Live webchat with nutritionist Jane Clarke, Tues 8 Feb, 12.30pm-1.30pm. UPDATE - Jane returning to answer questions she missed tonight - Tuesday 15th Feb 7.30

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We're delighted that nutritionist Jane Clarke is joining us for a webchat at 12.30pm on Tues 8 Feb.

Jane, who is a qualified dietitian, says her mission is to change people's lives through the power of nourishment.

Her latest book, Nourish, explains nutritional needs at every stage of life - children, teens, adulthood, pregnancy, middle age and over-60s.

She runs two dietetic practices (her specialist practice assists patients who have cancer and their families) and advises some of Britain's leading sportspeople.

Grab this opportunity to quiz an expert nutritionist, and join Jane on Tuesday. But if the timing doesn't work for you, post your question here as usual.

Jane I wonder if I am going too far by giving nuts to my child.
DD2 is on cmp and soya free diet (highly intolerant) and lately she becomes red on her cheeks and hands and has a bit of eczema when eating almond or coconut (no more) and the following day she is back to normal.
Is she at risk of developping nut allergy and should I completely remove nuts from her diet?

Thanks for clarifying that, Aonach.
I'm not sure how accredited this guy was, Harley street etc. French chap, you might hazard a guess...anyway...good to know the difference.

M.D., D.T.M., H.M.F.Hom are the quals listed. No idea what they mean.

Hi Jane

My DH has IBS with diarrhea, following a long period when probable giardiasis went undiagnosed.

He felt nauseous for a very long time and lost lots of weight before trying an exclusion diet. He is now able to eat essentially chicken/fish, white rice, potatoes, rice milk, goat's milk and cheese, but he avoids wheat, other dairy and anything high in fibre or too acidic. This means most fruit and veg are out,

We are concerned about the long term effects of a very low fibre diet. My question is - should he be trying to include more veg and fibre in his diet - even if it aggravates or makes him uncomfortable?

whoops, meant to add that he seems ok with carrots and bananas, but that's it.

Hi again Jane (and MN, please excuse my extra question)

Since posting my initial question, we have found out that DH's PSA levels have shot through the roof again (now 1400) and so his oncologist is taking him off the hormone therapy and he will be starting chemotherapy shortly.

With this in mind, what are the key dietary recommendations you can make to help someone through the physical effects of chemo?

Thank you.

I'm still interested in your answers to my initial questions though

Hi Jane

My daughter is 5 1/2 months old, is it ok to give her small amounts of cows milk in her food? And should I wait until she is 6 months old to give her protein?

Some really good questions here - I'm also interested in the matter of getting reluctant children to eat more vitamins and less sugar.

My main question: I have had chronic pain caused by endometriosis for many years (confirmed by laparoscopy). There is clearly a link to my bowel - endometriosis cells have been found on the bowel wall, and on the few occasions where my bowel was completely empty, ie just before an operation, I have been completely pain free (sorry to all others if TMI). Given those considerations, what dietary recommendations could you make? I've tried converting to soya milk but have noticed no improvement.

One rather annoying woman from a self-help group insists that the solution is eating three hot meals a day - she says there is something about eating hot food that helps with pain management. I suspect this is unfounded, and don't see how any old hot food is somehow better than a lovely fresh salad - surely there are more nutrients in raw food? Could you confirm that she is talking tosh, from a nutritional point of view?

Hi Jane, my ds is 7 and will only eat an extremely limited selection of foods - sausages, pasta, olives, orange juice, steak, chicken, ketchup, bread, tuna, cheese and tomato pizza, and rubbish like crisps and sweets. He doesn't eat any fruit or vegetables in their proper form and he steadfastly refuses to try new things and even sometimes refuses familiar things if they look different or have a different texture.
I do try to buy the best versions of what he will eat like high meat content sausages and organic ketchup but I know he must be enormously lacking nutritionally and I think he must often be hungry and bored by such a limited diet. He won't eat versions of the foods he does like ie he eats pasta and tuna but won't have tuna and pasta bake. He hates 'wet' food.
Do you have any tips to encourage him to try new foods and would you recommend a vitamin supplement for him? Also from reading on here other people's experiences I do wonder if he has some sort of disorder. Can you explain how I could go about finding out if this is the case?
Thanks

Hi Jane

I have your Yummy Baby book and found it really useful whilst weaning DD, now 13mo, and lots of your recipes have become family favourites.

I recently returned to full-time work and DD is picking up all the bugs at nursery and kindly passing them to me.

She is doing ok but I've had a cold since Christmas which I can't seem to shake off and, as a result, I'm feeling permanently ill and knackered under the weather and generally run down.

Any advice on what to eat to build my immunity and pep myself up?

Thanks

Hi Jane. Always loved your no nonsense approach to food. So how come they replaced you with that idiot John Briffa at The Observer? I followed your columns avidly, but hate The Biffa's rather holier than thou take on 'What's In Your Basket' I mean, will nothing please the man? 'Ooooh porridge........you do know that it will raise your blood sugar and then cause it to crash with hideous consequenses don't you' In the common parlance of MN FFS.

So Jane, when are you coming back? We need you!

Hi Jane, my son can't have additives as it affects his behaviour......... I have trouble understanding the labels on packaging........... advise please!!

Hi Jane,

I came to mumsnet to get some ideas for lunchboxes and see that you're on tomorrow. Do you have any suggestions beyond cheese sarnies and pasta salad? would sausage rolls be so terrible? or maybe sausage and veg rolls??

Hi Jane,

I have had several miscarriages over the last year (diagnosed with over-active natural killer cells, sub-clinical hypothyroid and Factor V Leiden), and the only time that I successfully carried a pregnancy I was on a very low carb diet.

Even when not low-carbing I generally eat a healthy diet, with very few sugary foods or ready meals.

I wanted to ask whether you believe that there such thing as an optimal fertility diet?

Thanks

Hello Jane,
My 7 year old daughter constantly asks if she can become vegetarian.

I'm not against the idea per se but I have no idea how to feed a vegetarian child (I am not vegetarin myself) in such a way as to ensure that her diet contains everything that she requires and so that I am not risking her future health.

What are your views on child vegetarians and can you give any advice or direct me to a reliable source from which I can find out how to ensure I feed her healthily and ideas on how to feed her.

Thank you.

Hello Jane,
what do you think of vitamin supplements for (small children).
a paed (in germany) advised me to give vitamin d (500i.e.) during the winter months. do you agree? also, what about multi vitamins? my dc eat a varied diet, so I think no need for that, but some people say that it is impossible to get everything out of a normal diet.

Please could you answer ietstartstmoz's question as we have a similar problem; 3.5 son who poos at least 4 times a day. He had reflux and has a degree of CMP intolerance. He eats a balanced diet with little processed sugar (I'm a dentist)but at least 2 portions of fruit a day more if I would let him. He is toilet trained but the pooing is incredible so any dietary advice would be welcomed.
Thank you.

Is it possible to over feed a one year old and if not what age can they start to eat more than they need?

I work a lot with serious athletes who train between 8 - 12 sessions per week (1-2 hrs in length) for a power/endurance sport where competitive races generally last between 6-8 mins in length. Since I was a competing athlete there seems to have been a shift in dietary thinking away from loads of carbs towards a more protein based diet. I wondered what your thoughts were in the carbs vs protein debate for elite athletes and what ratio you would recommend for carbs/protein/fat for male and female athletes (if different) in their overall diet.

Thanks

Hello Jane,

My son has cerebral palsy hemiplegia. It is mild and he is doing very well. He is 4 years old. I often wonder if I could improve his life/ ie awaken never discovered nerves, reduce spasticity and/ or increase energy levels through giving him iron, extra vitamins or something else.

I do realise that perhaps I should get him tested for deficiencies, but don't want to spend lots of money on something I know little about.

Thank you.

Sorry, another question....is there any official guidance on portion sizes / sizes of 5 a day etc for children at all the different ages?

Hi there.

I have high blood pressure and so add no salt when cooking vegetables etc.
However my partner complains that this makes the food lack taste and adds salt to his food all the time (as far as I know his blood pressure is OK). Now my daughter is trying to copy him and I am not sure if this is healthy or not (she is 11). Please advise.

Dear Jane

Have you any dietary advice which might reduce occurrence of cysts? I seem prone to skin cysts where a blocked pore simply gets out of control and I end up with a longstaying cyst. They are very uncomfortable and obviously unsightly if on skin not covered up. I think I must be very disposed to this, as I actually had one excised and I'm due to go back to consultant as it's recurring. Is there anything I can eat which has 'anti cyst' properties? thanks so much

Hello Jane.
My 4 year old goes through stages of not eating meat and vegetables, but will live on pasta 3 meals a day if I let her. I'm a bit concerned about this as it strikes me that she's just not getting enough good food. As an example, last night I made a pasta dish with just tinned tuna in spring water and sweetcorn with a sprinkling of cheese over and she ate all except the tuna so I'm at a loss. All my family are big foodies and not at all fussy, so it frustrates me greatly to see her picking her way through meals and often just not eating them.
She'll quite happily eat junk food such as tinned spaghetti or oven chips, whereas no one else really likes that type of food.
I will add though, that she is a fruitbat!
Can you reassure me please or give me some ideas on things to try?
Thank you!