First 1000 Days

Some great ideas here for healthy snacks. Be cautious in giving too much biscuit like snacks like rusks &liga which are high in added sugars.

Stigma and Eating Disorders - Walk In My Shoes

It's National Eating Disorders week this week &one of the aims is to raise more awareness about eating disorders. Have a read of this which should help give just a small bit of insight into this mental health condition.

Nic's Nutrition

Some inspiration for healthy pancake recipes for the day that's in it 😊

Children play with their food: kids who do are more likely to eat veg

I've always encouraged&advocated "messy play" for infants&toddlers from a very early age whether they are fussy eaters or not. Try and find a time separate to mealtimes to allow infants to "play" with food as it helps them feel more comfortable with the food&works on one of the sensory aspects to food. Let me know if you've tried it&how successful it was 😊

Down Syndrome Centre Cork Coffee Morning

Coffee morning coming up in Ballygarvan this weekend for a great cause. All support would be greatly appreciated.

Photos from Nutrition4u Childrens Dietetic Clinic's post

Great to see some dairy free and dairy +soya free products available in tesco for those mums&babies needing to follow elimination diets. Would have previously always have to go to a health food shop for dairy&soya free cheese alternatives. Let us know if you have tried any of these products. 😊

Daily Mail

Very true words spoken by weaning.ie This is a classic 'learning to like vegetables face'. This is what educating your baby taste buds looks like. This looks like disgust but is best interpreted as surprise. The only way to reduce the surprise is to regularly give these foods! 'Infancy is the critical time in learning to like vegetables' (University of Leeds)

Tips to get the whole family back on track

This is an excellent article in the Irish Times. 15 tips to developing healthy habits for families. And the experience of a colleague of mine Caroline a Dietitian here in Cork and how she has put these into practice. Well worth a read! All the best, Ruth http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/fitness/tips-to-get-the-whole-family-back-on-track-1.2913388

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas &a wonderful new year. I will be on annual leave from Friday 23rd December until Monday 23rd January for those that contact me through private mail on this page and I will not be able to respond to any messages during that time. Best Wishes Olivia 🎄 For appointments, you can ring Ruth during that time and she'll arrange them for you. 087-4321943/ 021-4639874.

Extra added sugar in Kellogg's and Nestle cereals makes Irish among sweetest in the world

The best breakfast cereals for kids and teenagers tend to be porridge,weetabix and Ready Brek. So many breakfast cereals aimed at kids have shocking levels of added sugars. I agree with Aveen (dietitian quoted in the article) that when choosing cereal aim for those with less than 10g sugar per 100g. In addition why not try some alternative breakfasts using eggs, wholegrain toast, nut butters, fruit and natural yogurts. Babies are born with a "sweet tooth" they need to acquire the taste for other flavours/ foods and these foods are best introduced at a young age.

Legal protection of dietitian job title is not enough to fend off nutrition quackery

Always check where or who you get your nutrition advice from making sure it is from a reputable source, especially when it is for babies,children and teenagers as the risks of misinformation are much greater in these age groups.

A Breastfeeding Emoji May Be Coming Soon — and We Needed It Like Yesterday

A brilliant project developed by a neonatal nurse I use to work with in London well done Rachel a great initiative to help promote breastfeeding.