#kids

Paige Smathers

Mar 11, 2019

Tips for Parents with Picky Eaters

I wrote this blog post back in 2014 and am re-posting it with some edits for parents with picky eaters. I was shopping in Costco the other day and the Vitamix man was in the middle of whipping up a green smoothie, giving his whole pitch for paying $700 for a blender. I, along with about 20 other eager weekday shoppers, waited patiently through his speech to get a taste. As my almost two-year-old daughter and I walked away from the display table headed for the cereal aisle, ea

Paige Smathers

Sep 12, 2018

132: We Are All Born to Eat

Leslie Schilling, MA, RDN came on the podcast to talk about her book Born to Eat. We talk about Leslie's guiding philosophy that each of us is truly born to eat. We talk about her unique approach to feeding infants that ultimately helps families find a pattern and rythmn with food and eating that promotes body positivity and food peace from the beginning. In this podcast, we talk about Baby-Led Weaning and self-feeding. We talk about fears and concerns parents have when intro

Secrets to Successful Meals with Young Kids

Paige Smathers

Apr 12, 2018

Secrets to Successful Meals with Young Kids

As parents, two of our most basic responsibilities are: feeding our kids and making sure they get adequate sleep. Questions about how to do these two seemingly simple tasks as parents have boggled minds for centuries. How do you get your kids to sleep through the night? How do you get your kids to eat nutritiously without shame, guilt, bribery or tears? Since I’m a nutrition professional (not a sleep expert), I’ll attempt to give some direction for more successful and less st

108: How Nutrition & Weight Messages are Affecting our Children

Paige Smathers

Mar 28, 2018

108: How Nutrition & Weight Messages are Affecting our Children

We all want the same things for our kids—happiness, health and overall positivity. After spending years listening to adults talk about the formative messages they received about their body and food during childhood, I have some strong opinions on how adults portray messaging about food and bodies with children. We mean well, but often our best efforts at nutrition messages are unhelpful at best and harmful at worst. This is what we're covering in this episode of Nutrition Mat

Paige Smathers

Oct 12, 2017

Rethinking Nutrition Education for Kids

Parents, teachers and community members can all agree—we want healthy, happy kids. Teachers have endless requirements and curriculum standards to meet, one of which is teaching students some of the basics of nutrition. But, nutrition isn't always as straightforward as one might think, especially with kids. Teaching children about nutrition is tricky. It's tricky because two children can hear the exact same message and one may take it so seriously that they develop fear and an

Paige Smathers

Jul 26, 2017

74: Raising Intuitive Eaters Part II

Anna Lutz, MPH, RDN, LD, CEDRD specializes in eating disorders and pediatric/family nutrition. Anna received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Duke University and Master of Public Health in Nutrition from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian (CEDRD) and an Approved Supervisor both through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp). I was so honored to have the cha

72: Loving with Limits—A Conversation about Parent Feeding Styles

Paige Smathers

Jul 14, 2017

72: Loving with Limits—A Conversation about Parent Feeding Styles

In this episode, I talked with Jill Castle, MS, RDN who is a childhood nutrition expert, author and mother of four. We talk about the different feeding styles parents can have and discuss why parents approach feeding their kids the way they do. We also outline how to navigate difficult conversations with your kids about weight and food when those topics come up in your home. Every parent wants the best for their child. Every parent wants to provide the tools and education for

Paige Smathers

May 9, 2017

65: Raising Intuitive Eaters

The feedback about Nutrition Matters Podcast listeners' excitement for intuitive eating has been so much fun and so encouraging! Thank you for all your support and excitement for learning about a more gentle approach to nutrition and health. Many listeners have written in asking for more episodes around the ideas of raising kids who are able to reject the dieting mentality and tune into their own body's needs. Because of all the great questions and requests I've gotten from l

Paige Smathers

Apr 26, 2017

Our Bodies Teach Us How to Treat Them

I remember the day I brought my daughter home from the hospital. I was ecstatic to be a mom but also scared out of my mind about the enormous responsibility. She was a little bit of a finicky baby and a terrible sleeper so caring for her needs was at times rather tricky. As the months passed by, we got in a good groove. I started to learn what her various cries were communicating. A certain cry meant she was hungry, a different cry seemed to communicate she was tired and she

5 Important Eating Lessons We Can Learn from Kids

Paige Smathers

Apr 12, 2017

5 Important Eating Lessons We Can Learn from Kids

When I was a new mom, I gave my young daughter her very first chocolate chip cookie. These particular cookies are my absolute favorite sweet treat and I was ecstatic about the idea of watching my little one enjoy something so delicious. We ate a great dinner together as a family and then I pulled the freshly baked cookies out of the oven and put one on her high chair tray for her to enjoy. I fully anticipated her diving right in and eating the entire thing, but what she ended

Should You Sneak Veggies Into Your Kids' Food?

Paige Smathers

Oct 5, 2016

Should You Sneak Veggies Into Your Kids' Food?

As parents, the kids-eating-their-vegetables struggle is real. We know veggies are important because they’re packed with essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients that children (and all of us) need for optimal health. But, they definitely don’t taste as good to kids as some of the other things on their plate. When all else fails, is sneaking vegetables into kids’ foods a good idea? As a registered dietitian, I get questions like this all the time. I don’t see anything wrong

Paige Smathers

Jun 25, 2016

36: Cultivating Body Positivity in Kids

Episode 7 of the NMP Body Image Series is all about how we as adults can positively contribute to children’s sense of self-worth through loving and appreciating their bodies. What we say and do MATTERS in a child’s life whether we’re a parent, aunt, uncle, neighbor, teacher or anything else. Join the discussion with Paige and Melissa Preston who is both a licensed professional counselor and registered dietitian who specializes in body image issues and eating disorders. Links