Healthy Eating and Nutrition

 Children with neuromuscular conditions have an increased risk of problems with:

• Maintaining a healthy weight. Depending on your child’s condition, overweight or underweight can be a problem.
• Keeping bones strong and healthy especially if your child is on steroids or has limited mobility.
• Constipation. 

Developing healthy eating habits from an early age may prevent or reduce the risk of these nutrition-related problems. When problems do develop they are often easier to manage when children already have healthy eating habits.

Building a healthy diet

A healthy diet contains a variety of foods from each of the 5 food groups every day.

These include:

Vegetables – may be fresh, frozen, dried or tinned and may be eaten raw or cooked. Vegetables are important sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Including a range of different coloured vegetables will increase the range of nutrients.

Fruit – may be fresh, frozen, dried or tinned and may be eaten raw or cooked. Like vegetables, fruit is also an important source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Aim for a variety of colours.

Dairy foods – such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. These foods are an important source of calcium which is important for healthy bones and teeth.

Meat and meat alternatives – such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes or beans. These foods are important sources of protein and iron.

Breads and grains – such as bread, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals. Wholegrain varieties contain more fibre which is important for healthy bowel function.

In addition to eating foods from the 5 food groups:

• Small amounts of fat or oil may be used in cooking or as a spread on bread.
• Encourage your child to drink plenty of water.
• Use “Sometimes Foods” only occasionally as a treat. "Sometimes foods" include chips, lollies, chocolate, sweetened drinks, pies pastries and many take-away foods. These foods are usually high in fat sugar and or salt. Eating too much of these foods can lead to poor intake of other more nutritious food, and an increased risk of problems maintaining a healthy weight, tooth decay and constipation. 

"Sometimes foods" are not needed every day.

Developing healthy eating habits

Young children are often fussy eaters and need help to learn develop healthy eating habits.

 The best way to help your child is by:

• Ensuring mealtimes are relaxed and enjoyable. Mealtimes should not exceed 30 minutes. Remove mealtime distractions.
• Ensure your child is comfortably seated. Older children should be seated in an upright position wherever possible.
• Providing regular meals and snacks. Avoid allowing your child to graze between meals.
• Being a positive role model. Eat together as a family as much as possible. Children learn by copying what others do, including eating what they see others eat. Avoid preparing separate meals for fussy eaters.
• Continuing to offer new foods even if rejected. It can take several times for your child to accept new foods.
• Encourage but do not pressure your child to eat certain foods. If your child is feeling pressured, they may avoid that food more.

Your dietician will help you monitor your child’s growth and assist with preventing and managing nutrition related problems. If you notice your child is coughing or struggling with any particular foods, ensure you highlight it at your next clinic appointment.

Extra resources

Below are extra resources that may help you understand more about nutrition.

• The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (image below).
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