Food Diary – Keep track of your child’s food needs and challenges.

Is your child presenting symptoms that are indicative of a potential allergy? Similarly, is your child facing stomach discomfort due to something he/she may have eaten today? Is a specific food causing constipation in your child? These and many other questions can be analyzed by your nutritionist for problems your child may be facing with food. In order to do so, you must start regularly maintaining a food diary for your child.

A child with special needs may have to deal with one or all of three concerns with regard to meeting their nutritional requirements –

• Their altered nutritional requirements/preferences (e.g. specific allergies, constipation, diarrhea)
• Physical deformities that hinder with eating (e.g. chewing difficulties and swallowing)
• Specific behavioral influences that may impact their eating routines (e.g. picky eating, sensory needs)

Hence, it becomes very important to understand the exact nature of the challenges your child may be facing. To pinpoint these challenges parents must keep note of what their child is consuming. Along with the form in which they are consuming a specific food. In fact, keeping a food diary of your child’s eating habits will also prove to be valuable to draw up a specific meal plan for your child.

Acknowledgement: We thank Ms. Shruti Kelkar, Nutritionist for advice and guidance in drafting this toolkit.

If you have questions about Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, or other intellectual disabilities, or have concerns about developmental delays in a child, the Nayi Disha team is here to help. So, for any questions or queries, please contact our FREE Helpline at 844-844-8996. You can either call or what’s app us.

You can also download this free booklet on nutrition featured around special needs challenges. We have a second booklet that highlights nutritional requirements and challenges for children with Down syndrome.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this guide is for information purposes only. Please consult a qualified health practitioner for safe management.