Nutritional assessment provides benefits such as…

Nutritional Health Overview

  • Every nutritional assessment covers current dietary intake, growth, digestion, elimination, microbiota health, energy balance, key nutrients and provides a holistic overview of an infant, child or teen’s nutritional health.

Evidenced based dietary treatment

  • The nutritional assessment serves as an entry point for evidenced-based dietary treatment for diet-related conditions and behaviour change. All dietary advice promotes immediate and long-term health and wellbeing.

Personalised Support

  • Tailored guidance, individualised advice and selected resources are provided, based on the information obtained during the nutritional assessment. Carine uses a wide range of tools and strategies and provides follow-up review of any immediate interventions.

What Happens During

A nutritional assessment?

The nutritional assessment is a guided discussion about what, when and how food and fluids are consumed, providing a good estimate of energy, protein, and nutrient intake of the diet as a whole. Key nutrients such as calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamins and trace elements are assessed, alongside the balance of food groups from animals and plants and habitual intakes of essential fats, sugars and fibres. Diet-related conditions, behaviours and age-related growth needs are taken into account for each child. Body measurements may be taken, BMI calculated and centile growth chart compared. I like to understand the early feeding history for infants and young children, and the lived experience of older children and young people. Bowel habits and the quality of the gut microbiota are assessed as an essential part of understanding digestive wellness, nutrient absorption and elimination. The gut microbiota is now understood to be a key feature of whole-body wellness and is highly responsive to dietary intake.

Nutritional Assessment Options

An allergy focused history (AFH) is helpful when food allergy is suspected and contains the following types of questions. This is a 75-minute appointment.
  • Family history of atopic conditions like asthma, eczema.
  • Infancy history with eczema being particularly relevant.
  • Growth and feeding history using a centile chart as a timeline.
  • Previous and current management, including medications or changes in diet.
  • The amount of food required to produce a reaction.
  • Timing of reaction to determine the likelihood IgE or non-IgE reactions.
  • Nature of the food, raw, cooked, baked, mixed dish.
  • Overall exposure of the suspected food over time.
  • Assessment of the severity of the reactions - either mild, moderate or severe.
  • Consider relevance of allergy test or referral to specialist services for further clarification

A combination of medical, behavioural and/or complex dietary concerns. This is a 90-minute appointment.
  • Disordered eating behaviours, ED assessment, dietary treatment planning or onward referral
  • New diagnosis for the Coeliac condition
  • Long standing clinical history with multiple professionals involved
  • Multiple food allergies with test results and liaison with other professionals
  • Any condition where blood results or investigations are reviewed, alongside dietary treatment planning or communicating with an extended team of professional

A whole-family approach to dietary change, suited for a wide range of scenarios. Helping develop a positive relationship with nutritional health via food choice, feeding and eating behaviour and balanced nutrition. This is a 90-minute appointment. This may be suited for a new food-related diagnosis eg. the coeliac condition or healthy weight management where all family members are involved to one degree or another.
  • An initial assessment of the family's nutritional needs
  • Food, feeding and eating dynamics, and associated tasks
  • Using the framework of Structure, Nurture and Boundaries
  • Challenging behaviours and patterns around eating
  • Considering what balanced eating and nutrition looks like and addressing management of this for the whole family

Early intervention assessment for teens, at risk of malnutrition due to food restriction and sustained weight loss or out of control with comfort/chaotic or binge eating. The ED assessment asks a range of additional questions. This is a 90-minute appointment.
  • How severely and for how long has food been restricted?
  • What are the characteristics, triggors and frequency of over-eating?
  • What is the extent of weight loss or weight gain over time
  • Calculation of % Body Mass Index and risks factors
  • Ability of the young person to recognise the risk to their health
  • Physical symptoms eg. hair loss, poor wound healing, pain
  • Behaviours such as purging, binge-eating, excessive exercise, self-harm
  • Assessment of body functions eg. menstruation, bowel habits, body temperature
  • Onwards referral and signposting for support may be suggested following assessment

Relaxed observation of an infant during feeding, alongside early and current feeding history and nutritional assessment. This is a 75-minute appointment.
  • Observation of feeding food and drinks over 10-15 minutes, preferably around their usual eating time
  • Assessment of age-related feeding skills in order to consider suitable textures, strategies, timings etc. going forward,
  • Helps develop insight into how and why difficulties have arisen
  • Immediate advice, guidance, next steps and beyond

A series of 60-minute appointments F2F or virtual, and following an initial nutritional assessment. Choose this for on-going work, meeting monthly, with the option for a 15-minute telephone review between.
  • Relevant for all dietary treatment, and diet related behaviour change
  • Food and nutrition goals are explored, reviewed, tweaked
  • Use of various tools and strategies to explore and support client goals
  • Using the framework Structure, Nurture & Boundaries
  • Sharing of resources from Carine’s Toolbox
  • 10% discount when 3 sessions booked together Use Coupon Code GET10%OFF when booking 3 x 60-minute reviews
Dietary Treatment

Your Telephone Review

All first appointments focus on detailed nutritional assessment specific to the age and presenting problem of each child. This appointment includes a 15 minute telephone review to consider your next steps. Carine will book this with you at your appointment, it is not intended as a separate or new consultation.

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