Diet-related Conditions
Dietary Treatment Tools
Diet-related Conditions
Dietary Treatment Tools
Constipation describes from the slow movement of poo through the bowel, which is affected by body movement, food, fibre and fluid intake, breath, stress & anxiety, repeated illness and the quality of the gut microbiota. Laxatives can help clear the bowel of slow moving pooh, and in the longer term, dietary treatment is often needed to help young children avoid getting stuck on laxatives. A collection of symptoms rather than a condition, constipation is especially common in the toddler years during toilet training. If un-tackled, it can become a tricky problem to solve, and can take years to treat effectively. Constipation can affect children of any age, and for teens is a symptom of irritable bowel syndrome. Fear of toileting; painful evacuation, holding in pooh and abdominal pain are all features, with diarrhoea showing up also as sneaky-pooh, otherwise known as overflow.
Ongoing loose pooh really gets in the way of daily life, and is difficult to manage at any age. Carine considers the causes of loose stools in young children and teens with a careful history and dietary adjustment. Too much fructose or other sugars, food sensitivity or an increased transit time are common issues that are typically within a normal spectrum.
A close look at the nature of symptoms, what, when and how food is eaten can all help to provide pointers to manage symptoms. If loose stools are associated with growth faltering, poor appetite, persistent abdominal pain or IBS, a medical review may be suggested.
Carine offers a combination of toileting, food, fibre and fluid advice alongside selected probiotics and body awareness which help form and maintain new habits. Children generally respond well to praise and progress, and so positive feedback, effective praise and encouragement are necessary and valuable in managing constipation. Typically, I would address a range of constipation matters over several appointments, over the course of 1 year.
Assessing current intake, and meeting families and individual children where they are, working towards meeting needs for age group, using step by step targets.
From potty training, early-school age and in the teenage years, getting more comfortable with toileting, timing and positioning, when and where is there holding, patterns of experience.
Plant foods, wholegrains, fermented and prebiotic foods and probiotic supplements all have a role to play in supporting good elimination.
Responding to awareness of body signals, using breathwork, becoming aware of patterns of holding, tension, understanding the patterns of the bowel.
IBS is a collection of symptoms rather than a condition, and with no diagnostic test available. A diagnosis is made if there is a 3 month or longer history of abdominal pain, with pain around toileting plus either constipation or loose stools. Dietary treatments for IBS are very effective for many people, and the FODMAP diet has been used successfully in adults. However, it is not evidenced for children or teenagers, and the diet itself is restrictive, difficult to follow, and may cause additional stress or indeed nutritional deficiencies for young people. Other mindful treatments, are equally successful as dietary treatment and include breath work, meditation, mindful eating, yoga and talking therapy AKA lifestyle advice.
Carine’s approach to treating IBS in young people is a holistic one, including food, nutrition, diet diversity, lifestyle and supporting behaviour-change. Learning how to self-regulate and manage symptoms with awareness and diet. Dietary treatment may include single exclusions or modifications, and seeks to improve the quality of the diet, build and support the gut microbiota. A 12-week yoga programme, with breath work offers an evidence-based alternative to dietary treatment; I offer integration of the two.
For any general enquiries, please fill in the form with the necessary information. Any information about booking treatments or assessments can be found below.
Carine offers accessible online workshops on a variety of topics, designed to provide a space alongside others to listen, learn, share, practice and develop tools and strategies for nutritional health.
08/03/2023
Making Mealtimes Better : Structure, Nurture & Boundaries Accessible and full of sensible evidence-based information to support feeding young children well, Making Mealtimes Better is on-line workshop series is designed...
05/07/2021
Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most common nutritional problem affecting infants with 60% of 6-12 month old babies in the UK having low dietary iron intake, a key risk...
09/01/2020
I really do get it - it's hard to make time on a school morning to prepare a nutritious breakfast. My teenage daughter Izzy and I teamed up to produce...
26/11/2019
Many people are confused about the difference between lactose intolerance and cow's milk allergy. Misunderstood as same condition; the terms lactose intolerance and cow's milk allergy are used interchangeably and...
30/10/2019
Following a 2 - 6 week low lactose diet to treat lactose intolerance, your child should now be well on their way to recovery from symptoms. Reintroducing lactose back into...
02/10/2019
Infants and children need good sources of calcium in their diets on a daily basis. Calcium absorption in the gut is variable and ranges from 25-50%, increasing when intake is...
