Specialist Paediatric Dietitian ~ Claire McHugh ~ Tel.: 072 718 0567

Claire McHugh qualified with a Bachelors degree in dietetics at Pretoria University’s medical faculty in 1999
and has built her career as a Specialist Paediatric Dietitian within the health service in the UK and now at
home in South Africa. She has spent eight years gaining international experience and skills which she is very
excited to have brought back.

Claire is dedicated to continuous professional development and since qualifying as a registered dietitian has
completed further post graduate training in a variety of areas but particularly in child and infant nutrition. She
has completed specialist courses in Paediatric and Neonatal nutrition through the British Dietetics Association
and the world renowned Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.

Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be governed by an ethical code to ensure that they always
work to the highest standard. Claire is registered with the Health Professions Council in South Africa and the
UK as well as the British and South African Dietetics Associations. This registration is your assurance that
she is appropriately qualified, maintains her knowledge and skills to utmost standards and practices within a
strict professional code of conduct.

Claire has a rapidly growing private practice in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa providing specialist nutritional
advice to parents of healthy and sick children. She works alongside Paediatricians, GP’s and other healthcare
professionals to enhance the care of children; consulting into private hospitals and from consulting rooms in
Durban North and Ballito. She is also a qualified lactation consultant and is passionate about helping mothers
establish and maintain breastfeeding. Her passion is infant nutrition and she has worked closely with
neonatologists, paediatric gastroenterologists and paediatric surgeons managing the nutritional status and
growth of their patients. She is also highly experienced in nutritional management of children and neonates in
the critical care environments.

Claire has written for professional publications and been involved in various research and audit projects which
she has presented at an international level.

Claire has extensive experience advising on dietary conditions including:

~ Healthy eating
~ Breastfeeding and weaning
~ Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
~ Food allergies
~ Gastrointestinal disorders
~ Neonatal nutrition
~ Management of severe malnutrition

Individual consultations

~ In-depth nutritional assessment
~ Tailored dietary and feeding advice
~ Provision of appropriate nutrition information
~ On-going support and follow-up as required

PR & Media Support

~ Face-to-face briefings
~ Development of diet plans
~ Comments for press releases - TV & radio interviews
~ Journalism & Writing Articles for consumer & professional publications, websites
~ Writing of resources, consumer leaflets, diet plans, websites Diet plans & writing and/or evaluation thereof.