Nutrition Archives - Nemours Blog | Expert Advice on Children’s Health & Wellness

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Nutrition

Mother with toddler on hip holding a carton of cooking cream and checking label

NUTRITION

Decoding Food Labels: A Pediatrician’s Guide for Parents

Walking around the grocery store can be overwhelming with so many products lining the shelves. To add to the difficulty and confusion are Nutrition Facts food labels. What should we avoid? What should we look for in the products we buy and consume? Is the number of calories the only thing that matters? Are portion sizes misleading? What are the facts behind nutritional facts? Where to Start with Nutrition Labels There are four main components to a Nutrition Facts label: serving information, calories, nutrients, and percent daily value. Serving Size A serving size refers to the amount of food typically eaten at one time. The serving per container represents how many servings are in the respective package. This section of the label is meant to help you determine the right portion size for your family members, and it may require a little math. For example, one serving of this food […]

STAYING HEALTHY

Healthy Spring and Summer Eating: Registered Dietitians’ Top Tips

Spring and summer have always been favorite times of the year for many families. Temperatures start to warm up, and many people pack away their winter jackets for the season. The sun stays out later each day, giving everyone more time in the evenings to enjoy walks outside; and the fresh fruits and vegetables become more abundant than ever. During the spring and summer, trips to the farmers market are a favorite hobby for many families. Nothing beats the taste of locally grown produce, freshly picked and sold right from the growers. We asked a few registered dietitians here at Nemours Children’s Health to share tips they give with families looking to eat healthy during the warmer months. Here’s what they said. Snack Hacks Homemade Fruit Pops “Try homemade frozen fruit pops for a yummy, healthy and refreshing treat. Just mix together yogurt, berries and milk; pour into a popsicle […]

RAISING AWARENESS

Collaborative Approaches to Obesity and Diabetes Prevention and Care

Aiden was tall, strong and active, and his weight was only slightly above expected for his age. His family had no cause for concern until he developed severe, unexplained abdominal pain at the age of 10. After multiple checkups and tests, Aiden was diagnosed with a metabolic liver condition. As part of his treatment, he enrolled at the Healthy Weight and Wellness Clinic at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, a multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to supporting and guiding families in helping children improve their health and well-being. Now 13, he is proud of the lifestyle changes he’s made working with the clinic. He’s increased his physical activity and added healthy foods to a balanced diet that still includes some teen favorites. “Now, I’ll snack on a salad, and I never thought I would do that,” he said. Aiden and his mother, Jennifer Downey, spoke at a December symposium titled “Obesity and Diabetes […]

ALL BLOGS

Nemours Children’s Health Celebrates National Farm to School Month with Early Care and Education Programs

Nemours Children’s supports Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) across the country. In honor of National Farm to School Month, the National Office of Policy and Prevention is highlighting three states that are improving child care program environments for young children through Farm to ECE activities. This month thousands of schools, child care programs, farms, communities, and organizations across the United States celebrated food education, school gardens, and meals made with healthy, local ingredients. Farm to ECE is a set of strategies and activities for programs that serve young children ages birth to five. Farm to ECE focuses on increasing access to three core elements: local food sourcing, on-site gardens, and food and farming education. These activities teach children about healthy food by engaging all five senses and can increase their fruit and vegetable intake, as well as their willingness to try new foods (CDC). Through the Healthy Kids, […]

ALL BLOGS

Energy Drinks & Kids: Know the Risks

Discover the risks associated with energy drinks for kids and learn about healthier alternatives. This article explores the ingredients in energy drinks, their potential dangers, and the importance of open communication with children. Help your kids make informed choices and adopt healthier habits.

HEMATOLOGY-ONCOLOGY

Nutrition in Sickle Cell Disease

Keeping your child healthy and strong. Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) have lower levels of certain vitamins, minerals, proteins and other nutrients. That’s because their bodies turn over red blood cells so fast that nutrients are broken down faster than normal. When the body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, it leads to malnourishment, anemia (low iron), frequent infections, poor growth and development, and other complications. At the Nemours Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, our team incorporates nutrition into the overall treatment plan for kids with SCD. We know that good nutrition helps to support growth, restore energy, improve immunity and strengthen muscles and bones. Good nutrition can also reduce pain crisis and the side effects of certain treatments. This can help decrease the number of hospital visits and improve overall health as your child grows. Essential Vitamins and Minerals for SCD A child with SCD takes […]

ALL BLOGS

Gluten: Ending Common Misconceptions

The gluten free diet has become a popular diet trend over recent years. The most common conditions that require a gluten free diet include celiac disease, wheat allergy, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia, and dermatitis herpetiformis. Some individuals may choose to adhere to a gluten free diet for other reasons. Gluten is the protein found in the grains wheat, rye, and barley. A gluten free diet requires avoidance of these grains. When foods are removed from the diet, it can make it more difficult to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, so if gluten is removed from the diet it is important to do so with the guidance of  a Registered Dietitian. The purpose of this article is to clear up some common misconceptions surrounding gluten and the gluten free diet. Do I need to avoid all gluten if I have a wheat allergy? -No. Only the grain, wheat, needs […]

ALL BLOGS

Learn to Love Your Vegetables

Help your child explore new flavors and learn to love their vegetables with these few simple tips! Increase Exposure• Increase exposure to different vegetables at meals and snacks multiple times a day• It can take 10-15 times trying a food before learning if you like it, so don’t get discouraged and stay persistent• Start with very small portions of new vegetables at first• Be a role model for your kids and eat your vegetables at meals and talk about how good they taste Get your kids involved• Ask your kids what vegetables they want to try or give them a choice between two vegetables• Have your kids pick the sauces, spices, or herbs for the dish• Have your kids describe the flavors and textures of the vegetables they try Experiment with cooking techniques• Try roasting vegetables to bring out their natural sweetness and make them crisp• Sauté or stir-fry vegetables […]

teenage girl refusing sandwich

STAYING HEALTHY

Is Gluten Causing Your Teen’s Gastrointestinal Problems?

This article first appeared on Philly.com Diarrhea. Abdominal pain. Bloating. Ugh!!! These annoying symptoms can occur in many gastrointestinal problems that teenagers experience. On social media, on the bleachers a school sports events, at doctors’ appointments, it seems like everywhere people are talking about gluten. So what exactly is gluten? Gluten is a group of proteins commonly found in wheat, barley, oats, and rye. It affects the dough quality of breads and is added to processed foods to improve texture, moisture, and flavor. When should a teenager go gluten-free?  When they are diagnosed with a problem caused by gluten. Celiac disease, wheat allergy, and gluten intolerance involve gluten, but are not one and the same. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease where gluten triggers the body’s immune system, which normally makes antibodies to fight off harmful invaders like viruses or bacteria, to make antibodies against itself. These “autoantibodies” damage villi, […]

Let's Rethink How We Talk to Teens about Their Weight

STAYING HEALTHY

Let’s Rethink How We Talk to Teens about Their Weight

Perhaps we need to rethink how we talk to our teenagers who have a weight issue. At the Nemours Eating Disorders Evaluation and Management Program, we see teenagers who pinpoint the onset of their eating disorder to comments made by well-intentioned doctors, coaches, or health teachers.

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