Nourished Nest

14/04/2026

✨ New School Food Standards – A Positive Step Forward ✨

There’s been an exciting update to the UK School Food Standards, the first in over a decade and it’s great news for our children 🙌

The new guidance focuses on making school meals healthier, more balanced and more consistent across all schools. We’ll be seeing more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, alongside a reduction in foods high in fat, salt and sugar. Deep-fried foods will be limited, sugary desserts reduced, and healthier choices will become the norm rather than the exception.

Importantly, these standards now include breakfast as well as lunch. A nutritious start to the day can make such a difference, and I’m really pleased to see this included. I look forward to seeing protein-packed, nourishing breakfasts that help children feel fuller for longer, supporting focus, learning and emotional regulation throughout the morning.

Good nutrition is essential for children to grow, learn and thrive. When children are well nourished, we often see improvements not just in energy and concentration, but also in behaviour and overall wellbeing. This is definitely a positive step forward 👏

That said, it’s important we don’t overlook children with sensory sensitivities or feeding challenges. For some, particularly those who struggle with textures (mixed foods, lumps, or certain consistencies), or who rely on familiar “safe” foods, these changes may feel overwhelming. In some cases, this can be linked to food phobia or highly selective eating.

Schools will need the right support and guidance to ensure these children are included, with flexibility around texture, presentation and food choices. Every child deserves to benefit from these improvements in a way that feels safe and manageable for them too 💛

Overall, a really positive move towards supporting healthier futures for our children 🌱

19/03/2026

Neurodiversity Celebration Week 💛

A reminder that different minds bring different strengths and that includes in the way we support others.

Being neurodivergent shapes how I work in my clinic every day:
✨ Deep passion and determination
✨ Creative problem-solving
✨ Thinking outside the box
✨ Truly understanding sensory and mealtime challenges
✨ Keeping things simple, flexible and achievable for families

I know how overwhelming things can feel, especially when you’re worried about your child’s eating, symptoms, or daily struggles.

That’s why I focus on:
✔️ Root causes, not quick fixes
✔️ Bite-sized, realistic steps
✔️ Adapting support to each family
✔️ Celebrating every single win (big or small!)

Because progress doesn’t come from pressure, it comes from feeling supported.

Here’s to celebrating neurodiversity, in all its forms 💫

Did you notice how I struggled to walk and talk. 😂

Please pop a sunflower 🌻 in comments below if you would like a free chat and handout.

07/03/2026

✨ Toddle About Live is today! ✨

If you’re looking for something fun to do with your little ones today, come along to Davenies School for Toddle About Live.

It’s FREE to attend and a lovely morning out for parents, babies, toddlers and young children.

Come and find me at the Nourished Nest stand, I’d love to meet you! 💛

I’ll have a food play station where little ones can explore fruit and vegetables using fun cutters to create colourful shapes and pictures. Food play is such a gentle way to build confidence around food and reduce pressure at mealtimes.

🍓 Join the Rainbow Food Play Challenge! 🌈

Build a fun creation using a variety of colourful fruit and veg, take a photo and enter our competition to win a FREE 1:1 consultation with Nourished Nest. +cuddly fruit and veg toys!

How to enter:
📸 Create your fruit & veg picture
📲 Scan the QR code
📤 Upload your photo and enter

You can enter at the event or later from home.

The winner will be chosen a week after the event (with help from my kids!) based on:
🌈 Variety of fruit & veg
🎨 Creativity
😊 Fun and engagement

Plus, everyone who enters receives my FREE Mealtime Toolkit, including a short video with my top 5 tips to reduce the risk of or start improving, mealtime challenges and food refusal.

I’ll also be sharing my delicious chocolate brownies with hidden goodies inside… nourishing, family-friendly, and loved by kids and grown-ups alike! 🍫

If you’re navigating weaning, picky eating, food refusal or tricky mealtimes, come and have a chat.

I’d love to hear what you’re experiencing and see how I can support you.

02/03/2026

If your child only eats a small number of “safe” foods, refuses whole food groups, or becomes anxious at mealtimes, it may be more than picky eating.

ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) is a phobia-based eating difficulty. It’s not about bad behaviour or parenting, it’s often linked to sensory sensitivity, fear of new foods, or a past negative experience like choking or vomiting.

The good news? With the right approach, progress can be possible.

I support families by:
✨ Prioritising key nutrients first
✨ Protecting safe foods (no force, no pressure)
✨ Identifying triggers and sensory preferences
✨ Creating a gentle, structured desensitisation plan
✨ Building confidence around food, step by step

You don’t have to navigate this alone. I am happy to work alongside other therapists.

If this sounds like your child, book a free discovery call and let’s talk through what’s going on and how I can help.

📩 Send me a DM with the word “ARFID” or click the link in my bio to book.

04/02/2026

Supercharging family favourites 🤍

One of my favourite ways to support gut health is by upgrading meals we already love, winter comfort foods like bangers, mash and gravy.

For the gravy, I added mushrooms and leeks. Both are rich in prebiotic fibre, which feeds our beneficial gut bacteria. I also used homemade bone broth (shop-bought works too). Bone broth provides collagen and minerals that may support gut healing and digestion.

If your child struggles with lumpy gravy, you can simply blitz it smooth, all the goodness, none of the texture worries.

Beans are another brilliant source of fibre, but I know taste and texture can be tricky for some children. I added them into a rich, buttery mash and they went completely unnoticed. In fact, my family said it was the best mash I’ve ever made.

I served it with fibre-rich carrots and broccoli, but if your child avoids the veg, you can relax knowing there’s still plenty of fibre and nourishment hidden in the gravy and mash.

Small tweaks. Familiar foods. Big wins for gut health and mental wellbeing 🤍
Give it a try and let me know how you get on.

02/02/2026

Winter is when fibre often quietly disappears from our plates 🤍

More comfort foods, sweet treats and refined carbs can mean less fibre and that can show up as bloating, sluggish digestion, changes in mood and low energy.

Fibre feeds our gut microbiome, and the gut–brain connection plays a huge role in mental wellbeing, especially during the darker winter months.

My simple focus right now?
✨ One extra high-fibre plant food at every meal
No perfection. Just small, consistent changes.

From berries at breakfast, beans or lentils added to family favourites, wholemeal or alternative pastas, seeds in baking, and gentle fibre support when needed, it all adds up.

If your child is a selective eater or struggles with digestive issues, you’re not alone. I support families every day with practical, realistic ways to boost fibre, even when food feels tricky.

Feel free to get in touch if you’d like more ideas or support 🤍

27/01/2026

January has been all about catching up behind the scenes 🤍

From updating training (30 hours of CPD ✅), business planning, and self-assessment… to running a webinar for parents supporting children with SEND, postnatal groups, weaning workshops, welcoming new clients and checking in with existing families, it’s been a busy start to the year, which is exciting.

The Christmas holidays can sometimes set children back, more sweet treats, less protein/fibre/healthy fats, routine changes… and that can show up as bloating, gut issues, skin flare-ups or food anxiety.

That’s why my check-ins are so important, they give families a chance to pause, celebrate wins, adjust strategies and get back on track. These little blips? Totally normal, they’re a sign the programme is working.

This week I’ll be sharing my family’s mealtime goals for winter and how we focus on food to support mood and wellbeing.

✨ How is your January going with food and mealtimes?

23/01/2026

21/01/2026

✨ SEND Parent Webinar Tonight ✨

I’ve been supporting a local SEND school, working closely with the head chef, with menu planning. The children are loving the new menu supercharge with key nutrients. Tonight I’m sharing simple tips to their parents. Supporting children with mealtime challenges can feel overwhelming I don’t want them to feel they are struggling alone 💛

Tonight I’ll be talking about:
• Picky / selective eating & ARFID
• Sensory sensitivity and food refusal
• Why some children rely on processed foods
• Food sensitivities(histamine, gluten, dairy)
• Gentle nutrition strategies (no pressure, no guilt)
• Key nutrients often low in neurodivergent children
• Supporting regulation, focus, sleep & meltdowns

This is about understanding the “why” first, and making small, realistic changes that support your child’s nervous system and relationship with food.

📍 Online | This evening
💬 Opportunity to ask questions

So excited, if you think your school would benefit from similar support or as a parent you would like to sign up to a similar webinar please let me know in the comments 🙌