Dr Miriam Stoppard Speaks On Baby And Child Nutrition, England

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Allergy
Article Date: 19 Mar 2010 - 1:00 PDT

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Visitors to a conference on food allergies were given an insight into the life of leading children's doctor and broadcaster, Dr. Miriam Stoppard, at the University of Portsmouth yesterday.

Dr Stoppard, who is a medical doctor and well-known to millions as a leading authority on parenting, child care and women's health, was the keynote speaker at the conference organised by the School of Health Sciences and Social Work (SHSSW).

She illustrated her views on breast-feeding, weaning and the best way to feed babies and toddlers through her personal experience of her own four children and 15 grandchildren.

She told listeners that babies and children's physiology was not suited to eating to a strict timetable because they are extremely sensitive to changes in their blood sugar. She said:

"Babies make a huge metabolic transition when they emerge from the womb where they have been fed continuously through the placenta, to taking their mother's milk. Infants who are fed frequently or allowed to feed before they get hungry and even in their sleep will be more content than babies fed to a rigid timetable."

Similarly she said that allowing children to 'graze' on healthy food all day rather than stick to rigid meal times was the best way of fulfilling their energy needs because children have tiny stomachs and cannot ingest enough food to sustain them for long periods.

She told the audience about a recent visit to her home by three of her grandchildren who wanted snacks every half an hour. She said that while this might be more demanding on the adult, it is an instinctive way for children to eat and shouldn't be seen as 'snacking between meals' but as a natural way for them to achieve their nutritional needs.

"I promote behaviour which is kind to babies and to children and which best suits their needs," she said.

Dr Stoppard, who has a number of best-selling books on pregnancy and the early years of child-rearing and has a daily advice column in The Daily Mirror, said that babies and children who are allowed to eat wholesome food when they like are less likely to be overweight and less prone to eating disorders when they are older.

Dieticians, health visitors, GPs and others with an interest in aspects of food hypersensitivity in children, also heard from leading UK practitioners and researchers on food allergies with practical and up-to-date information and case studies.

Allergies caused by eggs, peanuts and seafood were discussed at length and Dr. Trevor Brown, Lead Consultant, the Children's Asthma and Allergy Service at the Ulster Hospital in Northern Ireland, discussed guidelines for the management of cow's milk allergy. Dr Isabel Skypala, Director of Rehabilitation and Therapies at Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust, presented information on oral allergy syndrome.

The conference, organised by Dr Venter and Professor Tara Dean, was attended by over 50 visitors was judged to be a huge success and is likely to become an annual event.

Professor Tara Dean, Head of the School, said:

"Feedback from everyone who attended was overwhelmingly positive. There was a great feeling of sharing current research and best practice and we all felt we had learned something from the day which is exactly what these kind events are all about."

Source
University of Portsmouth