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Nutrition

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Our Nutrition program provides assessment and counseling for infants, children and teens who have a wide variety of conditions that affect diet, eating and growth. Our dietitians are experts in caring for your growing child and helping your family set and reach nutritional goals. We work closely with health professionals in dozens of Seattle Children's clinics to provide your child with the most complete care available. While the children we work with have many different conditions, we believe in nurturing all children nutritionally, physically and emotionally, and supporting each family toward good nutrition.

Subspecialties We Offer

Conditions We Treat


The Nutrition team works with children being treated in many different clinics at Seattle Children's Hospital. Some of the conditions we help treat include:


Cancer

Children having treatment for cancer may need help getting enough nourishment. We help children with all types of cancer meet their nutritional needs. Read more.

Craniofacial disorders 

Our dietitians help treat children who have problems with the bones of their skulls or faces that affect their ability to eat. Read more.

Diabetes, type 1 and type 2

Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, the main type of sugar in the blood. There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes cause blood sugar levels to become higher than normal, but they cause it in different ways. In type 1 diabetes, your child's immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone called insulin. Insulin is needed to get glucose into the cells. Type 2 diabetes results from the body's inability to respond to insulin normally. Most people with type 2 diabetes can still produce insulin, but not enough to meet their body's needs. Read more. (PDF)

Eating disorders

We work with other specialists at Children's to help children and teens with eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Read more.

Feeding problems

Some babies and children have problems feeding that may stop them from getting the nutrition they need. These problems include reluctance or refusal to eat or nurse (feeding aversion), poor progress in moving to solid foods and food allergies. 

Gastrointestinal and liver conditions

We help children with immune system disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. Inflammatory bowel disease refers to two long-lasting diseases that cause swelling and redness (inflammation) in the intestines: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Celiac disease is caused by an intolerance to the proteins (gluten) found in wheat, rye, barley and other grains made from them. Read more.