While in high school, Katharine Jeffcoat was a cross-country runner and noticed how food affected her performance. “It started me thinking about nutrition and I never really thought I could make it a career until after I graduated from college,” she says.
Jeffcoat went back to school in 1994 to obtain her second bachelor’s degree in nutrition, becoming a Licensed Dietitian (LD). She then completed a required internship to become a Registered Dietary Nutritionist (RDN). In 2015, Jeffcoat founded NW Pediatric and Family Nutrition (NWPFN) in Portland. Today there are NWPFN offices in Bend and Vancouver, Washington. The practice focuses on treating and supporting children and families experiencing various eating disorders, as well as teaching intuitive eating and pediatric nutrition.
One eating disorder she and her staff often encounter is Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Unlike the more common picky eater who will usually eat foods from different nutritional categories, those suffering from ARFID often only eat a few selective foods.
“They may be only eating white, bland foods, and nothing from the vegetable, fruit or protein categories,” explains Jeffcoat. “You can often count the number of foods they’re eating on one hand. These kids have a higher sensitivity to the tactile feel of food in their mouth. They're super smellers and super tasters, and food is just much more overwhelming for them.”
High anxiety surrounds the eating experience, and the more kids are pressured to eat, the worse it can become. This is why it’s imperative to include the entire family in the child’s treatment, which includes multiple exposures to various foods to desensitize them to different tastes and smells. If the anxiety is severe enough, Jeffcoat will recommend partnering with a therapist. She and her team often collaborate with local occupational therapists (OT) as well.
Many of the NWPFN dietitians specialize in certain areas, such as sports nutrition, intuitive eating, and pediatric nutrition. Appointments can be virtual or in person, and treatment length varies depending on many factors, including how motivated the children or teenagers are to change their eating habits.
“One child I worked with really wanted to go to an overnight camp and not be so fearful of the food, so he had great motivation and great family support,” Jeffcoat recalls. Not only did he go to camp, but within a year of starting treatment, he was eating a wide variety of foods, instead of just the one brand of soup he used to consume.
Another patient, a teenager who was about to go off to college, ate only buttered noodles. He was motivated not only to expand his diet, but to learn how to cook as well. As a football player, he also recognized that his endurance and performance improved as his food choices expanded. “By the time he went to college, he had a handful of things he could eat and make for himself.”
If parents are interested in having their child evaluated by one of the experienced dietitians at NWPFN, they can go to the website or call to make an appointment.
The group will also be holding a free talk on intuitive eating on November 20 at the downtown Deschutes Public Library in Bend. “For those looking to start a healthy relationship with food, this is something for them to consider,” says Jeffcoat. Look for the QR code in their ads for more information.
Jeffcoat thoroughly enjoys what she does and looks forward to assisting even more children and families. “These past nine years of being in private practice, working with and supporting families and developing relationships, has really made me feel like we are making a big difference in their lives long-term.”
NWPFNutrition.com