Nutritional Deficiencies in Children on Restricted Diets

Pediatric nutritional deficiencies are associated not only with poverty and developing countries, but also in children in the developed world who adhere to restricted diets. At times, these diets are medically necessary, such as the gluten-free diet for management of celiac disease or exclusion diets in children with food allergies. At other times, the diets are self-selected by children with behavioral disorders, or parent-selected because of nutrition misinformation, cultural preferences, alternative nutrition therapies, or misconceptions regarding food tolerance. Health care providers must be vigilant in monitoring both growth and feeding patterns to identify inappropriate dietary changes that may result in nutritional deficiencies.