The LodeStone Center provides nutrition counseling as part of our wellness services. We have a registered dietitian who you can schedule appointments with either stand alone, or along with one of our mental health clinicians. If you would like more information, or would like to request a first visit, you can either fill out the contact form on this page and we will get in touch with you or you can also call us directly at 847-802-4058.
What Qualifies as Picky Eating?
For most children, picky eating is just a phase. What they eat one day, they refuse to eat the next. They eat a lot one day, and then next to nothing the following day. They eat only one or two foods on the dinner table and ignore the rest. They avoid certain textures, colors, flavors, or ingredients making parents concerned for their nutritional health. Often this is simply a phase of growing up. While it is still important to learn how to set up boundaries to make meal times a positive experience, the children will eventually outgrow it. For others, more assistance can be warranted. Usually a child has gone past ordinary picky eating if he or she gets upset when she sees unfamiliar food, only ever eats her few (and shrinking list of) favorite foods, and worries he or she will be unable to eat away from home.
How Can Nutritional Counseling Help Picky Eaters?
You can’t make children eat, but you can help them resolve their negative feelings about eating. That’s where specially trained registered dietitian nutritionists, or RDs, can help. RDs work with children and family members to meet clients at every stage of change to ensure proper feeding dynamics. By working with parents, families can learn how meal times do not have to be a struggle. Through proper dialog, it will allow children to develop positive attitudes about eating and behave nicely at mealtime so he or she can learn the benefits of variety.
It is also important to visit a dietitian to rule of any nutrient deficiencies resulting from long term picky eating. RDs are trained to create meal plans for a wide variety of age groups to ensure balanced nutrients, regardless of one’s pickiness. They also help identify when “picky eating” is “disordered eating.” Through nutritional counseling, families can create a safe environment filled with positivity around food to maximize the overall health of each family member, while minimizing arguments and negative associations.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding nutrition counseling, please don’t hesitate to call and speak with us. We are happy to answer questions, help look into your insurance benefits or explain how counseling might be beneficial to you. If you have questions, and would like to speak to one of our professionals, contact us today.