Nutrition Related Problems In Paediatrics, An Interview With Dr Amin Sheikh

Pin It Now!

Paediatric gastroenterology registrar says awareness and education is key...

I am delighted to introduce you to my lovely friend Amin.  We met at University where he was a great pillar of support through the geeky but fun years!   It's a funny story actually.  Amin and I shared the same lectures during the first year of university.  I used to notice him notice me all the time.  I am sure that he'll deny it if you ask him.  I even wondered if the handsome doctor possibly fancied me; but no, he was just looking for a friend to study with.  Never mind - a girl can always hope!  So here we are, well over a decade later. The dietitian and the doctor.


Which top 3 nutrition related problems do you frequently treat regularly?
Iron deficiency anemia is one.  Vitamin D deficiency is another important area especially in families with dark skin.  Often mothers who do not realise that they have poor vitamin D status may go onto breastfeed their child who may then have increased risk of vitamin D deficiency.  

Another area of nutritional concern are when children with multiple food allergies are subsequently placed on very restricted diets without the advice from a dietitian.  Sometimes families attempt restricted diets to alleviate the symptoms of eczema, but unfortunately there are a lot of inaccurate information available on the internet which parents can access.  This is not recommended as an alternative solution to seeking necessary medical advice.


What should parents know about vitamin D deficiency or restricted diets?
Iron and vitamin D deficiencies are often picked up when children are first admitted to hospital and when high risk groups are screened.   However, earlier screening or accessing education in the community can help prevent these deficiencies.  To achieve this, we need to support families by increasing awareness of which groups of children may be at increased risk of iron or vitamin D deficiencies.  For example, it can be as simple as reminding a mum with known low vitamin D status, to take her prescribed dose of vitamin D supplements during breastfeeding to reduce the risk of reduced vitamin D status in her baby.

Vegetarian mothers may also wish to seek dietetic advice when she starts weaning her baby over to vegetarian weaning solids to ensure optimal iron intake.

In the area of food allergies, always seek medical advice if these are suspected.  

Families should not feel that they need to manage these allergies or food intolerance on their own as you can run the risk of inadequate intake of various food groups and essential vitamins or minerals.


What burning questions do parents often ask you?
Families often ask me if they need to restrict their child's diet based on a history of food allergy in a sibling.  My current advice in New Zealand is to give any 'suspected' allergen food such as milk, in small quantities in a step by step process.  It is not always probable that a sibling will also develop food allergies even when a family history of food allergy exists.

This advice may vary across the globe, so always check with your medical practitioner about tailored advice for your child.

In a straight forward case of food allergy to peanuts, it has been quoted that there is less than 10% chance that a non-identical twin or a sibling will also develop an allergy to peanuts.  This risk increases to 64% in identical twins as quoted in the Journal of Allergies and Clinical Immunology in 2004.

Vitamin D

If a mother has already been diagnosed with iron or vitamin D deficiency, it is important that the mother seeks medical advice or resources from her general practitioner to ensure that both baby and mum are supplemented as necessary.  

Eczema

Not all eczema is related to food allergies so it is important that families remember this and manage the eczema as directed by your pediatrician.  Having said that, some children with severe eczema can have this exacerbated secondary to food allergies.

Food allergies are also not necessarily the cause of the eczema, it can simply trigger symptoms.  

Food Allergies

Remember that children do grow out of food allergies so always discuss with your paediatrician or dietitian about when is a good time to reintroduce food groups that are currently being excluded from your child's diet.

Thank you so much to Amin for an interesting chat about nutritional related problems that families may face from around the world.  If you would like to see Dr Sheikh again next month, please feel free to comment below with any questions that you would like him to explore in next month's interview.

Enjoy your day lovely readers.  Remember, the information that you have read on this blog today must not replace any specific medical or dietetic advice that you may have received for your child.

If you enjoyed this post then why not SHARE this article with a TWEET or a LIKE on facebook?

Savouring The Bite - A Food Journal Of A 3 Year Old Princess

Pin It Now!

Pauline is one of our favourite French princesses..

She may not like 'bits' in her yoghurt but Pauline sure does love her food.  It's an ambitious project, but I followed little Pauline around for a couple of days to carefully document her usual intake.


I must admit, as I was on holiday this weekend, Pauline was up much earlier than I so I missed breakfast with our little princess.  I've been told that her usual choices are cereal, crepes, fruit or little morsels of bread with jam.  She feeds herself and does enjoy a chat whilst she eats.


Lunch usually commences with a salad of some description like cucumber or delicious pieces of melon.  These were especially sweet and juicy.

Pauline chatting away during her starter...

The main always consists of meat with vegetables.  This may or may not be accompanied by puree (potato), pasta or rice.  She's brilliant to feed and will happily eat her portion of vegetables such as spinach or a salad consisting of carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes or cucumber.

It really was a delight to see Pauline enjoying her greens so much.  She's a natural model and was more than happy for me to photograph her in exchange for chit chats whilst she ate her meal.  She really does love telling stories and is a bit of a chatter box, so she does benefit from a little bit of supervision to ensure that there is more 'eating' than 'story telling' at the dinner table.

Let's verify that the spinach did make it in..

Yes I think it's safe to say that it has.  Isn't she a brilliant model?

The meal is usually sealed with fruity yoghurt or a slice of fromage - two of her favourite things!

Speaking of favourite things, she does adore sweets.  Strawberry sweets are her favourite flavour (or so she tells me).  I must confess that I did offer her a couple whilst we worked on a puzzle.  She likes to take little bites at a time to savour each bite of her treat.

A short nap later, Pauline will be found zipping around in the garden in her chubby 'leg motored' wee car.  She will stop often for sips of water and a snack of bread with cheese or fruit.

The evening meal is very similar to lunch, consisting of meat with vegetables.  The meal is always followed by yoghurt, cheese or fruit as well as lots of play in the garden with her sister.  There's the trampoline (she thinks it's tram-pauline and named after her)! So no surprisingly she loves the 'tram-pauline' and her little car.  She's a very active little girl.

Thank you so much to princess Pauline and her parents for featuring on the blog.  It's so wonderful to know a little girl with such a fantastic appetite for food and life!