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Picky Eaters
I’ve heard from literally 1000s of parents over the years about their challenges at the dinner table, and I’ve distilled it down to the essential habits your household needs to begin to solve the picky eating frustrations.
Troubleshoot Your Child’s Poor Digestion
What if I told you you might have to throw away half of the healthy food you worked so hard to put on the dinner table?
What if I told you that can basically happen AFTER your kids eat everything on their plate?!?!
Healthy food is only the first part of being nourished—we need to make sure the entire system of digestion is working correctly for all the hard work to count! mind blown
Today I get to talk to Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Tara Hnkin about getting your child’s digestion on “tract” (pun! ha!) for optimal health. Whether your child feels anxious or exhibits signs of ADHD, whether you know they’re constipated, they have some diarrhea or even are very regular, it’s so important to be educated as parents so we know what to look for…in our child’s poop!
Here are just some of the gems we cover today:
- Why parents need to be their children’s health advocate and never take “there’s nothing we can do” for an answer
- Why even with great nutrition, your kids might be struggling with their health (allergies, eczema, constipation, diarrhea, ADHD, and more!)
- What to look for to know if your child might struggle with digestion (colic and acid reflux in babies is only the beginning)
- What “growing pains” might really mean!
- How picky eating is sometimes caused by poor digestion (especially meat aversion or carb/comfort food cravings)
- The convicting news (for me at least) about HOW we serve a meal being more important than WHAT we serve
- Easy ways to kickstart good digestion just before a meal
- The best alternative to testing your child’s stool or urine (that doesn’t cost anything)
- Why the special diet you tried may not have worked the way you wanted for your child’s health
Tara is so wise and experienced, and I cannot wait to hear from you about what you learn from her! Parents, education is the first step toward giving our kids what they need. Let’s get educated about digestion today!
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Ask Me Anything: Picky Eating, Screen Time, and Intentional Choices
Ever wonder how to handle picky eating at parties without creating food battles? Or how to set healthy screen time boundaries when screens feel like the only babysitter?
In this Ask Me Anything episode of the Healthy Parenting Handbook podcast, I’m answering your real-life parenting questions about dessert rules for kids, the Division of Responsibility in feeding, raising independent children, and building healthy family habits that actually stick.
We’re talking about practical strategies for limiting screen time for toddlers and young kids, alternatives to screen time that encourage creativity, and how involving kids in chores builds responsibility and executive functioning. I’m also sharing how to create a real food family culture without labeling foods as “bad,” how to monitor sugar and food dyes without being extreme, and how to gradually pass ownership of health to your kids so they can make wise choices when no one is watching.
If you want less pressure around food, more confidence in your parenting decisions, and a clear path toward raising healthy, independent future adults, this episode is for you!
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Quick Change Tastebuds, Slow Biology, & Why Gut Health May Impact Picky Eating
Did you know that picky eating can sometimes be caused by the messages the bacteria in your gut are sending to your brain?
So the CHILD isn’t being a sugar monster…or making stubborn choices just to drive you crazy…their gut bugs are the sugar monsters and their brain has pruned too much!
I learned so much from Elissa Arnheim in this interview, both the philosophical to feed MY brain and the practical—some of which I implemented that very day!
Here are my favorite quotes:
- “Let’s start with this: Our bodies are designed perfectly.”
- “If a child cuts out an entire category of healthy foods, it’s a sign that something is wrong – and it’s all figure-out-able and fixable.”
- “Step 1 for sugar monster kids: serve sauerkraut!” 😮 (Don’t worry, Elissa shares multiple ways to make that a reality in your family…because I thought the same as you! My kids would never…!)
- “Resilience comes from diversity – both inside and outside our bodies.”
- “Risk to probiotic use = monoculture in our guts.”
And so, so much more! Pretty much if there are human beings in your family, you need this info too. 😉
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Episode 93: Eating Disorders Expert & Dietitian on How to Foster a Healthy Relationship with Food for Your Kids
The very morning I did this interview, my husband was complaining about how badly he felt because of a certain number…and when I heard Heidi’s final “practical” challenge to parents, I knew we had to do it. This interview was a HUGE paradigm shift for me, and you will alternately want to turn it off...
Episode 83: Why Feeding Therapy Can Backfire—Insights from Picky-Eating MD Dr. Katja Rowell
You’ve heard the figure that most MDs get less than 10-20 hours of nutrition and food training in medical school, and Dr. Katja Rowell (MD!) thinks this is a tragedy. Worse, she says, is that pediatricians and family doctors aren’t trained at all in HOW kids learn to eat, and many of them help families...
Episode 76: “I Don’t Like Fish”: Why You Might Be Wrong (and How to Start Loving It)
“I don’t like fish.” How many of us have a child, spouse, or self who says that? My guest today says that’s off course – no one can accurately say they “don’t like” “fish” – and I love her reasons! Whether you love fish or haven’t learned to love it yet, this non-fishy interview all...
Episode 040: Speech & Picky Eating: Expert Tips to Help Parents Intro New Foods to Kids
Did you know that the way your child eats can affect their speech and vice versa? Melanie Potock is a Speech-Language Pathologist who became a pediatric feeding expert through her experience as a mom of a former picky eater. She uses her SLP expertise to help parents introduce new foods to kids, form healthy eating...
Episode 39: How School Lunch May Contribute to Picky Eating
No one has to say school lunches are good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. That’s not my point today – although I think school lunches could use some improvement. 🙂 Today let’s talk about picky eating specifically – could school lunches potentially contribute to or exacerbate picky tendencies for certain kids? I think so. Today...
Episode 010: Sensory Processing Disorder & How to Get Kids to Eat Healthy Anyway
Kids MORE than picky? They might have a sensory processing issue, and I cannot tell you how much I learned from Dr. Nicole Beurkens, PhD in this interview about helping kids eat healthy no matter their sensory limitations! These practical tips are amazing for kids who only eat 20 foods or less (but also apply...
Episode 009: The Real Cause of Picky Eating (It’s Likely NOT Parenting) with Dr. Kay Toomey
Dr. Kay Toomey, PhD is a Pediatric Psychologist who focuses on picky eaters and problem feeders. Plenty of parents complain about their kids being “so darn picky!” (including me, even though I know I shouldn’t use that word!). But what IS a picky eater, really? Did you know: Only about 1/3 of kids are actually...