Meet Grandview Kids’ Registered Dietitians!

Nutrition Month 2022

This March, dietitians across Canada are coming together to share how they can support you and make your future a healthier one. We interviewed Grandview Kids’ Registered Dietitians, Heather-Ann and Shelley, about their roles at Grandview and what being a dietitian means to them! 

Meet Heather-Ann!

What is your role at Grandview Kids?

I am a Registered Dietitian working with the Complex Care team and Nutrition Clinic.

What does a typical session with your clients look like?

A typical session with clients would include a discussion with the parents and/or child to determine how I can best support them in achieving their nutrition goals and needs. This discussion may include but is not limited to a review of past medical history, current dietary intake, medications/supplements, bloodwork, feeding environment, social history and measuring anthropometric data. Once I have completed my assessment, I would then provide evidence-based nutrition recommendations in a collaborative manner with the patient and/or family to enhance nutrition status and health outcomes.  

What inspired you to become a dietitian?

My first interest in nutrition started as a young athlete looking for ways to optimize sport performance. This led to studying Human Nutrition at St. Francis Xavier University, where I became intrigued by the opportunity for Dietitians to improve the health and well-being of others across the lifespan. I was inspired to become a Dietitian so that I could help others achieve healthier and happier lifestyles through the power of nutrition!

If you could give one nutrition tip to parents/caregivers of children and youth, what would it be?

I would recommend getting children and youth involved in the preparation of meals! Involving children in making family meals and snacks provides the opportunity for teaching valuable life skills, learning about their family’s culture and cooking traditions, as well as exposing the child to new foods.

Meet Shelley!

What is your role at Grandview Kids?

I work at Grandview Kids as a registered dietitian in the Nutrition Clinic. My role is to identify nutrition risks and assess the nutrition requirements of children and youth.  My goal is to work with families and their children to ensure optimal feeding and nutrition for their child’s growth and development.

What does a typical session with your clients look like?

A typical session involves review and assessment from the referring individual, further identifying nutrition issues to help families with their child’s feeding or health concerns. My role of late has changed to include a telepractice consult model.  This practice has had many benefits for the families I serve.  I provide a consultative service to parents/caregivers. Initial nutrition assessment times can be lengthy and telepractice has helped in this regard as the child will be in the comfort of their home and not sitting for an extended duration during the appointment.  The Nutrition Clinic Clerk notifies families in advance of their appointment to prepare a 3-day food record of typical nutrition days. This information is reviewed during the assessment and recommendations are then provided to optimize meal planning, feeding, nutrition status and growth.

What inspired you to become a dietitian?

My love for working with the pediatric population was always an inspiration of mine and so tagging this with nutrition was a great fit.  Who knew I would go on to be a dietitian when I was that child, as I only ate honey sandwiches and my vegetable of choice was corn! From as early as I can remember, my parents continued to provide variety and opportunity in my meals, ensuring a balanced structure as well as an enjoyable meal experience.  In time, my food variety expanded and my interest in nutrition and dietetics flourished in my later years.

If you could give one nutrition tip to parents/caregivers of children and youth, what would it be?

My managing mealtime tip: make mealtime enjoyable and a priority. Be a role model, eat together and get kids involved in the kitchen early on with a focus on food variety from Canada’s Food Guide.

Thank you for sharing a bit about your journey with us all to commemorate Nutrition Month 2022, Heather-Ann!

Visit the Nutrition Month website to learn more about how you can participate!