and miserable for 3 weeks. It wasn’t until the children had the second shot, that their mother realized it was the flu shot that had paralyzed their household for so many weeks.
Read More5 Tips to Appreciating the Christmas Holiday Season With Your Young Family
Is it any wonder that I began to dread the Christmas season??? I have learned from experience that even though we feel alone when we go through challenges, we are never alone. But I remember trying to find others at the time that felt the same way I did but came up empty-handed, which made my challenges seem even worse. No one wants to be a Grinch and eagerly wait for the holiday season to end! But some of us end up feeling that way. This article is written for those of you that are in “survival mode” at this time of year; I do not want you to feel alone as I did, nor do I want you to miss the magic of Christmas.
Read MoreBeing Misunderstood by Others When Eating Differently than the Majority
And you know what we all face when we go about things differently than the majority? Contempt, anger, labels of “crazy” or “obsessed” or “ignorant” or we are told to ‘live a little’ or ‘you only live once.’ For some of us, relationships end because of our food choices! Some of us end up extremely isolated because attending social functions is too difficult emotionally. Some of us forfeit careers because we end up home schooling, due to the fact that our children cannot eat the foods that other children eat.
Read MoreHealth Benefits and Healing Power of Herbs and Spices
Today, exotic spices and herbs are readily available but many of us are not fully aware of their value. For example, did you know that just 1 teaspoon of paprika or chili powder provides as much as 16 percent of the daily requirement of Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene? In this blog post, we’ll talk about the health benefits and healing power of some common herbs and spices.
Read MoreChlorine and Health Risks – Little Known Facts About Chlorine
According to a study in the January issue of American Journal of Epidemiology, drinking, bathing or swimming in chlorinated water may increase the risk of bladder cancer, Reuters Health reported. The findings are the first to suggest that the chemicals can be harmful when they are inhaled or absorbed through the skin, as well as when ingested, Dr. Cristina M. Villanueva of the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, Spain and colleagues noted. Study participants who drank chlorinated water were at 35 percent greater risk of bladder cancer than those who didn’t, while use of swimming pools boosted bladder cancer risk by 57 percent. Those who took longer showers or baths and lived in municipalities with higher trihalomethane levels were also at increased cancer risk.
Read MoreNew Canadian Guidelines for Introducing Solids to Babies
As a pediatric nutritionist, I am deeply concerned by these new guidelines. No babies are born with mature digestive systems. And the digestive systems of today’s babies are at even more risk than the digestive systems of babies born in previous generations, due to the toxicity of the world we live in today. And more babies than ever are being born by caesarian, which means these babies are already born with less good bacteria in their digestive tract than babies who go through the vaginal canal and collect good bacteria there. Because a baby’s digestive system is rapidly developing in their first year, the last thing a parent would want to do is to introduce hard-to-digest foods to a baby. All of the new recommended first foods for baby are hard to digest compared to other foods i.e. meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes and cereal!
Read MoreA Nutritionist’s Take on Canada’s Food Guide
The number of recommended fruits and vegetables is wonderful. I only have three concerns. Counting juice as a serving, when it is often not fresh and is laden with chemicals and sugar, simply doesn’t make sense to me. The nutrient content of frozen and canned fruits and vegetables is not the same as fresh fruits and vegetables yet no distinction is made in the guide. Secondly, no mention is made of the need for organic fruits and vegetables. The soil in which our ancestors’ produce was grown, was loaded with nutrients, far more than the soil of today! Organic is truly the best we have these days.
Read MoreWhat Does a Nutritionist Do and How Can They Help You?
Nutritionists can help you detect food sensitivities/allergies or nutritional deficiencies and then assist you in devising a plan to change your child’s diet. If you determine the foods to which your child reacts and your findings include one of the major food groups, such as dairy and wheat, you might ask yourself, “What can I feed my child?” A Nutritionist will teach you exactly what to feed your child, what the alternatives are and ensure that your child does not miss out on any important nutrients. They will even supply you with recipes and books to assist you, so that you do not need to do any of your own research if you don’t want to!
Read MoreLearning to Surrender Regarding Your Child’s Health
Sometimes we do obtain the solutions we need but we are simply not ready to implement them. One mother hears that her underweight child needs to go off of gluten, questions the logic of this recommendation and struggles to imagine how she would implement such a drastic change to her way of eating. Months go by, her daughter continues to be diagnosed with “failure to thrive” and then the mother sees another expert who tells her that her daughter needs to go off gluten entirely. This time, the mother is stronger, her baby is older, she has started getting some sleep again and her other children are slightly less dependent on her and she feels ready to take this step. Her baby gradually gains weight and begins to exude health.
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