Nutrition

Nutrition plays a significant role in overall wellness, prevention and treatment of a variety of illnesses, injuries and age-related problems. For children, proper nutrition also plays a critical role in ensuring their overall development—helping to foster healthy bones, heart, teeth, skin and organs as well as brainpower and stamina. Eating the wrong things—or too much of the wrong things—can create health challenges and impact the child’s quality of life.

Lake Forest Hospital offers a variety of nutritional programs tailored to individual needs, including registered dietitians who are available for one-on-one counseling, meal plan establishment for children with multiple food allergies, and counseling for children with elevated cholesterol and fatty acids as well as those diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.

For children between the ages of eight and 14, we offer a pediatric weight management program—Start Targeting and Reach Success, or S.T.A.R.S.—which is designed to build healthy bodies through increased physical activity and nutritious foods. The S.T.A.R.S. program includes six individual consultations with a registered dietitian. Please call Lake Forest Hospital Central Scheduling at (847) 535-8000 for additional information and scheduling.

Ketogenic Diet—Lake Forest Hospital is one of only two medical facilities in the Midwest, and the only one in the Chicago area, recognized by Johns Hopkins Medical Center and the Charlie Foundation to offer a comprehensive ketogenic diet program, a dietary treatment for children with epilepsy who do not respond to conventional medications. We also offer 24-hour EEG and video monitoring services that are available Monday through Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm. For emergency care, we have a 24-hour emergency hotline. For appointment scheduling or additional information, please call (847) 535-6801, Monday through Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm.