Nutrition Therapy for GI and Digestive Disorders in Children in the St. Louis Area
Dietitian Nutritionist for Pediatric Digestive Disorders:
A pediatric dietitian on our team can be part of your medical team, working with your pediatrician and gastroenterologist to ensure your child is getting the comprehensive care and treatment they need. We provide online, outpatient nutrition therapy for children and their families as well as in-person treatment in our offices in Missouri and Illinois, near St. Louis. The medical nutrition therapy goals for pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) disorders typically focus on several key areas:
Promote Growth and Development: We work to ensure your child is receiving adequate nutrients to support normal growth and development.
Symptom Management: Individualized dietary interventions can help alleviate symptoms such as pain, diarrhea, constipation, or vomiting.
Nutritional Adequacy: Our children’s nutritionist will provide a balanced diet that meets your child’s specific nutritional needs, considering any dietary restrictions or intolerances.
Minimize Gastrointestinal Symptoms: We work to identify and avoid foods that trigger or exacerbate symptoms related to the GI disorder.
Support Long-Term Health: The habits we work to establish during nutrition counseling promote overall health and prevent complications or the recurrence of the disorder.
Education and Family Support: Education is key to sustainable recovery and digestive issues management. We work with children and their families to help them better understand the condition and provide guidance on managing the diet plan effectively.
Monitor and Adjust: Regular assessment of your child’s nutritional status is vital, as we will adjust the diet as needed based on ongoing evaluation and changes in the child’s condition.
Our goal is to improve your child’s quality of life, enhancing their overall well-being by addressing any nutritional deficiencies and promoting healthy eating habits.
What are the most common digestive problems in children and their symptoms?
Some of the most common digestive problems in children are:
Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD): Frequent spitting up or vomiting, heartburn or chest pain, difficulty swallowing or refusing to eat, coughing, wheezing, or irritability during or after feedings
Constipation: Infrequent bowel movements, hard, dry, pr painful stools, abdominal pain, or cramping, and feeling incomplete bowel movements
Diarrhea: Loose or watery stools, frequent bowel movements, abdominal cramping, dehydration such as dry mouth, fewer wet diapers, or sunken eyes in infants
Lactose Intolerance: Bloating, gas, diarrhea, and stomach cramps after consuming dairy
Food Intolerances: Reactions to certain foods such as milk, wheat, nuts to name a few that can cause digestive discomfort, diarrhea, or vomiting
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Chronic condition causing abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits triggered by stress and diet
Celiac Disease: An autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestines causing issues like diarrhea, weight loss and malnutrition
Gastroenteritis: Inflammation of the stomach and intestines caused by infection and results in diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain
What are the symptoms of gastrointestinal disease in infants?
Gastrointestinal disease symptoms may vary in infants, but common ones include:
Spitting Up/Regurgitation: Common in infants due to reflux where milk comes back up after feeding. This can resolve, however, as the intestine matures. Colic: episodes of intense crying due to stomach pain or discomfort which is seen in infants 6 months old or less. This can be challenging for both the parents and the infant suffering.
Gas/Diarrhea/Constipation: Symptoms may include bloating, frequent or loose stools, or difficult to pass stools that may contribute to discomfort and issues with eating and nourishing the body.
Blood in Stool: May indicate a food allergy.
Poor Feeding or Refusal to Eat: babies with GI discomfort may refuse to eat resulting in inadequate weight gain.
What causes binge eating disorder?
The exact cause of BED is unknown, but there can be a variety of factors, like genetics, environmental and psychological factors, and mental illness. Frequency with on and off again dieting (yo-yo dieting) may play a part, trauma, poor self-esteem, low confidence, and life events may trigger or exacerbate binge eating behaviors.
What causes GI issues in kids?
There are several reasons a child may have GI issues including but not limited to infections (viral, bacterial, parasitic), food intolerances and allergies (lactose, gluten, or other ones such as peanuts, eggs, nuts, etc.), poor diet and dehydration, functional GI disorders (IBS, GERD), some medications, and anxiety/stress to name a few.