Nutrition for Specific Medical Conditions

For general information on food allergies, the following websites are useful:

• Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy website
• Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia – “Feeding my child with food allergy” webinars
• Food allergy education website (including "Reading label" information)

Dietary information on specific allergies

• Dietary avoidance for food allergy – frequently asked questions
  
• Cow’s milk allergy
• Cow’s milk and soy allergy
• Wheat allergy
• Egg allergy
• Fish allergy
• Peanut allergy
• Tree nut allergy
• Sesame allergy
• Shellfish allergy
• Soy allergy

Recipe books

• Go Nuts
  Ideas on how to incorporate nuts in to your child's diet.

Fact sheets

• Calcium information
  Calcium is required for the normal development and maintenance of the skeleton as well as for the proper functioning of neuromuscular and cardiac function. It is stored in the teeth and bones where it provides structure and strength. Calcium is found predominantly in cow's milk and dairy based foods. If avoiding cow's milk it is important to include appropriate calcium containing substitutes and/or a calcium supplement.
• Food additives
  Food additives are used to enhance the flavour, appearance, freshness or shelf-life of foods.

Fact sheets

• Low lactose diet for children
  Lactose is the natural sugar found in milk and milk products. Lactose intolerance occurs when the body cannot digest and absorb lactose well. Common symptoms include bloating, diarrhoea, wind and pain after eating foods high in lactose. Lactose intolerance may be temporary (for example after gastroenteritis) or may be a longer lasting problem.
• Low fructose diet for children
  Fructose (sometimes called fruit sugar) is a natural sugar that is mainly found in fruit, honey and processed foods.
• Low sucrose diet for children
  Sucrose is the sugar from sugar cane – also known as table sugar. The main sources are sugar we add ourselves (e.g. sprinkled on cereal or added in cooking), sugar added to processed foods, and sugar found naturally in some fruits and vegetables.
  
• Low fibre diet
  Lowering the amount of fibre that travels through the bowel can be helpful when the bowel is irritated, inflamed or narrowed. It is also used before and after some types of surgery.

Fact sheets

• Food safety and food hygiene – practices for patients undergoing cancer treatment
  This fact sheet provides you with information on safe foods and food hygiene practices for when you are having chemotherapy.
• Healthy Eating and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL)
  This resource can be used by adolescents or parents/caregivers of adolescents/children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Children/adolescents who are survivors of ALL may experience weight gain after treatment. This resource provides information on normal healthy eating and tips to assist families and you to achieve a healthy weight by choosing the right balance of nutrition and being physically active.
• Nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy
  This fact sheet provides you with information on how to try to reduce nausea and vomiting during and after chemotherapy.
• Super snacks for children undergoing cancer treatment
  Choosing high calorie snacks and drinks if your child is not eating as much as usual or your child has lost weight is a good way to increase total calorie intake in the diet.
• Low iodine diet
  This is a low iodine diet. not an iodine-free diet. All foods, except for highly refined products, contain a certain amount of iodine, and therefore are only allowed in restricted amounts.
• Taste changes during chemotherapy
  This fact sheet provides you with information on how to overcome taste changes during chemotherapy.

These education resources are specifically targeted for children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and their families. Children with CF often need to follow a high energy diet and require salt supplementation. They may also need to be on pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to help them digest and absorb food. Children with CF should see a dietitian who specialises in the area regularly to monitor their growth and give individualised dietary advice.

Fact sheets

• Nutrition for infants with newly diagnosed Cystic Fibrosis
  This fact sheet provides nutrition information for parents and carers of babies newly diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). This information will always be given as part of an appointment with a CF dietitian.
• Creon 25,000
  This fact sheet provides examples of how many enzymes to give with food and drink based on 1 scoop per 2 to 3 grams of dietary fat as a starting point.
• Creon Micro
  This fact sheet provides examples of how many enzymes to give with food and drink based on 1 scoop per 2 to 3 grams of dietary fat as a starting point.
• Creon 10,000
  This fact sheet provides examples of how many enzymes to give with food and drink based on one capsule per 4 to 6 grams of dietary fat as a starting point.
• Impaired glucose tolerance and Cystic Fibrosis related diabetes
  Information for parents and children with CF who have impaired glucose tolerance but not Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes (CFRD).
• Increasing energy intake in Cystic Fibrosis
• Pancreatic Enzymes
  Information for parents and carers about giving enzymes to children with cystic fibrosis (CF).
• Pancreatic enzymes – Further information for parents of young children
• Salt supplementation for people with Cystic Fibrosis

Fact sheets

• Glycemic Index (GI) and Diabetes
  This resource is targeted at people with diabetes. It explains the concept of glycemic index, why it is important, what factors have an effect on the GI of a food, what the numbers mean and how to use GI in eating plans. It contains a clearly set out table outlining the low, moderate and high GI options within groups of foods to help people make lower GI choices. There is also some information on the GI symbol.
• Counting carbohydrates
  This resource is specifically targeted at children with type-1 diabetes and their families. The information focuses on counting carbohydrate in grams and covers the average carbohydrate content of common foods, resources families can use to assist with carbohydrate counting, label reading, and recipe modification. It is designed to be given alongside other information on healthy eating for diabetes.
• Counting carbohydrates – pictorial
  This education resource is specifically targeted at children with type-1 diabetes and their families. The format is picture based to assist with teaching children or families with low literacy skills. The resource includes the average carbohydrate content of common foods and a meal plan template.
• Eat well and be active for Type-1 Diabetes
  To be healthy and achieve a healthy weight it is important to adjust your insulin to the food you eat, choose the right balance of healthy foods, and be physically active.
• Snack choices for Type-1 Diabetes
  Healthy eating is important for every child. Unfortunately snack times are often when children eat poor quality, highly processed foods with added fat and sugar. Examples include chips, muesli bars, biscuits, chocolate, or fruit juice. These foods don’t always fill children up and can often lead to overeating, which can lead to high blood glucose levels and weight gain.

Fact sheet

• Tube feeding: common tolerance issues
  This fact sheet provides information for when your child is not tolerating their current enteral feeding regimen.

Fact sheet

• Iron for children (Queensland Health)
  This fact sheet provides you with information on iron and good food sources to ensure that your child is getting enough iron every day.

Booklets

• Low protein diet for Phenylketonuria (PKU)
  The Low Protein Diet for Phenlketonuria (PKU) is only for children and adults with PKU. A low protein diet is part of the management of PKU – children and adults with PKU should discuss this with a specialist dietitian who is a member of a metabolic team based at a major hospital in Australia.
• First foods for Phenylketonuria (PKU)
  A low protein diet is part of the management of PKU. Starting your baby on solid foods is an important milestone in their life. This booklet provides you with practical information on introducing your baby to solid foods and progressing towards family meals.

Fact sheets

• Ketogenic diet
  The ketogenic diet is a medically and dietetically supervised diet that may be used as a treatment option in the management of epilepsy and some neurometabolic disorders. It is a high fat, low carbohydrate and moderate protein diet that makes the body burn fat instead of carbohydrate for energy. Burning fat for energy produces "ketones", and for some children having a very high level of ketones in their blood helps to reduce seizure activity or moderate their neurometabolic disease.
• Modified Atkins diet
  This fact sheet provides families with information on frequently asked questions about the Modified Atkins Diet (MAD) for children with epilepsy and treatment for some metabolic conditions. The diet should not be started without medical and dietetic supervision.

Fact sheets

• Tips for gaining weight for young people
  There are lots of reasons why a young person would lose or have trouble gaining weight such as a poor appetite, nausea, difficulty eating, surgery or illness. This fact sheet provides advice on following a high energy and high protein diet to help with weight gain.
• Tips for gaining weight for infants and children
  There are lots of reasons why children may be underweight or losing weight. Extra nutrition and extra energy (kilojoules/calories) are important to help gain weight. This fact sheet provides advice on following a high energy and high protein diet to help with weight gain.

Fact sheets

• High energy – Mince moist
  A mince moist diet may be recommended for a variety of reasons including; difficulty chewing food, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), post trauma or surgical procedures to the mouth, throat or gastrointestinal tract. This texture includes foods which are soft and moist.
• High energy – Smooth pureed foods
  A smooth puree diet may be recommended for a variety of reasons including; difficulty chewing food, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), post trauma or surgical procedures to the mouth, throat or gastrointestinal tract.
• High energy – Soft foods
  A soft diet may be recommended for a variety of reasons including; difficulty chewing food, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), post trauma or surgical procedures to the mouth, throat or gastrointestinal tract.