NUTRITION FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS WITH IBD

Children and teenagers with IBD need special attention to what they eat and drink in order to get them the best possible nutrition to manage their disease and to help them grow to their full potential. As a parent or caregiver, you have a good grasp of your child's general health and most of the facts about their disease. It is still a good idea to review your child's disease overall and to consider how they are feeling and managing their symptoms and whenever that seems to change, so you can adjust their diet to meet their particular needs.    

It's useful to review the information with him or her to make sure you both have the same impressions of his or her current symptoms and concerns. That review will also give you a teaching moment to make sure he or she knows the names of the medicines they're using (not simply the white pill in the morning and the blue ones at night), in the event that  anything ever happens and you're not with them. This will help your child begin to assume responsibility to effectively manage IBD and participate in making decisions.

You may want to bring your child or teen with you to a dietitian or his / her doctor to present your concerns and to make sure your impressions are correct. Your child or teen will have the advantage of hearing the doctor's or dietitian's opinions directly, so they don't feel you are enforcing a new diet, but that any changes come with professional advice.