Nutrition Program

Hissa A. AlSudairy, MSc, RDN

Clinical Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Professional Profile

Hissa A. AlSudairy is a board-certified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) verified by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) and holds a Clinical Dietitian License verified by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialists (SCFHS). She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Behavior Health and Nutrition practice group. She has earned a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and Food Science, a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, and completed the Dietetic Residency in Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) in the United States.

Professionally, she manages her private practice as a Clinical Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Alkaff Clinics here in Riyadh. She has considerable experience providing nutrition consultation services to patients of all ages with various health conditions. She also serves on the Saudi Food and Drug Authority’s (SFDA) National Nutrition Committee (NNC) as a Principal Investigator (PI) and nutrition research consultant.

As an RDN, she has developed several specialties over the years working in child nutrition education, adult and pediatric weight management for overweight and obese patients, Type I and Type II diabetes, autoimmune diseases, disordered eating, food addiction, hormonal imbalances, food intolerances, sensitivities and or allergies, sports nutrition, and eco-friendly eating (organic, plant-based, vegan and sustainable) along with several other health complications, allergies, and intolerances.

Through her work and research, she is reminded daily of the importance of early childhood nutrition education and counseling in increasing nutritional knowledge and awareness to facilitate optimal health, growth, development, and the prevention of noncommunicable diseases.

The Importance of Nutrition for Children

Healthy Growth and Development.

Parents understand that what their children eat affects every aspect of their lives, including their energy levels, academic performance, susceptibility to illness, and even their emotions. According to studies, only about a quarter of young children eat their daily fruits and vegetables, and highly processed fast food accounts for more than a fifth of their calories.

The dietary problem is, of course, far more difficult, but the answer is straightforward. With step-by-step guidance to a nutritious, enjoyable, and balanced meal, health and wellbeing will be emphasized in your child’s daily life. Our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist will accommodate all of your child’s nutritional needs, whether they have a medical condition or food intolerances.

Proper Growth Means Proper Nutrition

Providing a child with optimal nutrition at the right time is essential for natural, consistent growth and development. Proper nutrition is necessary for our children’s healthy development. Personality issues, health issues, and an unhealthy routine can inhibit a child’s development and sense of wellbeing.

A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) addresses various nutrition, health, and lifestyle issues. Children require nutrition that promotes healthy development and keeps even the pickiest eaters satisfied. Our RDN would be honored to be a member of your child’s healthcare team, ensuring that those needs are met for optimal health and growth.

Nutrition Consultation

Medical Nutrition Therapy Session

Our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) will examine your child’s development history, medical records, and current diet in great detail. She will collaborate with you to develop a dietary plan that fulfills your child’s needs while also being practical for your family. On your initial visit, our RDN will spend a full 60 minutes getting to know you and answering any questions or concerns you may have about your child’s nutrition. She will identify nutritional needs, track predicted improvement, and provide clear objectives to help your child follow a healthy pathway throughout life.

During our first 60-minute session, we will go over your or your child’s medical history, a typical day of meals, lab results, testing recommendations, and a regular daily schedule. Then, as a collective, we create goals that will be broken down in subsequent sessions. Each step of your child’s journey is charted out to ensure your success on the road to better health. Small daily changes lead to significant results. 

Follow-Up Sessions

Follow-up sessions last 30-40 minutes, depending on your child’s specific requirements. Together, we will establish small behavioral changes that are manageable and sustainable to establish a framework that supports your child and family’s life-long health goals. 

Individualized Nutrition Plans

Child growth abnormalities (underweight and overweight) are given special attention for various health reasons and causes. When guiding a child around food, there are numerous emotional and behavioral aspects to consider. The RDN will go to considerable lengths to show your child respect while providing the assistance they require.

The first consultation may emphasize interaction with the parents and child, depending on the child’s age and diagnosis. Most children must attend the visit, but there may be a request that the parents come alone in some cases.

The first visit typically involves:

What to expect during a nutrition consultation?

Nutrition consultations with an RDN will include a comprehensive medical background evaluation, nutrition assessment, nutrition education, following specific nutritional guidelines that focus on critical areas that require immediate attention to support the child’s health, growth, and development. Goals will be tailored to the child’s specific needs and health objectives. At the end of the consultation, we will agree on specific goals and monitor the child’s progress monthly. During each appointment, nutritional advisement, education, and support will be prioritized.

A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist will help provide dietary treatments for the following health conditions:

Reasons for Working with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

An RDN will help your child try new foods while also providing nutrition advice and language to use when parenting about nutrition. You are not alone in encountering feeding difficulties. Allow the RDN to walk you through strategies for transforming your current unfavorable eating problems into positive, lifelong healthy eating habits.

Nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all phenomenon when it comes to children. The RDN will always act in the best interests of your entire family. Navigating a health condition, severe food allergy, or picky eaters consuming new nutritious foods can be overwhelming and complicated.

The RDN has the expertise to help your child succeed because of their extensive background in clinical adult and pediatric nutrition, clinical research, education, wellness, and nutrition counseling. Our RDN developed several specialties over the years working in child nutrition, adult and pediatric weight management for overweight and obese patients, Type I and Type II diabetes, autoimmune diseases, disordered eating, hormonal imbalances, sports nutrition, and eco-friendly eating (organic, plant-based, vegan and sustainable) along with several other health complications, allergies, and intolerances. Our RDN maintains an active license and obtains the latest nutritional research, which is essential to provide you and your child with the best level of care.

Board Certified

With the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Credential (RDN), an undergraduate and graduate degrees in Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietetic Residency that focuses on medical nutrition therapy, behavioral change, and overall health and wellness, you have access to expert nutrition counseling and health guidance to address your child’s health concern or disease process.

Client-Centered

Each session, we’ll assess your child’s progress and set new goals to ensure their success. As part of your support system, she will answer your questions and address your child’s nutritional concerns to assist them in overcoming any barriers to change.

Empathetic & Attuned

First and foremost, the RDN is there to listen to fully comprehend your unique health concerns, desires, and goals you have as a parent. Your thoughts, feelings, symptoms, difficulties, history, and insights will always be heard. It will always be a collaborative effort.

Nutrition Assessment and Dietary Guidelines

Dietary guidelines provide recommendations for a healthy diet, but how does this measure up to what we actually eat?

A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist will assess the quantity and quality of a child’s intake by first gathering information about what they eat and drink. It is often difficult to remember everything, so keeping a food diary is beneficial. The information that must be gathered will differ depending on the goals. Our RDN will then go over the dietary guidelines recommended for your child.

Dietary & Medical Information Acquired During a Nutrition Consultation

A Food Diary: What is a food diary?

A food diary or food journal includes:

When and how: what time does your child eat or drink, and where does he or she eat or drink? (For example, a lunchtime sandwich at home, an apple on the way to school, or dinner with friends)

What: the types of foods and beverages consumed, as well as the methods by which they were prepared (For example, baked mixed vegetables or fresh fruit salad)

How much: the amount of food or beverage consumed, measured, or estimated using household measurements (For example, 1 cup of yogurt or 2 tablespoons of almond butter on a thin slice of wholemeal bread)

A food diary can be used to estimate total food intake, assess diet quality, identify areas for improvement, track the impact of diet on psychological and physiological states (for example, mood or gastrointestinal symptoms), and plan food budgets, shopping, and cooking.

Food diaries are typically kept for 3 to 7 days to represent a child’s average intake accurately. Once completed, food diaries can be compared to simple checklists. For example, the child is eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and other food groups. Rather than counting macronutrient energy intake, food diary discussions are used in this course to raise awareness about the quality of one’s diet.

A Checklist

Dietary checklists, for example, could be used as part of a comprehensive nutritional intake assessment or as a standalone measure to calculate a specific score for consumption of a specific food or food group (For example, vegetables or take-away consumption checklist).

Dietary checklists are less reliant on memory and may be advantageous to monitor quantitative changes in dietary intake.

What to bring with you to a nutrition consultation

A copy of the child’s medical history, a recent blood panel, a list of any medications and or supplements, allergy, sensitivity, and intolerance test results, and a 3 to 7-day food log of the child’s most frequently consumed meals, snacks, and beverages are all required.

For an appointment please contact us on ABC number: +966.56.063.6848