Dietician visit pending for low weight toddler ...

[Guest guest]

We're due to take our 15-month-old son to see a dietician at our local hospital

next week, as our health visitor is concerned about his low weight.

 

We are vegans and bringing him up as a vegan; he is still breastfeeding and some

days hardly eats any solid food at all. I've got a feeling we're going to be

advised to cut down on breast milk and give him meat and dairy products, though

I may be proved wrong. In the food diary we're supposed to be keeping, there are

questions like 'how much milk does your child drink a day?' and I feel it's not

geared up to breastfeeding families.

 

I'm already doing the 'adding oil / ground almonds / not always using wholegrain

products' things that are recommended in 'Feeding your vegan infant - with

confidence' book and other places.

 

Wondering if anyone else has had an NHS dietician's appointment, and how it

went? And wondering if other people have managed to bring up healthy children on

a vegan diet? Have you any tips for getting him to eat more healthy food?

 

Apologies if these questions have been asked / answered before by others, I'm

new to the group.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Catherine

[Guest guest]

Breastfeeding should be continued for a minimum of 2 years, whenever possible.

Nutritionally oriented doctors such as Dr. John McDougall have discussed this in

their books. It's not new information. It's just not " mainstream " , so mainstream

people tend not to listen. La Leche League is a good source of factual

breastfeeding info, if you need it. It is not at all uncommon for kids to go a

year or longer doing breastmilk ONLY. Thin babies are just fine and normal, in

the absence of obvious illness. I have a very thin child (my only thin one out

of six biological and three adopted children). He is growing, normal, bright,

active, and healthy. That's all that matters. No amount of " fattening him up "

made any difference whatsoever. He is who he is intended to be. If your child is

active, alert, growing, and healthy--where's the problem? Hospital dieticians

know next to nothing about TRUE nutrition. Try instead to seek out a

nutritionally oriented specialist, if possible. Of COURSE those forms aren't

geared towards your family, or towards REAL healthy diets! The people who create

those forms know NOTHING about health!

 

When my husband was out of work last year, I applied for WIC, thinking it would

help us pay for nutritious foods. WRONG. They advocated dairy (and it was lowfat

or fat free, pasteurized dairy--the absolute WORST quality of dairy for growing

children, if dairy is used!). They offered cheese. They offered peanut butter

(my toddler has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts). They offered juices

(loaded with sugars, pasteurized, low quality as compared to juicing real

fruits). They offered cereals (just about all of them contained artificial

colors, flavors, BHT as a preservative, or were otherwise nutritionally

inferior). And that is the government's idea of " nutrition " . Ummmm....no thanks.

I bought the beans they had on the WIC cards, and never went back. It wasn't

worth my time. But that's what a mainstream nutritionist will advocate, in most

cases. I find that sad. Don't get me wrong--I use many mainstream foods,

including cereals and juices from the store. I'm not a " food snob " --can't afford

to be! LOL! But I do know better, and choose the best I am financially able to.

 

I hope others here can give you some practical advice as to how to deal with

these various " authorities " who have more power, and less knowledge, than is

good for them, in many cases. Vegan families can, and have been seriously harmed

by worthless, unfounded suspicions, by uninformed bystanders and government

employeees. Arm yourself with knowledge and try to find some supportive,

knowledgeable experts on vegan nutrition and child development. Even the

American Dietetic Association has come around to admitting that a child can

grow, thrive, and be healthy on a vegetarian diet. I believe they also mention a

vegan diet (well planned) as being healthy and adequate. If this mainstream

national organization can say this, anyone who questions the nutritional

adequacy of a vegan diet for growing children doesn't have any basis for saying

otherwise, even if they are mainstream oriented.

 

The Hallelujah Acres (Christian vegan--www.hacres.com) magazine recently

featured a young lady who is a competitive athlete (gymnastics), and thriving

vegan child. There's nothing unusual about this. Dr. Doug Graham is a good

source for information about veganism and health, especially as it relates to

athletics. There's WAY too much known about the adequacy and superior health of

vegans--adults and children--for anyone to question this any longer. Dr. Olin

Idol of Hallelujah Acres has written extensively about the adequacy (and

superiority) of vegan diets for children, babies, and pregnant women. You can

purchase his book on their website.

 

Hope something I said is helpful to you! Marilyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

guycatherine <applemoy

 

Wed, May 5, 2010 6:37 am

Dietician visit pending for low weight toddler ...

 

 

 

 

We're due to take our 15-month-old son to see a dietician at our local hospital

next week, as our health visitor is concerned about his low weight.

 

We are vegans and bringing him up as a vegan; he is still breastfeeding and some

days hardly eats any solid food at all. I've got a feeling we're going to be

advised to cut down on breast milk and give him meat and dairy products, though

I may be proved wrong. In the food diary we're supposed to be keeping, there are

questions like 'how much milk does your child drink a day?' and I feel it's not

geared up to breastfeeding families.

 

I'm already doing the 'adding oil / ground almonds / not always using wholegrain

products' things that are recommended in 'Feeding your vegan infant - with

confidence' book and other places.

 

Wondering if anyone else has had an NHS dietician's appointment, and how it

went? And wondering if other people have managed to bring up healthy children on

a vegan diet? Have you any tips for getting him to eat more healthy food?

 

Apologies if these questions have been asked / answered before by others, I'm

new to the group.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Catherine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

This is such a helpful reply - thank you so much for taking the time to

write it.

 

You said some things I sort of knew already but didn't have the confidence

to fully admit to, and I do feel now I've read this that I'll be able to

stand up to the dietician and the health visitor, and to continue to make

choices we feel instinctively are right for our boy.

 

Catherine

 

On 5 May 2010 14:13, <youhavehowmany wrote:

 

>

>

>

> Breastfeeding should be continued for a minimum of 2 years, whenever

> possible. Nutritionally oriented doctors such as Dr. John McDougall have

> discussed this in their books. It's not new information. It's just not

> " mainstream " , so mainstream people tend not to listen. La Leche League is a

> good source of factual breastfeeding info, if you need it. It is not at all

> uncommon for kids to go a year or longer doing breastmilk ONLY. Thin babies

> are just fine and normal, in the absence of obvious illness. I have a very

> thin child (my only thin one out of six biological and three adopted

> children). He is growing, normal, bright, active, and healthy. That's all

> that matters. No amount of " fattening him up " made any difference

> whatsoever. He is who he is intended to be. If your child is active, alert,

> growing, and healthy--where's the problem? Hospital dieticians know next to

> nothing about TRUE nutrition. Try instead to seek out a nutritionally

> oriented specialist, if possible. Of COURSE those forms aren't geared

> towards your family, or towards REAL healthy diets! The people who create

> those forms know NOTHING about health!

>

> When my husband was out of work last year, I applied for WIC, thinking it

> would help us pay for nutritious foods. WRONG. They advocated dairy (and it

> was lowfat or fat free, pasteurized dairy--the absolute WORST quality of

> dairy for growing children, if dairy is used!). They offered cheese. They

> offered peanut butter (my toddler has a life-threatening allergy to

> peanuts). They offered juices (loaded with sugars, pasteurized, low quality

> as compared to juicing real fruits). They offered cereals (just about all of

> them contained artificial colors, flavors, BHT as a preservative, or were

> otherwise nutritionally inferior). And that is the government's idea of

> " nutrition " . Ummmm....no thanks. I bought the beans they had on the WIC

> cards, and never went back. It wasn't worth my time. But that's what a

> mainstream nutritionist will advocate, in most cases. I find that sad. Don't

> get me wrong--I use many mainstream foods, including cereals and juices from

> the store. I'm not a " food snob " --can't afford to be! LOL! But I do know

> better, and choose the best I am financially able to.

>

> I hope others here can give you some practical advice as to how to deal

> with these various " authorities " who have more power, and less knowledge,

> than is good for them, in many cases. Vegan families can, and have been

> seriously harmed by worthless, unfounded suspicions, by uninformed

> bystanders and government employeees. Arm yourself with knowledge and try to

> find some supportive, knowledgeable experts on vegan nutrition and child

> development. Even the American Dietetic Association has come around to

> admitting that a child can grow, thrive, and be healthy on a vegetarian

> diet. I believe they also mention a vegan diet (well planned) as being

> healthy and adequate. If this mainstream national organization can say this,

> anyone who questions the nutritional adequacy of a vegan diet for growing

> children doesn't have any basis for saying otherwise, even if they are

> mainstream oriented.

>

> The Hallelujah Acres (Christian vegan--www.hacres.com) magazine recently

> featured a young lady who is a competitive athlete (gymnastics), and

> thriving vegan child. There's nothing unusual about this. Dr. Doug Graham is

> a good source for information about veganism and health, especially as it

> relates to athletics. There's WAY too much known about the adequacy and

> superior health of vegans--adults and children--for anyone to question this

> any longer. Dr. Olin Idol of Hallelujah Acres has written extensively about

> the adequacy (and superiority) of vegan diets for children, babies, and

> pregnant women. You can purchase his book on their website.

>

> Hope something I said is helpful to you! Marilyn

>

>

>

> guycatherine <applemoy <applemoy%40googlemail.com>>

> <%40>

> Wed, May 5, 2010 6:37 am

> Dietician visit pending for low weight toddler ...

>

> We're due to take our 15-month-old son to see a dietician at our local

> hospital next week, as our health visitor is concerned about his low weight.

>

>

> We are vegans and bringing him up as a vegan; he is still breastfeeding and

> some days hardly eats any solid food at all. I've got a feeling we're going

> to be advised to cut down on breast milk and give him meat and dairy

> products, though I may be proved wrong. In the food diary we're supposed to

> be keeping, there are questions like 'how much milk does your child drink a

> day?' and I feel it's not geared up to breastfeeding families.

>

> I'm already doing the 'adding oil / ground almonds / not always using

> wholegrain products' things that are recommended in 'Feeding your vegan

> infant - with confidence' book and other places.

>

> Wondering if anyone else has had an NHS dietician's appointment, and how it

> went? And wondering if other people have managed to bring up healthy

> children on a vegan diet? Have you any tips for getting him to eat more

> healthy food?

>

> Apologies if these questions have been asked / answered before by others,

> I'm new to the group.

>

> Thanks in advance!

>

> Catherine

>

>

[Guest guest]

Good luck at your meeting. I would second educating yourself (and printing out

copies) of information from La Leche and other sources. Is the weight the only

concern that you and your doctors have about your baby? Is your son meeting his

other milestones? If he is then weight shouldn't be an issue, he just might be a

small baby. Also, is he losing weight or has he been gaining weight and just not

at the " normal " weight for other kids his age? Are you concerned with his

weight?

 

My son nursed exclusively for the first 12 months of his life and then after

that breast milk was the main staple in his diet and he would snack on other

foods. My husband and I were vegetarian for years before I became pregnant and

then when my son was 6 months old we went vegan and we are all vegan today.

Another source of information would be Vegfamily.

 

Good luck and go with your gut!

 

Kari

[Guest guest]

YW, Catherine! As a homeschool mom, and someone who does a LOT of things

outside the " mainstream " , I am constantly needing to be aware of how uninformed,

or misinformed people can harm our families, in many ways. I am glad something I

said resonated with you, Catherine. Good luck, and please let us know how things

go. I'll be thinking of you! Marilyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catherine Guy <applemoy

 

Wed, May 5, 2010 6:14 pm

Re: Dietician visit pending for low weight toddler ...

 

 

 

 

This is such a helpful reply - thank you so much for taking the time to

write it.

 

You said some things I sort of knew already but didn't have the confidence

to fully admit to, and I do feel now I've read this that I'll be able to

stand up to the dietician and the health visitor, and to continue to make

choices we feel instinctively are right for our boy.

 

Catherine

 

On 5 May 2010 14:13, <youhavehowmany wrote:

 

>

>

>

> Breastfeeding should be continued for a minimum of 2 years, whenever

> possible. Nutritionally oriented doctors such as Dr. John McDougall have

> discussed this in their books. It's not new information. It's just not

> " mainstream " , so mainstream people tend not to listen. La Leche League is a

> good source of factual breastfeeding info, if you need it. It is not at all

> uncommon for kids to go a year or longer doing breastmilk ONLY. Thin babies

> are just fine and normal, in the absence of obvious illness. I have a very

> thin child (my only thin one out of six biological and three adopted

> children). He is growing, normal, bright, active, and healthy. That's all

> that matters. No amount of " fattening him up " made any difference

> whatsoever. He is who he is intended to be. If your child is active, alert,

> growing, and healthy--where's the problem? Hospital dieticians know next to

> nothing about TRUE nutrition. Try instead to seek out a nutritionally

> oriented specialist, if possible. Of COURSE those forms aren't geared

> towards your family, or towards REAL healthy diets! The people who create

> those forms know NOTHING about health!

>

> When my husband was out of work last year, I applied for WIC, thinking it

> would help us pay for nutritious foods. WRONG. They advocated dairy (and it

> was lowfat or fat free, pasteurized dairy--the absolute WORST quality of

> dairy for growing children, if dairy is used!). They offered cheese. They

> offered peanut butter (my toddler has a life-threatening allergy to

> peanuts). They offered juices (loaded with sugars, pasteurized, low quality

> as compared to juicing real fruits). They offered cereals (just about all of

> them contained artificial colors, flavors, BHT as a preservative, or were

> otherwise nutritionally inferior). And that is the government's idea of

> " nutrition " . Ummmm....no thanks. I bought the beans they had on the WIC

> cards, and never went back. It wasn't worth my time. But that's what a

> mainstream nutritionist will advocate, in most cases. I find that sad. Don't

> get me wrong--I use many mainstream foods, including cereals and juices from

> the store. I'm not a " food snob " --can't afford to be! LOL! But I do know

> better, and choose the best I am financially able to.

>

> I hope others here can give you some practical advice as to how to deal

> with these various " authorities " who have more power, and less knowledge,

> than is good for them, in many cases. Vegan families can, and have been

> seriously harmed by worthless, unfounded suspicions, by uninformed

> bystanders and government employeees. Arm yourself with knowledge and try to

> find some supportive, knowledgeable experts on vegan nutrition and child

> development. Even the American Dietetic Association has come around to

> admitting that a child can grow, thrive, and be healthy on a vegetarian

> diet. I believe they also mention a vegan diet (well planned) as being

> healthy and adequate. If this mainstream national organization can say this,

> anyone who questions the nutritional adequacy of a vegan diet for growing

> children doesn't have any basis for saying otherwise, even if they are

> mainstream oriented.

>

> The Hallelujah Acres (Christian vegan--www.hacres.com) magazine recently

> featured a young lady who is a competitive athlete (gymnastics), and

> thriving vegan child. There's nothing unusual about this. Dr. Doug Graham is

> a good source for information about veganism and health, especially as it

> relates to athletics. There's WAY too much known about the adequacy and

> superior health of vegans--adults and children--for anyone to question this

> any longer. Dr. Olin Idol of Hallelujah Acres has written extensively about

> the adequacy (and superiority) of vegan diets for children, babies, and

> pregnant women. You can purchase his book on their website.

>

> Hope something I said is helpful to you! Marilyn

>

>

>

> guycatherine <applemoy <applemoy%40googlemail.com>>

> <%40>

> Wed, May 5, 2010 6:37 am

> Dietician visit pending for low weight toddler ...

>

> We're due to take our 15-month-old son to see a dietician at our local

> hospital next week, as our health visitor is concerned about his low weight.

>

>

> We are vegans and bringing him up as a vegan; he is still breastfeeding and

> some days hardly eats any solid food at all. I've got a feeling we're going

> to be advised to cut down on breast milk and give him meat and dairy

> products, though I may be proved wrong. In the food diary we're supposed to

> be keeping, there are questions like 'how much milk does your child drink a

> day?' and I feel it's not geared up to breastfeeding families.

>

> I'm already doing the 'adding oil / ground almonds / not always using

> wholegrain products' things that are recommended in 'Feeding your vegan

> infant - with confidence' book and other places.

>

> Wondering if anyone else has had an NHS dietician's appointment, and how it

> went? And wondering if other people have managed to bring up healthy

> children on a vegan diet? Have you any tips for getting him to eat more

> healthy food?

>

> Apologies if these questions have been asked / answered before by others,

> I'm new to the group.

>

> Thanks in advance!

>

> Catherine

>

>

[Guest guest]

" Hospital dieticians know next to

> nothing about TRUE nutrition. "

 

Marilyn,

 

You are so completely right. I know because I, being naturally interested in

nutrition, worked on a bachelor's in dietetics for a while. How silly! The

textbooks used are all sponsored by the USDA, and feature the food pyramids with

dairy as its own nutritious group and the protein section is all meat with one

small can of beans in the background (I was in school only a couple of years

ago, and these books were NEW). Every time I submitted a project where we had

to write recipes or journal nutritional value of meals the professors always

underscored mine because there was never " enough protein " and would suggest that

if I was so adamant about not including meats that I at least include TOFU at

EVERY MEAL!

Besides the obvious prejudices against vegetarians and vegans, more than HALF

the curriculum of a 4-year dietetics degree is food system management classes,

including an entire class about how to operate computer software that plans

meals for large-scale food operations (hospitals and nursing homes). There is

very precious little taught about the actual chemistry of food, nutrition, and

the body.

I volunteered at our local hospital for a few years on the pediatric floor

planning activities for the children and spending time with them. I've

literally spoon-fed some of the most disgusting crap ( " food " ) I've ever seen to

children that are suffering and in many cases dying. Once I fed cooked ground

beef in gravy to a little boy with brain cancer...that was all they sent up for

him, and he ate that (and only that) regularly. I've also witnessed pizza, bags

of doritos, scrambled eggs with cheese, and chicken nuggets with fries served to

these children for lunch. I've never seen anything that I would consider

healthy, with the exception of the occasional apple sauce (but it's packed with

sugar, of course). What brilliant people are at the helm of this food program?

Registered Dieticians.

 

-Sarah

 

 

 

On 5 May 2010 14:13, <youhavehowmany@ aol.com> wrote:

 

>

>

>

> Breastfeeding should be continued for a minimum of 2 years, whenever

> possible. Nutritionally oriented doctors such as Dr. John McDougall have

> discussed this in their books. It's not new information. It's just not

> " mainstream " , so mainstream people tend not to listen. La Leche League is a

> good source of factual breastfeeding info, if you need it. It is not at all

> uncommon for kids to go a year or longer doing breastmilk ONLY. Thin babies

> are just fine and normal, in the absence of obvious illness. I have a very

> thin child (my only thin one out of six biological and three adopted

> children). He is growing, normal, bright, active, and healthy. That's all

> that matters. No amount of " fattening him up " made any difference

> whatsoever. He is who he is intended to be. If your child is active, alert,

> growing, and healthy--where' s the problem? Hospital dieticians know next to

> nothing about TRUE nutrition. Try instead to seek out a nutritionally

> oriented specialist, if possible. Of COURSE those forms aren't geared

> towards your family, or towards REAL healthy diets! The people who create

> those forms know NOTHING about health!

>

> When my husband was out of work last year, I applied for WIC, thinking it

> would help us pay for nutritious foods. WRONG. They advocated dairy (and it

> was lowfat or fat free, pasteurized dairy--the absolute WORST quality of

> dairy for growing children, if dairy is used!). They offered cheese. They

> offered peanut butter (my toddler has a life-threatening allergy to

> peanuts). They offered juices (loaded with sugars, pasteurized, low quality

> as compared to juicing real fruits). They offered cereals (just about all of

> them contained artificial colors, flavors, BHT as a preservative, or were

> otherwise nutritionally inferior). And that is the government's idea of

> " nutrition " . Ummmm....no thanks. I bought the beans they had on the WIC

> cards, and never went back. It wasn't worth my time. But that's what a

> mainstream nutritionist will advocate, in most cases. I find that sad. Don't

> get me wrong--I use many mainstream foods, including cereals and juices from

> the store. I'm not a " food snob " --can't afford to be! LOL! But I do know

> better, and choose the best I am financially able to.

>

> I hope others here can give you some practical advice as to how to deal

> with these various " authorities " who have more power, and less knowledge,

> than is good for them, in many cases. Vegan families can, and have been

> seriously harmed by worthless, unfounded suspicions, by uninformed

> bystanders and government employeees. Arm yourself with knowledge and try to

> find some supportive, knowledgeable experts on vegan nutrition and child

> development. Even the American Dietetic Association has come around to

> admitting that a child can grow, thrive, and be healthy on a vegetarian

> diet. I believe they also mention a vegan diet (well planned) as being

> healthy and adequate. If this mainstream national organization can say this,

> anyone who questions the nutritional adequacy of a vegan diet for growing

> children doesn't have any basis for saying otherwise, even if they are

> mainstream oriented.

>

> The Hallelujah Acres (Christian vegan--www.hacres. com) magazine recently

> featured a young lady who is a competitive athlete (gymnastics) , and

> thriving vegan child. There's nothing unusual about this. Dr. Doug Graham is

> a good source for information about veganism and health, especially as it

> relates to athletics. There's WAY too much known about the adequacy and

> superior health of vegans--adults and children--for anyone to question this

> any longer. Dr. Olin Idol of Hallelujah Acres has written extensively about

> the adequacy (and superiority) of vegan diets for children, babies, and

> pregnant women. You can purchase his book on their website.

>

> Hope something I said is helpful to you! Marilyn

>

>

>

> guycatherine <applemoy@googlemail .com <applemoy%40googlem ail.com>>

> @gro ups.com <% 40. com>

> Wed, May 5, 2010 6:37 am

> Dietician visit pending for low weight toddler ...

>

> We're due to take our 15-month-old son to see a dietician at our local

> hospital next week, as our health visitor is concerned about his low weight.

>

>

> We are vegans and bringing him up as a vegan; he is still breastfeeding and

> some days hardly eats any solid food at all. I've got a feeling we're going

> to be advised to cut down on breast milk and give him meat and dairy

> products, though I may be proved wrong. In the food diary we're supposed to

> be keeping, there are questions like 'how much milk does your child drink a

> day?' and I feel it's not geared up to breastfeeding families.

>

> I'm already doing the 'adding oil / ground almonds / not always using

> wholegrain products' things that are recommended in 'Feeding your vegan

> infant - with confidence' book and other places.

>

> Wondering if anyone else has had an NHS dietician's appointment, and how it

> went? And wondering if other people have managed to bring up healthy

> children on a vegan diet? Have you any tips for getting him to eat more

> healthy food?

>

> Apologies if these questions have been asked / answered before by others,

> I'm new to the group.

>

> Thanks in advance!

>

> Catherine

>

>

[Guest guest]

Catherine,

 

I have not had an NHS dietitian's appointment, but I did have an appointment

with a hospital dietitian in the US when I was pregnant and not gaining " enough "

weight. It was a very pleasant experience. My dietitian was very respectful of

my vegan diet, and worked me to find foods that I would like and that fit into

my personal situation. We also had a pretty interesting conversation about food

and nutrition in general, with both of us learning a good bit. I think the

dietitian enjoyed a conversation with someone who was generally quite concerned

about healthy eating. I suspect that she does not get so many of those.

 

I don't know how representative my dietitian experience was. I did ask her about

her experience with vegetarian diets before the appointment. If she had not been

positive about vegetarianism on the phone, I would have tried to find a

different provider. Is that an option for you?

 

As for your toddler, my son stopped gaining weight at about the same age. I

can't quite remember the timing, but somewhere around his 1st of 2nd year

well-child visit, he had gained no weight over the previous year. We really

worked with him to get him to eat more at each meal. Also, I took advantage of

the monthly free call a dietitian program that VRG offers. (They have one

tomorrow. See http://www.vrg.org/blog/2010/04/19/call-a-dietitian-day-on-may-7/)

 

Now my son is now an extraordinarily healthy five year old. I think he has had

about two sick days in the last four years--even though he's been in preschool

or kindergarten 5 days a week. However, we still work with him to make sure he

eats enough. It's a little hard for me, because I strongly believe people should

listen to internal queues about hunger, but the nagging does seem helpful in his

case. He's still quite thin, but he has been gaining along his growth curve.

 

Good luck,

 

Sharon

[Guest guest]

I don't have any experience with the NHS as we're in the US but wanted to

answer. Our son is three years old, vegan and very healthy. Here is a page that

shows of other vegan children, from infants to teens.

http://veganhealth.org/articles/realveganchildren

 

Our national dietetic association has also put out a position statement

affirming that a well planned diet is suitable for all stages of life, including

kids of all ages. I think a similar thing for you would be the British Dietetic

Association, and they have info on their site for vegetarians and vegans and

said in one press release - " In terms of nutrition, a well balanced vegetarian

diet can provide all the key nutrients needed in the body, at all ages... " It

may be up to the particular person you meet with, but they might not necessarily

be opposed to your vegan diet.

 

Do you have concerns about his weight? Is he otherwise thriving, meeting

milestones, etc.? Just remember that the dietitian (and health visitor) can

suggest things all they want, but it's really up to you to decide if and how you

want to take their advice.

 

One thing I learned with our son's 2-year doctor visit was that if they ask you

how much milk he drinks, include breastmilk. If you know the amount (perhaps if

drinking any of it out of bottles or cups) let them know how much or at least

mention that he is drinking lots. They were using my answer to this question

specifically to make recommendations and then when I said he is still nursing

they got irritated, like I should have known to include that in total milk

intake from the start.

 

Heather

http://unsheeply.net

 

 

, " guycatherine " <applemoy wrote:

>

> We're due to take our 15-month-old son to see a dietician at our local

hospital next week, as our health visitor is concerned about his low weight.

>

> We are vegans and bringing him up as a vegan; he is still breastfeeding and

some days hardly eats any solid food at all. I've got a feeling we're going to

be advised to cut down on breast milk and give him meat and dairy products,

though I may be proved wrong. In the food diary we're supposed to be keeping,

there are questions like 'how much milk does your child drink a day?' and I feel

it's not geared up to breastfeeding families.

>

> I'm already doing the 'adding oil / ground almonds / not always using

wholegrain products' things that are recommended in 'Feeding your vegan infant -

with confidence' book and other places.

>

> Wondering if anyone else has had an NHS dietician's appointment, and how it

went? And wondering if other people have managed to bring up healthy children on

a vegan diet? Have you any tips for getting him to eat more healthy food?

>

> Apologies if these questions have been asked / answered before by others, I'm

new to the group.

>

> Thanks in advance!

>

> Catherine

>