Nutrition with Nuance

02/24/2022

It is so easy to be swept away about what foods are "okay" to eat, and which ones should be "avoided." The more we label foods as good or bad, the more restrictive the mindset towards mealtimes...especially in kids.

Here's a great article by registered dietitian Lauren Fowler, which discusses different ways in which we can teach others how to challenge this mindset, and maybe even teach ourselves as well.

https://recoverywarriors.com/challenge-good-bad-food-mindsets/

02/14/2022

❤️Happy Valentines Day ❤️

Eating should and can be nourishing for your body AND soul
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But too often, kids/teens are scared to love food. They are taught to restrict portions of food that tastes good
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Sadly, this often sets our kids up for an unhealthy relationship with food and their bodies
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Having a good relationship with food plays a huge part in a healthy self-esteem, overall health, and success in life
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Let them eat the chocolate today and everyday. When our bodies can trust that chocolate will be available again….it can be enjoyed and not binged
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Guilt and shame are so much worse for health than sugar could ever be
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01/28/2022

Can you believe that even Intuitive Eating has and still is manipulated by the diet culture? They are always trying to find ways to make proper nourishment and fulfillment a type of diet that requires you to continue to restrict the food you enjoy.

Things such as “if you are really craving a cookie, this is your body’s way of telling you to eat a banana instead” is 100% manipulation from part of the diet culture.

Intuitive eating is the complete OPPOSITE to such ideas! It is about guiding yourself by listening to what your body is truly wanting and craving at that moment in time.

This is important to note when teaching children these principles as well; because these mixed messages may give them the wrong idea about intuitive eating…which is what we want to try to avoid. Here is another article by registered dietitian Christine Byrne that talks a bit more about how the diet culture misuses these principles: https://www.wellandgood.com/fallacy-intuitive-fasting/

01/25/2022

There is SO many misused terms out there, that cause more harm than good. Ever wonder why the term "empty calorie" was made and used? This artcile by registered dieteitian Chirstine Byrne explains how reagrdless of what certain foods lack or not, they ALL serve a purpose. Read this to find out more about why this term is not correct nor should be used. This can come in handy when trying to explain how there are not good or bad foods to your kids.

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/nutrition/what-are-empty-calories/?fbclid=IwAR2povnkQWp-GaPtGel9DHolfh9L7_lZBokLQinAddH5oRldEcIueoLLpGk%20

All food serves a purpose

01/21/2022

In relation to the event I shared yesterday, I would love to also share this link that mentions a few books you can read with your kids to increase their body image confidence. You would be surprised to know just how much our environment (including the media) can impact the way children view themselves. Take a look at this link! https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/body-positive-kids-books_a_23025487

Because you're never too young to have a healthy body image.

01/19/2022

Join Marin Academy tonight for their virtual event at 7:00PM, where they will discuss about helping teens develop a healthier relationship with food, despite the messages they receive on social media and in other areas of life. Don't miss out on this awesome and interesting subject!

Learn what parents can do to help teens develop a healthy relationship with food

01/15/2022

Do you worry about what your tween or teen eats?

Almost every parent has at one point or another. We want so much for our kids to be good eaters. While what we should really want is for them to grow into competent eaters. Competent eaters that enjoy food and know what and how much to feed their bodies. We also want them to feel good about their bodies

So how do we do it? Contrary to popular belief, the answer is not nutrition lectures, label reading, or sugar restriction. It’s actually much, much easier to teach your child to love and feed their bodies well. By honoring hunger and fullness cues, we allow for a more normalized approach to eating that will leave your kids satisfied and fulfilled.

What other things do you think you can enforce in order to normalize eating patterns? Comment below!

Quote: https://www.facebook.com/IntuitiveEating

01/14/2022

Adolescence is a time when many kids experiment with different ways of eating. . .sometimes it goes too far.

Orthorexia is the unhealthy obsession with eating healthy. This eating disorder is on the rise and in disguise. Why?

One reason for the increase in obsessive healthy eating is the misinformation surrounding nutrition and health. Kids are especially vulnerable and it's why I try my best to support parents with accurate information.

Deprivation and restriction around food is rewarded in our society. So many kids who struggle are often the “healthy one” in their friend groups. They hear how “good” they are for their devotion to health, limited food consumption and excessive exercise routines.

This praise often makes someone with orthorexia believe they should cut out even more foods. This obsession over health, wellness and nutrition can cause serious health issues. As a parent here's what you need to look out for:

👉Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutrition labels
👉An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
👉Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
👉An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘clean’
👉Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
👉Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
👉Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
👉Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on social media
👉Body image concerns may or may not be present

Remember that eating disorders don't have a "look" and your child's weight may or may not have changed. Don't assume it's just a phase.

Any questions come up for you after reading this? Comment below 👇

01/13/2022

Diet has become a four letter word in the minds of many consumers and I'm glad!

But buyers beware . . . with very few exceptions, the modern, sneaky diets of today all have one thing in common - they claim not to be diets.

"Healthy" eating is the new "dieting". The $70 billion diet industry knows it will not survive if it doesn't shift its efforts on attracting younger customers. Younger generations know diet programs like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig as their mother or grandmother's thing. The diet industry has to stay relevant so now they're after us and our kids.

So why are these new, modern day diets not a good idea for your kids (besides the fact that there is no scientific evidence to back their use)? Well, because "healthy" and "low-calorie" have basically become synonymous. It's hard to find a person entrenched in healthy eating that isn't also concerned with weight.

We absolutely do not want our kids to think their worth is based on their weight. We can teach our kids to engage in health promoting behaviors without focus on weight. Following any defined way of eating or focusing on restricting certain foods or food groups IS NOT the way.

What are ways you feel we could help diminish the effects of diet culture for the betterment of our children?

01/06/2022

Educators - this one is for you

While eating disorders are complex and the causes are multifactorial. We do know that negative body image is a major risk factor for development of an eating disorder. Even without a diagnosed eating disorder, having a negative body image has a huge impact on self-esteem, overall happiness, success, and yes, academic performance

Health promotion should take into account ALL KNOWN FACTORS contributing to body image, eating, fitness, and weight concerns. While many schools mean well . . . they often don't have the training or staff to implement wellness programs that offer a connected approach to true health and well-being

The emphasis on health promotion in schools while well intentioned is usually contradictory to supporting health behaviors that are attainable by all - regardless of shape, size, cultural and socio-economic background, gender, and genetic disposition

Instead of promoting fear of certain foods and weight gain by warning children what to avoid, wellness programs should include information about the toxic cultural myths surrounding body image, eating, weight, and fitness . . . .at a developmentally appropriate level of course

Educators, here's a few tips to get you started:
👉Talk about what bodies do instead of what they look like
👉Never label foods as good or bad, junk or healthy, high calorie or low calorie, etc
👉Keep any talk of weight or diets away from kids (this would be good for you too)
👉Don't interfere in a child's lunch or snack. It's up to them to decide what and how much to eat of what is provided

Tag an educator that wants to help their students be the best they can be because ALL BODIES ARE GOOD BODIES and we want kids of all ages to hear this loud and clear 👏

01/01/2022

Happy New Year! 🎆 Let’s welcome the new year without shame or guilt towards decisions made during the past weeks or months about our food choices. Let’s start this year with a more opened mindset in regards to food and body, and focus on promoting this neutrality in the household as well.

What is something positive you are grateful for or looking forward to this year? Comment below!

12/30/2021

Easy and yummy recipe coming your way for this New Years Eve! Get the whole family involved in this cheesy and fun dish! 🧀

12/29/2021

New year's resolutions are all about new diet trends or the latest workout regime. We already mentioned how the diet culture is very much skewed and not really backed up by scientific evidence. Therefore, why promote something that could potentially cause more harm than good? What if instead during this new year we focus on promoting these principles in the household? These could create a very healthy yet fruitful outcome in the long-run. What are other tips or ideas you have in mind about promoting food and body neutrality this year?

12/21/2021

There are so many fear-mongering headlines about nutrition. Very often, parents and teachers adopt this kind of language when trying to teach kids nutrition.

It's not your fault! The full blame goes to diet culture. Diet culture has a very long history of profiting from fears of weight gain... especially during the holidays. As the body positive space grows a lot of diet culture companies have learned that it's not cool to outright promote weight loss. So - they've tweaked their message.

It's now all about "wellness" but make no mistake . . .if you dig deeper . . .it's all about controlling your body's shape or size in some way.

As dietitians, we know that the first rule of nutrition is adequacy. Yet, when we teach our kids to stay away from sugar, junk, treats . . .we create a scarcity mindset. They aren't allowed to feel satisfied or that they've had ENOUGH. . . . and then their internal regulation systems start to get jumbled. Much like us, our kids start to live by food rules and rewards, and not the intuitive eating skills they were born with.

As nutrition professionals, we refer to this as the "restrict/binge cycle". This cycle is truly what puts our kid's health at risk - not the weight gain that results from food restriction (which is what parents are trying to avoid in the first place)

What does self-care around food look like?

It's providing ALL foods regularly and in abundance so that the child can choose what and how much to eat. It's creating safe spaces for kids to learn to trust their bodies.
This trust starts with the food/body connection and translates to much bigger things as our kids age. This is the division of responsibility and it's the gold standard in feeding kids and teens.

Ever heard of the division of responsibility in feeding? Please Comment below with questions!

12/18/2021

Another fun recipe to make at home this holiday season! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

12/16/2021

There is a lot of mixed messages during the holidays about what foods to consume more or less of; and these can greatly influence the way we teach our kids about eating.

The goal is to allow children to retain the intuitive eating skills they were born with. When we limit certain foods in the name of "health", it only makes kids want them more.

We interfere with their intuition and trust in their body which ultimately leads to our kids having abnormal hunger and fullness cues.

Let’s try not to let our own doubts about food influence the natural way in which our children enjoy all kinds of foods.

Here are tips to continue to raise intuitive eaters during this season. What are other ways you feel you can help create a more food neutral environment around your kids?

12/14/2021

There isn’t enough attention being paid to the negative impacts of body dissatisfaction in kids/teens.

A kid or teen who isn’t happy with their body can suffer in academics, sports, relationships, and mental health.

But where does body dissatisfaction come from?

It comes from the very human feeling of wanting to fit in and be liked.

What type of bodies are upheld and admired in our society? Tall, thin, mostly white, curves in the “right” places, smooth skinned ….If we’re talking about males, I’d add muscular to that list.

Teaching our kids to be body positive is about more than avoiding body shaming and food policing.

It’s about understanding that we cannot control the size or shape of a kid or teen‘s body without causing harm.

It’s about knowing that statements about the way your body, your kids body or someone else’s body LOOKS are not appropriate

It’s about understanding that bodies change - and kids bodies change a lot

It’s about understanding that bodies have always been and will always be diverse - even kid/teen bodies

It’s about making sure our kids know that whatever their body looks like has nothing to do with who they are or what they can accomplish.

Do an experiment and try to notice anything you say or think about the way bodies look. Is there room for change?

How were you taught to feel about your body as a kid?

12/09/2021

​Still have some shopping to do? Why not spread the anti-diet message through unique gifts this holiday season. I love each one of these so much . . .I think you will too.

More Than A Body by Leslie and Lexie Kite, PhDs. This book is for women of all ages. Seriously eye-opening and very relatable, this book will give you the skills you need to reconnect with your whole self as you navigate our beauty-obsessed world. 10 out of 10 recommend!

https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Body-Instrument-Ornament/dp/0358229243/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DBE7TWFGEUED&keywords=more+than+a+body+by+lexie+and+lindsay+kite&qid=1638469161&sprefix=more+than+a+body%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-1

​Thoughtful Nutrition has so many cute, statement making products. Now you can share anti-diet, body positive messages with cups, hats, shirts, stickers and more. They also have an Etsy site!

https://www.thoughtful-nutrition.store
https://www.etsy.com/shop/thoughtfulnutrition

Did you know you can get culinary fun delivered right to your door? Radish kids is a monthly cooking club for kids. What I love most about Radish kids is that there are no sneaky diet culture messages. They even have a discount going on right now. Check it out!

https://www.raddishkids.com

Societal messages make it harder and harder for kids to accept and like their bodies. Thank goodness for books like Your Body is Awesome and Beautifully Me by Nabel Noor. Best for kids 8 & under.

https://www.amazon.com/Your-Body-Awesome-Respect-Children/dp/1848192282
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=beautifully+me&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Food Science Babe is the best myth busting scientist I’ve found. Fighting food misinformation with a lot of humor, she’s empowering followers with facts not fear. Here’s her merch store. So many fun items to choose from.

https://teechip.com/stores/foodsciencebabe

If mealtimes are stressful, this online course from the experts at Feeding Littles is what you and your momma friends need. It’s affordable and soooo worth it!

https://feedinglittles.com/courses/

​Starfish by Lisa Fipps, is a novel about a girl learning to take up the space she deserves after being bullied about her weight since the age of five. Heartbreakingly accurate and heartwarming at the same time. Great for the 9-12 age group. Wouldn’t be a bad idea for parents either!

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=starfish+book&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

One of my favorite quotes EVER! Get this cute sign for a fellow food lover.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/581811135/people-who-love-to-eat-are-always-the?ref=pla_sameshop_listing_top-2