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 […]
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 […]
Every now and then I get a message from the parent of a picky eater that says “You’ll never guess what my kid ate????” and then they list off something like seaweed sheets, jalapenos, lemon slices, a hamburger on a bun or even figs. These parents are psyched that their kiddo has branched out beyond […]
Have you heard of this catchy health initiative? 5-2-1-0 was developed as an anti-o*esity program and launched in 2012. Some schools use it as part of their health curriculum so your kiddo may have mentioned it. I like to use this with families to begin to create positive health habits without focusing on a child’s […]
Happy Valentine’s Day! You KNOW I can’t resist a good food pun so I’ve gathered up a few of my favorites here: Snack Idea: Valentine’s Snack Mix like this one from Katies Cucina.
“Haste Makes Waste”- The Book of Wisdom (190 BC) When I was a kid my mom often threw that phrase at me as I was rushing around. She was usually right because I’d end up making a mess or a mistake, which meant I had to clean up or start again. Sheesh—annoying! My Paddy was […]
I asked my mom if she would share her memories of growing up in a large family (she’s one of 9 kids) in the 1950s-60s and what it took to feed everyone. My mom wrote, “It was always a challenge feeding a large family. In the summer growing up, we ate what was growing in […]
Happy Early Australia Day! (Australia Day is January 25th) My husband immigrated from Australia more than 20 years ago but still has cravings for his childhood favorite foods. Because our kids are half Australian, and we want them to know the culture, we’ve baked lamingtons, cooked meat pies, pikelets, and rissoles. And they’ve all grown up […]
Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to be reminded of the power of choice. Giving kids some age-appropriate control & choices around food can really reduce power struggles. For a tween/teen, choice could look like asking them to make a meal plan and actually letting them do it, regardless of what they put on the menu. […]
Sometimes teenagers tell me “I want to be healthier, but I don’t have the willpower & motivation to keep with it”. We spend some time untangling what they really mean and then get down to making a plan. Here’s the thing: willpower & motivation are overrated and will only get you so far. What we […]