Ep 48 - Navigating ADHD and Sensory Issues: Practical Mealtime Strategies for Families

In today's episode, host Sharon Collon sits down with Sandy Booysen, a dietitian specialising in neurodivergence and peadiatric feeding disorders. We're diving into the complexities of managing food-related behaviours in children with ADHD and other neurodivergent differences. Sandy delves into the impacts of sugars, food additives, and sensory sensitivities on behaviours and offers practical advice for parents. She emphasises the importance of emotional neutrality around food, detective work to identify behavioural triggers.. Join us as we explore the steps of her "Sensible Nutrition" model and learn how to tackle the real challenges of feeding children who are neurodivergent. Tune in for an episode filled with compassionate, actionable advice tailored for families navigating these unique dietary journeys.

Timestamps: 05:09 Sandy's journey 07:53 Your parenting success isn't defined by child's diet. 12:45 Pediatric feeding disorder: diagnosis for children. 16:26 Different children, different challenges, same household upbringing. 20:17 Discussing child's constipation and appetite-related issues. 21:17 Identify triggers; nutrition plays a big role. 27:30 Comfort strategies are needed for sensory-sensitive children. 31:14 Support children's healthy growth and eating habits. 32:29 Small, frequent meals provide a quick energy boost. 37:31 Sandy's helpful, approachable guidance.

About Sandy: Sandy is a caring and passionate dietitian who loves working with individuals, children and families to optimize their health and nutrition through a commonsense approach of simplifying and debunking complex nutrition information. She focuses on providing individualised support, motivation and education for sustainable change.

Connect with Sandy: Website: https://www.senseablenutrition.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandy.booysen/