Crystal Karges Nutrition

11/20/2024

As someone who struggled with an eating disorder, I never wanted my kids to feel restricted from the foods they loved.

So, when my daughter constantly asked for snacks, I always said yes. I thought I was helping her trust her body, but instead, it created chaos. She’d skip dinner, then run to the pantry five minutes later.

I realized what kids need most to eat intuitively isn’t just access to their favorite foods—it’s safety.

Safety comes from two key things:

1️⃣ Predictability: Flexible structure around eating gives kids security. When I set consistent snack times and took more leadership, the constant snack requests started to fade.

2️⃣ Permission: True safety means normalizing all foods. I had to confront my own beliefs about “safe” and “unsafe” foods to avoid projecting my anxieties onto her.

Combining predictability with permission helped my daughter feel secure around food—and trust her hunger and fullness cues.

If you’re stuck in the “dinner refusal/snack request” cycle, this is for you.

My Simplify Snacking Masterclass will help you create a system that works for your family, so snacks stop feeling like a struggle.

Doors close Wednesday, 11/20 11:59 pm PST—don’t miss this chance to bring peace to mealtimes!

More info and registration here:

Practice management for wellness professionals

12/01/2023

Earlier this year, the unveiled their latest power play, endorsing medication and bariatric surgery for weight reduction in larger-bodied children, which is nothing more than diet culture’s ploy to ensnare our kids in its vicious cycle for years to come.

Don’t be mistaken by its shiny packaging, claiming to be a treatment that “provides ongoing health benefits”

It’s nothing more than diet culture disguised as “wellness”, leaving devastation and destruction in its wake.

Deliberate weight loss tactics promoted to reduce the bodies of our growing children are a surefire way to perpetuate eating disorders into generations to come.

If you are a mother who has been directly harmed by diet culture, body shaming, weight stigma and fat phobia as a child and are still struggling with the traumatic effects of this today, I see you and I’m with you.

I’m so sorry for the devastation this reprehensible system has caused.

This news coming from an organization that we look to for trusted information to care for the well-being of our children brings feelings of betrayal, disgust, and anger.

Mama, please go gently with yourself and know every brave step you’re taking for you and your children matters. You don’t walk alone. Fighting with you and for you.

If you need support on your healing journey to shift the cycle of diet culture in your family, come join our free virtual support group, Lift the Shame - https://www.crystalkarges.com/lift-the-shame-online-support-group

We’ll never stop fighting to dismantle diet culture so our children can live free from it.

11/26/2023

When I struggled with an eating disorder, the days after a holiday were notorious for “wiping the slate clean” with restricting and overexercising, as though I had to “make-up” for everything I had eaten the days before.

This is also a message widely promoted by diet culture: that we have to compensate for foods we've eaten that are deemed "bad" or "unhealthy".

If you're feeling stuck in these thoughts today, please know you're not alone.

Maybe you’re waking up the days after Thanksgiving full of regret, guilt, and shame.

Maybe you’re already running through a list of “should-haves” or ways that you plan to compensate for everything you ate the night before.

This might include punishing yourself with exercise, eating next to nothing for the next couple days, and swearing off any holiday festivities.

Before you wander down that rabbit hole, let me give you some gentle encouragement. Doing all the things that supposedly help your body “reset” actually cause more harm than good.

It may feel like you’re able to compensate for all the holiday eating, but in reality, you're forcing your body into a confusing state that can trap you into a chaotic relationship with food.

When you find yourself in a post-holiday downward spiral, be intentional about setting yourself on a new course, one that is kinder.

You’ll feel much better, physically, emotionally, and mentally, in the long run and better able to keep food in its proper place (so you can focus on what’s most important to you).

You don’t need to compromise caring for yourself because of a holiday (or for any reason).

Nourishing yourself and your children is one of the most valid forms of self-care & resiliance against diet culture.

Being intentional about feeding yourself, especially post-holidays, sends a powerful message to you & your children: you and your kiddos are deserving of nourishment NO MATTER WHAT - that is a truth that can't be tainted by diet culture.

You have permission to treat yourself with respect and kindness, and by practicing these things, you're teaching your kids to do the same.

If you’re needing more help, check out our FREE virtual support group, Lift the Shame!

11/19/2023

IDK who needs to hear this…

But you may need to lower your expectations around what your child might eat at your Thanksgiving meal.

Let's talk turkey and why lowering your expectations is the secret sauce to avoiding family food feuds.

Our little munchkins don't see the holiday spread the same way we do. It's just another munching moment for them, not a gourmet gala. 🎉

While you're plotting a feast, they might be eyeing the exit.

Especially for our neurodivergent buddies, holidays can be like a buffet of sensory overload.

Picture it: food, noise, people—sensory fireworks! 🎇

So, if your kiddo's only into the bread roll or eyeing that slice of pie like it's the main course, don't panic.

Think of it from their POV: a food frenzy that rivals a Marvel movie, with hunger cues lost in the chaos. 😬

Instead of forcing a fork in their hand, let's play it cool. Trust their taste buds, even if it's just a bread roll kinda day.

This holiday meal?

Just a blip on their munching marathon. 🏃‍♂️

So, skip the food pressure, focus on the fam, and keep it stress-free. 🤗

Pro tip: I've got mealtime scripts to save the day—check 'em out for more positive ways to talk with your kiddos about food! 📚✌️ https://crystalkarges.activehosted.com/f/9

11/15/2023

Comments made to children about their bodies can haunt them for a lifetime.

You can protect them from body shame by placing boundaries with people who are making these comments.

This can sound something like:

“Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. There’s no wrong way to have a body.

We want our kids to know that the size of their bodies is the least important thing about them.

In an effort to practice body acceptance in our home, we don’t comment on our kids’ bodies (or anyone’s bodies, for that matter).

Can you please help us with this by not commenting on my child’s body?”

When your kids hear you communicating in this way with others about bodies, they can build the same beliefs within themselves, too:

That their bodies are good, there’s no wrong way to have a body, and people’s bodies are the least interesting thing about them.

YOU are breaking generational cycles of body shame - for you and your kids!
What would you add?

Save this post for later or share it with a fellow mama who also needs to read this!

And if you're a mama needing more support around food and body image for yourself, come join our amazing virtual support group + community, Lift the Shame - https://www.crystalkarges.com/lift-the-shame-online-support-group

11/02/2023

One important thing to remember about kids is that they’re literal thinkers.

They might interpret things we say differently than we intend, especially around food.

So when you’re faced with repeated requests for more candy, how can you respond in a way that doesn’t create chaos or confusion around sweets?

In the moment, you want your kids to be reassured that all foods are part of their future.

This can help prevent feelings of deprivation around sweets, which can trigger an obsession and preoccupation with eating them.

This doesn’t mean you need to give in to your child’s every demand for more sweets, candy, etc.

Instead, I recommend “leading with a yes”.

Meaning, you’re saying yes to their request and reassuring them it will be coming on the menu soon.

From that point, it’s important to be intentional about following through and making good on your word by proactively including sweets with meals and snacks for your child.

This not only helps your child trust all foods are safe for eating and enjoying, but it can build the bond between you and your child, too!

This is a foundational key for building a trusting feeding relationship with your children.

So when you’re faced with these repeated requests, remember - how we respond in the moment is one piece of the puzzle. Another important part is the follow-through on our end.

If you need more help with this, snag a copy of my FREE guide: “5 Reasons Your Child is Obsessed With Sweets and How to Resolve It” → https://crystalkarges.activehosted.com/f/3

What are your thoughts about this?

10/31/2023

But where’s the lie? 🤣

In all seriousness, here's a friendly Halloween PSA: You can trust your kids to eat sweets without any stipulations, rules, or strings attached.🙌

Don’t let toxic diet culture or fear-mongering tactics around sugar rob you from enjoying all foods and sharing that joy with your children.

Need more guidance with this to help your kiddos develop a lifelong positive relationship with sweets?

You can snag my exclusive guide on Kids & Sweets to help you get started with strategies to supoort your kids with self regulating sugar - linked in my bio💕

Wishing you and your family a Happy Halloween, friends!

10/30/2023

Ah, the Switch Witch. A magical solution to the influx of Halloween candy this time of year.

In case you’re unfamiliar, here’s how it works:

Kids can leave out their Halloween candy overnight, and the Switch Witch arrives to collect their candy and swap it out with a special gift.

Seems like an even exchange, right?

While this idea is well-intentioned, it can backfire and come with unwanted side effects.

If there’s a hidden agenda involved to try to get kids to eat less candy, it can create more of an issue than if it were just allowed in the first place.

Hear me out: If you’ve ever done this with your children, I’m no way implying you’ve done something wrong.

I know you want the best for your kiddos.

I also know sugar is demonized in our culture - there’s so much misinformation circulating around sugar and kids’ health, no wonder parents are anxious about it.

As a mom myself, I understand how complicated feeding kids can be, and I want you to know you’re not alone.

I also want you to know there’s options that can prevent the power struggles around sweets.

We want our kids to trust that all foods are part of their future, especially sweets like candy.

So how can you support your children in building a positive relationship with all foods, including their Halloween candy, all year round?

Give your child opportunities to eat and enjoy their candy without a side serve of guilt or shame.

Negotiating with your kids over their candy or trying to get them to give it up can unintentionally send the message that there’s a reason why they’re not allowed to eat candy.

This can plant a seed of guilt around the experience of eating sweets, which can follow them throughout their lives.

Don’t require your child to earn their candy or use it as a reward.

Give them permission to eat it simply because it’s something they enjoy.

In doing so, you’re making it possible for them to learn how to eat sweets intuitively, without feeling guilty or bad about themselves.

For helpful strategies to support your kids with sweets in a positive way, comment ‘CANDY’ below for my free Halloween workshop!

10/27/2023

Don’t let diet culture steal your family’s joy.

This Halloween, you don’t have to try to “healthify” sweets, make swaps for the stuff your kids really want to eat, or try to get them to eat different things in place of their candy.

Instead, allow your children to experience eating what they want from the candy they do get (and of course, just be careful with anything that could potentially be a choking hazard or with any candies your children may be allergic to).

Trust them to listen to their bodies because they have the innate capability to do so, even when there’s a higher influx of candy around.

Trust them to eat their candy, even if it makes you uncomfortable (remember - that discomfort is yours to manage, not project on your kiddos).

When they feel you trust them to eat, they can, in turn, learn to trust themselves.

When you allow them to experience the fullness of Halloween, it WILL be something they connect with joy, not fear, guilt, or shame.

This is the foundation for helping them build a positive and trusting relationship with food and their bodies.

Need more help with this?

I have a FREE, on-demand workshop, where I teach you the strategies you need to rewrite the script on sweets in your home and to support your kids with self-regulation.

I’d LOVE to share it with you so you can feel confident in your approach to sweets this Halloween.

Comment ‘CANDY’ below, and I’ll DM you with the workshop info!

08/06/2023

Thank you Diets Don’t Work for sharing my post!

If you have a child obsessed with food or sweets, be sure to snag my free guide for more help: "5 Reasons Your Child’s Obsessed With Sweets and How to Resolve It." ---> https://crystalkarges.activehosted.com/f/3

Posted •

When kids are restricted from food (or certain foods - like sweets, snack foods, chips, crackers, etc) it creates an intense desire for these foods.

Behaviors around restricted food may look a lot like what we would describe as an addiction.

Which makes it easy to write it off as the foods themselves being “addictive” rather than understand why these behaviors are occurring in the first place.

Diet culture likes to paint the picture that certain foods are toxic and kids can’t be trusted to eat.

That food needs to be rigidly controlled.

That responsible parenting looks like food policing.

That a healthy relationship with food has more to do with WHAT you're eating versus HOW you're eating it.

That foods demonized as "unhealthy" should be avoided at all costs to achieve "health".

In reality, these approaches are actually making food more chaotic for our families and kids, sabotaging their abilities to learn how to self regulate all foods and stripping us of the joy that should be part of eating.

Don’t let diet culture seed these beliefs in your feeding relationship with your kids. It only creates stress and distrust around food.

Don’t let it steal your joy that should be experienced around eating foods you and your family love.

The antidote for “addictive” behaviors around food is ACCESS.

Providing permission prevents preoccupation.

When kids can trust the foods they love and enjoy eating are accessible, it takes them off the pedestal - giving them a chance to build a peaceful relationship with food, without the side serve of shame from diet culture.

If you're trying to navigate a food or sweets obsession with your kiddo, check out my free guide: "5 Reasons Why Your Child is Obsessed With Sweets and How to Resolve It " - linked in my bio.

07/25/2023

Diet culture is so LOUD during postpartum and new motherhood.

Many new moms enter this season feeling pressured to shrink their bodies back to their pre-baby selves rather than focus on healing after pregnancy & birth.

The messages to “bounce back”, & “lose the baby weight” outweigh the more important things moms should be doing to care for themselves, physically, mentally & emotionally.

Rather than focusing on the things necessary to promote postpartum recovery, new moms are inundated with false promises that prey on vulnerabilities.

Dieting postpartum is touted as the glamorous, magical cure that will somehow fix everything.

However, restrictive dieting tactics to manipulate your body size/weight, especially in postpartum, can backfire.

In fact, dieting is one of the most important predictors for eating disorders and distorted body image, which could create more complications for a new mom who is navigating parenthood.

Dieting is associated with a number of risk factors for postpartum moms, including:

🔸️Body dissatisfaction, which can increase risk of maternal mental health disorders & lead to overall poorer mental health function
🔸️Decreased milk supply if breastfeeding
🔸️Prolonged time healing from pregnancy & childbirth...and more.

Many moms feel like they have no choice but to resort to dieting tactics because of this overwhelming pressure to lose weight. If you are a new mom feeling this pressure, know you can opt out of diet culture.

You deserve to enter motherhood without being weighed down with unrealistic expectations.

You are worthy of the time & space needed to focus on your healing.

Growing your baby and nurturing life is nothing less than miraculous.

Don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise or make you feel inadequate because your body is not “complying” with diet culture.

You weren’t meant to fit in that mold anyway, and by honoring your body and what you need, you’re building a healthy foundation for you and your family for years to come.

If you’re a mama needing more support around food and body image, join our amazing community + free virtual support group, Lift the Shame {Link in bio!}.

07/15/2023

When kids are restricted from food (or certain foods - like sweets, snack foods, chips, crackers, etc) it creates an intense desire for these foods.

Behaviors around restricted food may look a lot like what we would describe as an addiction.

Which makes it easy to write it off as the foods themselves being “addictive” rather than understand why these behaviors are occurring in the first place.

Diet culture likes to paint the picture that certain foods are toxic and kids can’t be trusted to eat.

That food needs to be rigidly controlled.

That responsible parenting looks like food policing.

That a healthy relationship with food has more to do with WHAT you're eating versus HOW you're eating it.

That foods demonized as "unhealthy" should be avoided at all costs to achieve "health".

In reality, these approaches are actually making food more chaotic for our families and kids, sabotaging their abilities to learn how to self regulate all foods and stripping us of the joy that should be part of eating.

Don’t let diet culture seed these beliefs in your feeding relationship with your kids. It only creates stress and distrust around food.

Don’t let it steal your joy that should be experienced around eating foods you and your family love.

The antidote for “addictive” behaviors around food is ACCESS.

Providing permission prevents preoccupation.

When kids can trust the foods they love and enjoy eating are accessible, it takes them off the pedestal - giving them a chance to build a peaceful relationship with food, without the side serve of shame from diet culture.

If you're trying to navigate a food or sweets obsession with your kiddo, check out my free guide: "5 Reasons Why Your Child is Obsessed With Sweets and How to Resolve It " - https://crystalkarges.activehosted.com/f/3