Bayside Dietetics
When it comes to our own children, their health is always important to us. For them to be healthy and well equipped with their daily activities, proper nutrition is necessary.
Here at Kiddipedia, we make sure we have the best team providing information and knowledge about proper child nutrition and support to those parents who have children suffering from eating disorders.
Sarah established Bayside Dietetics. She is a mother of two and fully appreciates the demands that make achieving life balance difficult! She enjoys helping everyone reach their full potential through nutrition and never tires of providing freedom and energy to those who have been in discomfort or restricted by their food issues.
She has worked for 8 years at Monash Children’s Hospital providing services to children with dietary issues relating to growth, gut disorders, disabilities, nutritional deficiencies, food intolerances, allergies, and weight concerns. Sarah established the dietetic program at the Butterfly Eating Disorder Day Program for individuals with eating disorders and has completed research into nutritional recovery from an eating disorder.
- Tell us a little bit about how and why Bayside Dietetics came about.
Bayside Dietetics came about as Paediatricians I worked with were keen for an experienced dietitian to work in the private setting to support children’s diets at home. I made the move after having my own children and absolutely love it. For me, it’s the best of my work that is talking to and supporting individuals and their families, without all those other meetings which come with working in hospitals.
- What advice can you give parents about proper nutrition for their children?
It’s not so much about giving parents more information as there is rarely a parent I see that doesn’t know enough about nutrition. Instead, I support parents to have belief in their ability to nourish their child – because parents can inspire their children by having a relationship with food that is confident and joyful (doesn’t have to be Nigella joyful…). If parents are not comfortable with their strategies to nourish their children then like any diet fad, it is not sustainable.
Almost all parents are doing something right. Trying to get everything right all the time is overwhelming. So keep the focus on the stuff you believe is important. For example, just providing 5 different vegetables every day is a pretty big task and that would be enough for any parent to focus on at any one time. And no one needed me to say vegetables were important, right?
- What can you say about child obesity and why the increase rate?
If you take a snapshot of what kids eat today and how much they move and compare it to a time when obesity was much less prevalent, there is a big difference. Today, processed food and large portions are normalised. More than that, processed food usually comes in colourful packaging, and buying a larger size works out cheaper for the amount of extra food you get than a smaller size. So it can be really hard for parents.
Activity is a big part of the picture too and the best way we know to tackle that is to give children plenty of opportunities to be active. That isn’t about putting kids on a treadmill but taking them to a local park with a ball or playground and letting them run around!
Finally, sleep. So important and definitely underrated.
- What can the Kiddi-Community expect from you?
I’d love to provide the Kiddi Community with realistic advice. To decipher the latest health information with a reality check on what parents can expect to do. And along the way, I’d be thrilled to inspire a reader or two with the germination of an idea about nourishing their child’s body in a new way.
- If I was a genie and could grant you three wishes, what would they be? (and why?…)
1.My first wish is so big I feel like it might take up the energy of all three. But I would be delighted if our world accepted all body shapes and sizes. We are made up so many different body types but each somebody is remarkable.
However, the ideal body shape is still promoted as a singular tall and thin shape. That is, it’s purely about looks. A young teenager recently gave me hope by articulating how she realised she wasn’t made to be thin, and she just wanted to be the best version of herself. I smile writing this.
2.My second wish would be to speed up research into cures for all the diseases and conditions that give families such a hard time.
3.And who doesn’t want a never-ending packet of TimTams (eaten mostly in moderation of course).
