“Health is a relationship between you and your body”
-Terri Guilleme
Managing social emotional learning (SEL) needs can be challenging, but nutrition plays a crucial role in supporting brain health and improving emotional and cognitive health. Our nutritional counseling provides personalized dietary plans tailored to the unique needs of each child. We focus on balanced meals, essential nutrients, and practical strategies to help manage symptoms. Whether it’s addressing food sensitivities, optimizing mealtimes, or incorporating brain healthy foods, our experts are here to guide you every step of the way. Empower yourself and your child with the right nutrition for a healthier, more balanced life.
How a Nutritionist and Dietitian Can Help:
- Assess your child’s current diet and ensure it is nutritionally balanced.
- Discuss the role of food in our emotional and cognitive health.
- Explain the difference between high-quality and low-quality foods, emphasizing the importance of consuming the former while limiting the latter.
- Highlight the importance of consuming high-quality protein regularly to boost energy, keep you full longer, and ease emotional /social/cognitive-related challenges.
- Ensure your child’s diet includes complex carbohydrates (e.g., fruits and vegetables).
- List foods to avoid, such as simple carbohydrates.
- Discuss the side effects of sugar, caffeine, artificial additives, and allergens.
- Teach how to regulate blood sugar levels to prevent irritability, brain fog, “hanger,” anxiety, and excessive worrying.
- Discuss vitamin and mineral supplementation if necessary.
- Assist with elimination diets to improve symptoms, if applicable.
- Promote digestive health (the “second brain”) through optimal fiber intake and essential nutrients like B vitamins, probiotics, fluids, and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Increase intake of plant compounds, such as polyphenols and antioxidants, to enhance brain function.
- Discuss how diet and lifestyle choices affect feelings and thoughts.
- Address lifestyle behaviors that can disrupt emotion/cognition.
- Create a personalized nutrition meal plan.
- Manage disordered eating patterns with an eating disorder dietitian and nutritionist, if needed.
- Learn about the gut-brain connection from a gut health dietitian.
- Address any co-existing conditions.
- Our approach ensures that you or your child receives comprehensive support to thrive and succeed through better nutrition tailored needs.