Hi, my name is julescj, and I need some dietary ideas to use with my daughter.

julescj

I am the parent of Abigail, my ever growing 14 year old daughter. Abby contracted pneumococcal meningitis, at three and a half months old. She was very poorly at the time, and after recovering from the meningitis, she was left with brain damage, causing hydrocephalus, developmental delay, and learning and behavior difficulties. Abby attends a special needs school, and thankfully is a very happy young lady. I have a number of questions I would like to ask, and I hope someone maybe able to offer some advice. My first question is about any diet ideas anyone may have, to help Abby lose weight. I have cut out crisps and snacks, reduced her meal sizes, and she gets sufficient exercise. Her weight keeps going up and down, despite how well we are doing with her food intake. I have read online, that some people with a head injury, can have damaged the perennial gland in the brain. This gland sends signals to other parts, to begin the metabolism feature, to start breaking down the food. I have suggested this to the neurologist she sees, but he seems reluctant to try and check if hers is damaged. I have know idea how I would go about trying to do this myself, or whether it is just how she is built. If anyone has any knowledge or understanding of the complexities of a brain injury, I would love to hear from you please, Thanks.

Liam_Alumni

Hi @julescj,

Welcome to Scope's online community! It's great to have you here.

I've moved your post into our Ask a Diet and Nutrition Advisor category, where @KirstenNutritionAdvisor may be able to advise.

With regards to your daughter's brain injury, have you heard of the charity Headway? They have lots of useful information about brain injuries on their website, including the number for a helpline which you can contact should you need further advice and support.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, then please do get in touch!

KirstenNutritionAdvisor

Hello, in regards to your daughters head injury I'm afraid that is a question for her specialist.
when it comes to weight loss there are a few questions to ask Is she eating adequate protein and essential fatty acids? Lots of people think we have to lose weight to be healthy but I think it comes the other way around we have to be healthy to support our body lose weight. 
A common mistake when people go on "diets" is they base their days eating on carbohydrates cutting out vital fats from oily fish, nuts, seeds and avocados. 
Some people over consume grains by eating cereals for breakfast, sandwich for Lunch and pasta for dinner which can cause blood sugar levels to be imbalanced and can cause the body to store excess fat. 
Without knowing what your daughter eats it's hard to know if it's diet related or related to her brain injury.
have you tried to get her an appointment with a dietician? 
I would track her food carefully and check she isn't eating more than you think and actually look at her diet is she eating enough vegetables, fruit, is she having lean protein is she drinking enough water etc.
Check that what she is eating is supporting her body health wise and if that doesn't work you will have enough evidence to call for further investigations into her metabolism.
good luck please let us know how you get on.