Diet & Nutrition

Your baby is the apple of your eye, and when it comes time to introduce solid foods, you have a lot of questions. The desire to help your kids get off to the right start nutritionally is priority one. After months of super nutritious breastmilk (or formula), the idea of introducing solids is exciting…and scary. […]

Ahh, the sunshine. It is packed full of a vitamin critical for building strong bones. But when the cold weather arrives, our ability to pull vitamin D from the sun drastically decreases. So we give our kids lots of milk and cheese to bridge the gap. However, that isn’t enough for everyone. Research suggests that […]

According to the State of Childhood Obesity, pediatric obesity rates have declined in North Carolina. However, what is being reported state-wide doesn’t correlate with what many pediatric providers are seeing in their offices.  At Rainbow Pediatrics, we see patients every day who are morbidly obese. Often, when we look back on their medical history, the […]

Babies spit-up. That is just a part of their job. But when the spit-up causes other health issues, it can become a bigger concern for parents.  Gastrointestinal reflux (GER) can happen to anyone, at any age. It happens when the contents within the stomach back up into the esophagus. In an infant, this causes them […]

My daughter and her friend were talking in the car last week about a girl in their circle who they believe has bulimia. They spoke about how they have talked with her about their concerns to no avail and were curious about what they should do next. They didn’t want to compromise their friend’s trust […]

Calcium builds strong bones. We get it.  For kids, however, getting enough calcium is critical because their bones are developing and getting enough early in life helps protect them from bone loss as they age. In addition, calcium (and vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium) can help prevent Rickets, which is a disease […]

One in six children in the United States has been diagnosed with obesity. In North Carolina, childhood obesity rates are continuing to climb. According to the State of Obesity, current data shows over 13% of 10 to 17-year-olds and 15% of high school kids are obese, and 15% of 2 to 4-year-olds are obese as […]

Infection and disease have an interesting effect on the human body: inflammation. This can be a wonderful thing because healing isn’t possible without an inflammatory response, but when it comes to pediatric mental health, too much of a good thing isn’t so good. Depression, according to a Duke University study, is likely to contribute to […]

Proper nutrition is critical for a growing baby. We believe that breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for infants, but realize that some parents are unable to feed their child this way. Formula is a safe alternative to breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends iron-fortified formulas that are made from cow’s milk. Cow’s […]