Old School Advice: introduce a single, plain pureed food at a time to your baby.   Updated Advice: it’s okay to introduce mixed foods, as long as it doesn’t contain one of the 9 most common allergens: soy, dairy, gluten, wheat, sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish—those should be introduced one at a time.    There’s also […]

Should baby food be bland?

Protein is “Wellness’s” darling macronutrient right now.  Marketing has led us to believe that we’re all short on protein and many parents who come to see me are concerned about how much protein their child is eating. Or not eating! There is a minimum amount of protein that bodies need to grow and repair cells, […]

Does your kid need protein shakes?

Recently I’ve had a few conversations with parents who are finding that when they say less interactions with their picky eater is less stressful!  These parents see that when they don’t put pressure (eat more, eat less, eat your veggies, eat this before that) meal times are calmer and sometimes kiddo is branching out.   Saying […]

“Say Less”

A recent article in the Washington Post has got me a bit peeved.  The article implies that Registered Dietitians are responsible for o*esity and that we’re in the “pocket” of Big Cereal Companies. There is so much to unpack in this article, but I’m going to focus on just one thing—the 3 reasons I recommend […]

Why I Stand by Fortified Cereals

Here’s a reminder that kids need carbs (as we all do)!  Starchy and sweet foods indicate energy and little kids need lots of energy since they’re in a period of rapid growth. As kids’ growth tapers off a bit around puberty, their palate often “matures” and they are a bit more adventurous with food. This […]

Kids need carbs!!

My youngest kiddo was (is) the trickiest to feed. As a little one, she was very sensitive to smells and I had to leave restaurants with her quite often.  I’d walk her around outside in the fresh air while my husband and boys ate their meals. She couldn’t help her sensitive nose, but at the […]

My Youngest Was the Trickiest to Feed

Last week I promised to share the story of my friend, Deb, who was a very practical parent and I learned a lot from her before I ever had kids.  My friend and her husband had 4 young children, all under the age of 5, and her husband often traveled for work, leaving her to […]

Family Style Dinner

Ooooffff! It’s like a kick to the gut when your kiddo gets to the dining table and pronounces your meal “yucky”. Take a breath.   Not every meal is going to please every person, but having a family rule like “don’t yuck anyone’s yum” can be helpful.   One way to get ahead of the “yuck” […]

What to do when your kid says “yuck”

Happy early National Registered Dietitian Day (March 13th)! Let me introduce myself to folks who are new to the blog.  I’m a former Special Education teacher who went back to school after raising three (amazing) children to become a Pediatric Dietitian. I opened my private practice about 9 years ago and have focused my time […]

Happy National Registered Dietitian Day!

March is National Nutrition Month!  As a former teacher, I love to teach kids about food, nutrition and the way their bodies use food.  The best way to get kids interested is to make learning about food FUN!   I like to call National Nutrition Month “Make Nutrition Fun Month”.  Depending on the age of your […]

National Nutrition Month!