Whether you’re looking to better manage your weight by improving your relationship with food, looking to improve an illness or condition through better nutrition, or you’re an athlete looking for optimum performance – we can help you enjoy better health through improved nutrition. No matter your health goals, your location, or your personal situation, The Nutrition Professionals will develop a personalized plan to help you achieve your wellness goals. Our services and programs are accessible to everyone in the US, not just those local to us in Arizona! What’s more, medical nutrition therapy is a covered benefit on most health plans, including Medicare and AHCCCS.
Please note that without member information we cannot guarantee that your specific plan covers these services. We recommend asking the care provider before beginning services.
I initially thought this place was going to be the holy grail for me. I met with Maya and she was amazing. I was told that my insurance would cover 100 of...
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December 21, 2022
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Horrible. Dont trust MIchelle. She is lying and manipulative. She will pretend to support you and then cut you off the second you dont comply to her...
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June 1, 2022
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Was very disappointed in my initial consult. The counselor was more interested in getting going on to her vacation than she was interested in providing me...
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June 15, 2020
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, picky and selective eating is actually a quite common concern for children with autism. If you rolled your eyes looking at the steps above because your child with autism has never had a full day's serving of vegetables in their life, you are definitely not alone. As if getting kids to eat their veggies isn’t challenging enough, research shows children with autism have significantly more eating challenges than their peers who are not autistic.
In addition to sensory difficulties that can lead to a lot of anxiety with food, autistic children are 4x more likely to have gastrointestinal issues such as stomach pain and discomfort. This creates the perfect storm for extra extra picky eaters - and a lot of added obstacles and concerns for parents.
The difficulties associated with autistic children and food can cause a wide range of concerns from children being underweight to overweight (overweight children can still be at risk for nutritional deficiencies!). This can lead to slower than normal growth and nutritional deficiencies like low vitamin D and calcium levels. Even when given multivitamins, many children with autism are still found to have some of these nutritional deficiencies.
Here are some tips:
Keep to a schedule - setting schedules for meal and snack time can help picky eaters build up their appetite throughout the day
Minimize distractions - removing distractions like screens and toys can help your child be more engaged at mealtime
Approach new foods together - Make new foods less scary by trying them together. Touching and smelling the food together before tasting it
Support choice & control - Allowing your child to pick which foods they eat will help them feel more in control
It may not seem obvious, but eating is a complex behavior that involves perceptual, emotional, and cognitive processes. And we know that children with autism process things differently. While many of us look forward to things like our afternoon snack, it may be an activity that causes a lot of anxiety for your child.
Parents describe food selectivity being determined by a few of the following factors: texture (69%), appearance (58%), taste (45%), smell (36%), and temperature (22%). Uniform texture, bland and neutral color foods are reported to be overwhelmingly preferred by more than 90% of children with ASD.
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