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5 Tips to Improve Kids’ Summer Eating

5 Tips to Improve Kids’ Summer Eating

by BrachaKopstick | Jun 2, 2021 | Child & Adolescent Health, Nourished Eating

      It’s summer! Is this what your eating schedule looks like (constant asking for food and/or eating)? The kids are home, they’re hungry, restless, off-schedule, etc., so they eat. Or they bug you for food. Sound familiar? Here are five tips for making...
Six steps for helping your adolescent picky eater

Six steps for helping your adolescent picky eater

by BrachaKopstick | May 23, 2021 | Child & Adolescent Health, Nourished Eating

Picky eating for many adolescents isn’t something they “just grow out of”; unless actively addressed and worked on, it can continue through teenage-hood and well into adulthood. Picky eating is a problem when it interferes with your adolescent or teen’s...
Raising Food-Competent Teens & Tweens Program Announcement

Raising Food-Competent Teens & Tweens Program Announcement

by BrachaKopstick | Apr 16, 2021 | Child & Adolescent Health

Parenting doesn’t get easier as kids get older, but there seems to be less support and community as toddlers turn into teens. If you take a scroll on Instagram for feeding advice, you’ll find A LOT on introducing food to your baby with baby led feeding vs. traditional...
Nutrition Messages for a Good Relationship with Food: Dos & Don’ts for parents

Nutrition Messages for a Good Relationship with Food: Dos & Don’ts for parents

by BrachaKopstick | Mar 17, 2021 | Child & Adolescent Health

Nutrition messaging is everywhere, and readily available for kids & teens to pick up. Becoming aware of these and finding alternatives can help kids & teens develop a good relationship with food. When I talk with tweens and teens, they’ll often tell me a piece...
Your adolescent is not addicted to sugar: 3 steps for normalizing sweets

Your adolescent is not addicted to sugar: 3 steps for normalizing sweets

by BrachaKopstick | Feb 18, 2021 | Child & Adolescent Health, Nourished Eating

Sugar is a big topic in my practice and generally a controversial nutrient; parents are concerned about their child’s sugar intake, tweens and teens often feel guilty eating sugar-rich food, but they also crave these foods and want to eat them.  A closer look at...
Period Cravings: why they come & how to deal with them

Period Cravings: why they come & how to deal with them

by BrachaKopstick | Dec 8, 2020 | Child & Adolescent Health, Nourished Eating

Have you ever had a sudden urge for chocolate ice cream or French fries, and the next day or two your period starts? Or maybe it’s the week-of and you can’t stop eating that sugar cereal you save special? There’s a lot going on in the body leading up to...
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About Me

Hi, I'm Bracha! I'm a registered dietitian helping families just like yours. I want to help you make eating, and feeding your family an enjoyable experience. This is your place for quick and simple recipes with minimal ingredients and instructions easy enough for kids to make. You'll also find tips and tricks for raising and nurturing adventurous eaters. I'm so glad you're here :)

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Recent Posts

  • 5 Tips to Improve Kids’ Summer Eating
  • Six steps for helping your adolescent picky eater
  • Raising Food-Competent Teens & Tweens Program Announcement

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adolescent.nutritionist

Bracha Kopstick RD
This morning as I was working I was waiting desper This morning as I was working I was waiting desperately for "lunch time". I kept thinking about what I wanted to eat and when I could finally take a break. I kept trying to distract myself, but wasn't able to focus on any work 🙈 It finally hit me what I was doing! I was ignoring my body's hunger signals in favor of following some rule or belief that I could only eat at a particular time. Scheduled eating can often have the unintended outcome of becoming rule-based. It may look like your adolescent refusing to eat outside of meal or snack times, losing focus to think about what's for the next meal, rummaging in the cupboards before dinner; or eating at totally different times than the family. What can you do? Take a look at your schedule: Can you push up or off a meal time? Can you add in a snack somewhere? When adolescents know food is reliably served, and it's available when needed, they can trust listening to their hunger cues. And their brain doesn't need to keep reminding them to eat (by thinking about food or creating cravings), allowing them to accomplish all the things they want and need to! If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖
What's your favorite summer food? Comment below 👇 When raising adolescents to have a good relationship with food, it's important to keep moral judgement out of the way we talk about food. It's easy to think of food in categories, like "good and bad", "healthy and not healthy" and so many other judgement calls. But what if we called it all "food"? Calling food by it's name has the power of letting us eat what we really want and in amounts that feel good to our body, rather than what and how much we think we should eat. Approaching food neutrally helps adolescents eat in response to their body's needs and enjoy food free of feeling guilt or shame. If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖
As we start seeing people again, you may notice yo As we start seeing people again, you may notice your adolescent eating a lot more at these gatherings than they do at home. Why is this, and what can you do? 1. He may be restricted at home and when given free access to forbidden or limited food he eats more than he's comfortable with. 🤔What to do? Bring those food into the house more frequently! Help him get comfortable around that food by having it often and in enough quantity that he feels confident he can say no to it when it no longer feels good to him. 2. Many adolescents eat more in social contexts, when there is peer pressure to eat and an enjoyable environment that supports mingling and eating more. 🤔What to do? Accept it as normal. Remember, food is not just about fueling us physically, it also feeds us socially. That's important nourishment, especially after so long without socialization. 3. Your adolescent may feel socially awkward and unsure how to act, so goes to the food to look busy, and feel better. 🤔What to do? Help your adolescent ahead of time! Prepare them with tips and discussion points to interact with new people, role play conversations, and come up with grounding and coping tools. If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖
What's your favorite way to eat bread? I'm a toast What's your favorite way to eat bread? I'm a toast with cream cheese or PBJ gal. Comment yours and your adolescent's below 👇 A client and I were discussing bread recently, and she asked me "isn't bread really bad?" Diet culture has given it such a bad reputation, that is totally undeserved. Besides for providing carbohydrates - the brain's preferred source of energy, and vitamins and minerals, it's also so satisfying. Plus, it's the base for endless possibilities of simple meals. Even your adolescent with the least amount of skill in the kitchen can make any number of sandwich. Having bread every day, or multiple times a day is totally normal and fully okay. If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖
Can we please stop encouraging and praising adoles Can we please stop encouraging and praising adolescents for eating "healthy"? We're not focusing on the right things! As a dietitian working with adolescents, I (obviously) hear A LOT about what they're eating and why they choose to eat that way. Talking recently with a client, she has been focused on eating "healthy" for a while, and is seeing me to stop her binging disorder. While most of her days include smoothies and gorgeous quinoa bowls, she's also experiencing binges where she uncontrollably eats whatever packaged foods she can find. She's experiencing TONS of shame around these periods, and also has many physical signs that her body is not happy with her current eating behaviours. When we discussed adding specific foods into her diet, she kept asking, "but isn't that unhealthy?" or "I've heard a lot of bad things about that food" And these statements are not exclusive to adolescents with disordered eating or eating disorders. ALL the adolescents I see have learned what is and isn't healthy, and it has negatively affected how they eat or how they feel about eating. Yes, fruits and vegetables and whole grains are important foods to eat, but when adolescents are focused on eating these, they miss out on crucial nutrients (like FAT and PROTEIN) that they need to fuel their development. And they lose important brain space thinking about food way more often than necessary. If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖
Double tap ❤️ for raising adolescents to feel Double tap ❤️ for raising adolescents to feel good in their body! With bodies changing, looking different from the "beauty ideal", and developing at different speeds than friends, body image is an important topic around adolescence. Helping your adolescent feel comfortable and confident in their body can feel really tricky. Here's one way to make the topic less fraught: Let it sound the same regardless of your adolescent's body size. ❗Teach your adolescent that their body is good, regardless of how they look ❗Drill into your adolescent's belief that she deserves (and needs) to eat, regardless of her body size ❗Let him know his worth is not dependent on his appearance. Body image is NOT dependent on body size, as people in ALL bodies experience positive body image. When adolescents respect their body's individualism they treat it better by 🍴Eating well without restriction 🤸‍♀️Movement that feels good 😴Sleeping or resting when needed If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖 ** photos are not representative of all adolescents and all body types. Body image concerns are not limited to particular body types or girls- these conversations need to be had with children and teens of all genders in all bodies.
I was recently interviewed on a podcast where the I was recently interviewed on a podcast where the host started firing types of food at me and asking if they're "healthy". She stopped very quickly when my answer kept being the same 😂 One of the foods was ice cream, and being the ice cream time of year, let's talk about it! (Spoiler; Ice cream is healthy) 🍦Ice cream is a source of fat- providing energy and satiety. 🍨Ice cream is a source of carbohydrates- providing easy to use energy. 🍧It also has many vitamins and minerals - and not just calcium 🥛 Beyond that, it's tasty, refreshing, and fun. Basically, ice cream nourishes us nutritionally- physically, and emotionally. Making it a great food! Allowing your adolescent to eat ice cream multiple times a week teaches them that ice cream is not a "bad" food or something to limit or avoid. It also allows them to tune into how it feels to eat ice cream. I've recently recognized that eating a big portion of ice cream at once gives me a stomach ache. But having the control of how much to eat at a time, plus knowing I can have it beyond special occasions makes it easier to regulate how much I eat in one sitting. This can work the same for your adolescent! If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖
Does summer eating mean *all the snacking* for you Does summer eating mean *all the snacking* for your adolescent? That's the number one concern moms shared about why summer is more difficult for them 🤷‍♀️ So how can you manage it? 1. Create a (loose) schedule for meals and snacks. Get your adolescent's input here. You may need to add in more snacks than usual depending on activity and wake schedule 2. Ensure snacks and meals are nourishing and satisfying. Pairing a popsicle (not very satisfying), with a PB sandwich (more satisfying), ensures your adolescent eats the food they want- popsicle- but aren't looking for something to eat 5 minutes later. 3. Help your adolescent nourish themselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually with activities other than eating. 4. Stick to a sleep schedule as much as possible. Sleep affects appetite in an big way! Read the blog post linked in bio for more info and one more tip! If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖
Join me next Tuesday when I'm talking all things B Join me next Tuesday when I'm talking all things Body Image with @girl.thriving 🎉 While we often think about body image struggles during warmer months and when wearing less clothing, it can be a difficult topic for adolescents and teens year-round. Comparisons, social media, filters and photo-shop etc., come against their new and developing body to make it difficult feeling good in and about their body 😢 Having tools to face those difficult feelings is so necessary. Come join other high school girls in building confidence around loving your body! Who knows, maybe you'll meet a friend who can help build you up as well! WHO: 14-18 year old girls WHEN: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 TIME: 1:00pm - 2:00pm (you can sleep in!) WHERE: Zoom (link provided when you sign-up) COST: FREE for first-timers and Girl Thriving members! Sign up now @girl.thriving 💖
What's your favorite super simple to prepare food? What's your favorite super simple to prepare food? Share below! 👇 I was talking with a client who is recently making her own meals and is learning the skills to do so. She was very critical with how excited she was to have successfully made a meal that was so basic "a 5 year old could make it with some adult supervision". She felt this meal didn't count. If you have ever felt this way about the food you or your adolescent make and eat, please remember this: 1. Your adolescent needs to eat. But bodies know what to do with ALL food- not just the complicated recipes or nicely plated dishes. Even the quick to assemble sandwich and take-out meals. All food nourishes your adolescent and gives energy for growth & development. 2. Meal preparation is a skill that takes time to develop and excel at. Each new food your adolescent makes or eats is one more food or skill they can take with them into adulthood and build on towards greater skills. 3. Comparison is never helpful 😊 There's always someone doing bigger and more complicated, but that's not fair to you. Show yourself kindness and compassion and remember that you're doing the best for YOUR adolescent. If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖
Double tap ❤️ for raising adolescents with goo Double tap ❤️ for raising adolescents with good mental and physical health! A mom commented on my last post about normalizing and accepting weight gain in adolescence, that her adolescent's mental health is being affected by looking different from his friends. Should she help him change his eating habits to change his body and improve his mental wellness? This is a common question, and reflective of how simple we believe it is to change our body size and shape. Bodies are not meant to come in only one size or shape. Each individual person has a personalized body size and shape, and when eating and moving according to your body's needs, your body will remain that size and shape. Altering food intake or activity level can be terrible for mental health! Focusing on or obsessively thinking about food and counting calories or measuring activity puts the body and mind under a lot of stress and anxiety, which is the opposite of mental wellness. What can you do instead? ✔️Show empathy and kindness to your adolescent's experience ✔️Build up their confidence and self-esteem through recognizing their accomplishments, talents, and skills ✔️Support his physical and mental health with nourishing and satisfying food in quantities that feel good and support his growth ✔️Expose her to diverse-looking people. Help her be comfortable seeing people who don't meet the "standard beauty ideal" and recognize that people are beautiful and confident and accomplished in all body types. If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! I work with parents and adolescents to empower you to raise nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, who eat free of guilt and shame 💖
Adolescence is a time of so much physical growth a Adolescence is a time of so much physical growth and development. That means they need to gain weight! I recently spoke with a mom whose adolescent son has been gaining weight. Mom wants to make sure he's eating properly and won't fall prey to dieting. She mentioned that his doctor had taken tests to make sure everything was okay, and it all came back normal. You know why? BECAUSE WEIGHT GAIN IN THIS AGE STAGE IS NORMAL Another mom I spoke with had a feeling her daughter wasn't eating properly, though she reassured me that she hasn't lost any weight. But she also hasn't gained any in the last year, and her height slowed down significantly as well. Adolescents need to gain weight! There is so much below the surface that impacts weight including bone density and muscle strength. This is crucial for healthy developing adolescents. Normalize 👏 weight gain 👏 and 👏 body changes👏 Are you struggling with your adolescent? If you're ready to raise healthy, well-nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food and their body, schedule a discovery call today (link in bio). I work with adolescents and/or with parents of adolescents to develop a positive relationship with food & body. Get confident with your messaging around food to help nourish eating behaviour free of guilt and shame 💖
Do you have a selective or picky eater? Which side Do you have a selective or picky eater? Which side are you? Comment below 👇 Selective eating is really common in adolescents. They know what they like and they stick with it! And that can be super frustrating as a parent. You feel they're old enough to try new food and not be so timid about not eating only their favorites 🤷‍♀️ Adolescents need to be supported to try new food. Threats, bribes, shame or guilt are not effective ways to help your adolescent expand their diet. Creating a pressure free environment with opportunities for your adolescent to try new food can be a effective way to help expand your adolescent's accepted and enjoyed foods. Read my latest blog Six Steps for Helping Adolescent Picky Eaters (linked in bio) for tips on how to do this. If your adolescent is struggling with limited food intake, and you're ready to work with a dietitian to expand it, schedule a discovery call with me (link in bio) and get confident raising well nourished adolescents with a good relationship with food 💖
What's your favorite summer ice-y food? Comment be What's your favorite summer ice-y food? Comment below 👇 It's officially ice cream truck season! And with that often comes a lot of comments around the options, conversations about which food is "better" health-wise than others, and feeling guilt for allowing kids to buy something when it'll spoil their next meal or they've already eaten enough for the day... When raising adolescents to have a good relationship with food, it's important to keep all food morally equal and not to put down or raise up one food over another. So if the timing is right, and your kids are getting something from the ice cream truck, don't discuss which food is higher in sugar, or fat, or if it'll spoil their dinner... Once they're in line to buy, all the choices are equal, and the consideration is "which food do they like the most?" ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you're concerned with your adolescent's eating habits or body beliefs, or are struggling with feeding your adolescent to fuel their growth, schedule a free call today (link in bio)! Get the skills and knowledge to confidently raise adolescents who are nourished and have a good relationship with ALL food free of guilt and shame. 🎉
Eating in response to her body's needs versus in r Eating in response to her body's needs versus in response to how he thinks or feel about their body can make a huge difference in how your adolescent eats. When adolescents feel good in their body, they nourish it, and provide it with its needs. On the flip side, when they don't feel good in their body, it can lead to self-destructive or negative behaviours. Dieting and disordered eating often start when adolescents feel poorly about their body and want to change how they look. Cultivating a positive or neutral body image can be one way to protect your adolescent from negative behaviour and help them nourish themselves properly. Some ideas of supporting a neutral or positive body image: ✔️Don't focus on bodies- your own, theirs, others. An over focus on bodies can lead to increased concern about one's appearance. ✔️Encourage body diversity with the media they consume and you bring into the home. ✔️Practice it yourself! Don't put yourself down, talk negatively about your body, or treat it poorly. What do you find helpful in cultivating a neutral or positive body image? Developing and cultivating a good relationship with your body can be difficult. If you're struggling raising adolescents with a good relationship with food or their body, schedule a free call today (linked in bio). Gain the tools and confidence to nourish your adolescents free of guilt and shame 💖
Eating more food when it's a "special occasion" fo Eating more food when it's a "special occasion" food is totally normal. Next week is the holiday of Shavuos, and it comes along with all the special foods we typically see only once a year (all things cheese and dairy!) Serving food infrequently generally leads to over eating when it's available, as there's a restrictive quality to the food, and we need to "stock up" before it's gone. This is our natural reaction to restriction (remember toilet paper shortages??). You may see your adolescent doing this during holidays, at parties, when visiting, or anytime they have access to previously limited food. You can help them by limiting limitations. 🍰 Cheesecake can be eaten any day of the year! 🍬 Candy can be part of your weekly snack rotation. 🍦 Ice cream can be continually stocked in your freezer. When adolescents are given frequent access to food, they don't need to stock up on it, and they can eat in a way that feels good to them. They're in control rather than the food controlling them. If you're struggling raising adolescents with a good relationship with food, schedule a free call today (linked in bio). Gain the tools and confidence to nourish your adolescents free of guilt and shame 💖
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bracha@beekaynutrition.com

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