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

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.

Fact sheets

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.

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.