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adolescent.nutritionist

Convenience foods like prepackaged, ready to eat f

Convenience foods like prepackaged, ready to eat food, is super important for helping your adolescent build a good relationship with food.

Convenience foods have nutrients and health benefits, and are nourishing and satisfying. They don't need to be avoided, and on the contrary, make healthy eating so much easier!

Including convenience foods in your food preparation:

✔️ demonstrates that all food can be incorporated into healthy eating
✔️ neutralizes processed/packaged food
✔️ makes home-made meals more realistic and doable
✔️ minimizes the stress of food preparation and so increases mealtime enjoyment
✔️ helps foster adolescent independence around choosing food that is filling and satisfying

When we can neutrally incorporate convenience, packaged, processed foods into our homes, adolescents learn that all food is morally neutral. This helps them build a good relationship with food free of guilt and shame 💖

Having a newborn right now, it's clear to me how c

Having a newborn right now, it's clear to me how celebrated baby weight gain is.

People want to know his birth weight and are impressed when it's a high number.
I've gotten compliments on his big cheeks and not-skrawny legs.

And because Baby J had significant weight loss after birth, every gram he regained was a sigh of relief and celebration.

Could you imagine that response with adolescent weight gain?!

When every growth spurt is met with excitement
Growing out of clothing represents a step closer to adulthood
Visible weight gain is a sign and celebration of development and growth

That would significantly positively impact how adolescents feel about their body!

Too often, however, weight gain is seen as a negative thing and as something to fear and to avoid.
This has very harmful repurcussions that can very often last long term.
(See @overtimecook recent highlight on childhood body shaming)

And if you're not yet ready to *celebrate* your adolescent's weight gain, can you try seeing it as a neutral (or positive) change?
Can you try not making negative comments to or about her changing body?
Can you allow him to eat the food that feels right in the amounts that feel right to him?

How can you support your adolescent's changing body while creating and supporting a GOOD relationship with body?

If you're struggling with this, follow @adolescent.nutritionist for tips and resources for raising adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, free of guilt and shame 💖

One of the fun things for me to see on social medi

One of the fun things for me to see on social media is the slew of creative cookies people make for the holidays.

One of the challenging things for my adolescent clients is going to holiday parties and having a slew of cookie options available, and feeling out of control around the options, plus experiencing all sorts of negative emotions for eating them.

You can help your adolescent feel more confident and comfortable around cookies by the way you talk about them.
Rather than framing them as a guilty pleasure, a task you need to check off your holiday list that you'd rather avoid, or trying to "healthify" the recipe, frame them as a form of connection and tradition.

Help your adolescent recognize that food is enjoyable, and that's a good thing! We should be satisfied from the food we eat, and that comes from food that tastes good!

Remember, all food serves a purpose for us, and celebration is definitely one of those!

But also, for helping your adolescent feel comfortable around holiday special foods, they need to be exposed to these foods year-round.
Not sure how to do that?
Follow @adolescent.nutritionist for tips and resources for raising adolescents with a good relationship with food, free of guilt and shame 💖

The Chanukah donuts (sufganiyot) have made their a

The Chanukah donuts (sufganiyot) have made their appearance in stores!

Which side will you be presenting this year?

The left will promote feelings of shame and guilt for eating (and enjoying) a holiday treat.

These negative feelings can lead to sneak eating, eating past fullness, and/or harmful behaviors to "make up" for eating.

Whereas the right side demonstrates that food plays a greater role than it's nutritional content.

Food is celebrations and social interaction and cultural connection.

It's allowed to be "JUST" tasty with no added benefits.

Modelling this type of eating demonstrates to adolescents that ALL food is good. Resulting in a good relationship with food, free of guilt and shame 💖

Now tell me below 👇 what's your favorite donut flavor??

It's hard for adolescents to make changes when the

It's hard for adolescents to make changes when they see their parents modeling something different.

Parents generally provide the food that's available at home, prepare and serve it. And the way you present it can affect how your adolescent FEELS about that food.

Are you creating an environment or restriction or abundance?
Is there guilt or shame associated with eating?

Think of the WORDS you use around food and bodies. Those are really important influencers is how kids feel about food.
Are they neutral or judgemental?

Take an honest reconning if your own relationship with food and how you wish your kids and teens to experience their food relationship. Are there any changes or tweaks you can make?

Follow @adolescent.nutritionist for education and tips for raising adolescents with a good realtionship with food and body free of guilt and shame 💖

Intuitive Eating isn't the hunger/fullness diet an

Intuitive Eating isn't the hunger/fullness diet and shouldn't be used to put down an adolescent eating when they're not physically hungry.

There are many times adolescents need to eat even when they're not physically hungry.
This can be due to schedules, refeeding a restricted body, or not experiencing physical hunger.

Eating in the absence of hunger can be difficult- physically and emotionally.

Read my new blog post *linked in bio* to learn how you can support your adolescent eating intuitively WITH scheduled/practical eating.

And follow @adolescent.nutritionist for more tips and education on raising adolescents with a good relationship with food and body free of guilt and shame 💖

Talking to a client recently, we were discussing t

Talking to a client recently, we were discussing the various challenges she has had over the last few years:
puberty, covid, social ups and downs, family concerns, social media influences...

And we realized that it's been a turbulent bunch of years!

Puberty alone can be a traumatic event for kids, as they move into the unknown and try to navigate a new normal.

Compound that with having more access to friends and other teens, more accessable knowledge (whether valid or not) AND the world navigating a "new normal"

Your puberty and your adolescent's puberty are totally different!

At the same time though, you have what to empathize with.
You experienced a changing body and emotions.
The social setting may have differed, but the crux of it is really the same.

Let your adolescent know you can handle their changes and experiences!

Offer your empathy and understanding, while being open to the possibility that you don't know all that they're going through.

Parents play an important role in their teen and tween's lives. You CAN be the support your adolescent needs with curiosity and compassion.

And if you or your adolescent is struggling, there's plenty of help available!

Follow @adolescent.nutritionist for more tips and information for raising adolescents with a good realtionship with food and body free of guilt and shame 💖

I very often talk about yogurt with my clients bec

I very often talk about yogurt with my clients because it's a protein-rich, filling, convenient, tasty option to easily add to meals or snacks.

A very frequent complaint I hear, however, is that parents are buying only plain Greek yogurt, and my clients don't like that.

My suggestion to you: Buy flavored yogurt!

There's no benefit to buying food your family won't eat.

Flavored yogurt, even sweetened, even non-Greek, HAS benefits to it.

✔️Protein
✔️Calcium
✔️Fat
✔️Enjoyment
✔️Satisfaction & nourishment.

Finding food your adolescents will eat and enjoy can be challenging.
Finding protein-rich foods that are school safe, transportable, and nourishing, can be challenging.

If your adolescent is willing to eat yogurt, don't prevent this by buying the "healthiest" yogurt, because it's NOT HEALTHY if it's not being eaten 💥

Want more tips on raising healthy adolescents with a good relationship with food and body? Follow @adolescent.nutritionist and gain the confidence of feeding your family free of shame and guilt 💖

Where and from whom are you getting your health ad

Where and from whom are you getting your health advice??

If it's mostly from social media, you need to make sure the content is coming from someone who knows what they're talking about!

Too many influencers give health and nutrition advice based on things that are trendy, products they're selling, or actions that "worked for them".
What they're not providing is non biased, science/researched data that can be widely applied.

Do you NEED to only follow evidence based health providers?
Obviously not, if you enjoy the content.
But if you're implementing changes based on what you're seeing online, you do want to ensure they're coming from reputable sources.

Unfollowing these content creators can often make you feel better about yourself as you lose the guilt or shame that so often comes with viewing this content, and in turn improve YOUR health and wellbeing.
And in turn, you can support your adolescent in doing the same with the media they consume.

For more tips for raising healthy adolescents, follow @adolescent.nutritionist and feel confident in supporting your adolescents' growth and development free from guilt and shame 💖

Helping your adolescent navigate holidays without

Helping your adolescent navigate holidays without diet-culture can be challenging, with extra messaging on social media and the potential for comments or conversations with long-unseen family and friends.

Here are some tips to implement this holiday season:

1. Eat regularly, and ensure your adolescent does too.
"saving up" for a big meal will result in eating past comfortable fullness and feeling out of control at meals. So eat your usual meals and snacks leading up to the big meal, and AFTER too! There's no need to "make up" for a big meal. Your fullness will pass, and you need to eat again.

2. Let your adolescent know he can eat whatever feels right to him. That may be lots, it may be little.

3. Shut down comments made about bodies and food choices. You may consider pre-emptively having these conversations with your family, or prepare yourself - and your adolescent- with some conversation enders or topic changes.

4. Your adolescent doesn't need to "earn" their food with activity. While it may be part of family tradition, it's important to separate eating with exercise. Everyone needs to eat, and it never needs to come with preconditions of being deserving or not, based on movement.

Which of these do you find most doable? Are you struggling to implement any of these? Comment below and let me know 🤗😊

An adolescent client was telling me recently how f

An adolescent client was telling me recently how fine she is in her big body. While she admitted to feeling sometimes uncomfortable with certain body parts, she recognizes the futility of trying to change her appearance, and instead is working on improving her overall mental and physical health.

When I speak with parents, they'll express worry over the size and shape of their kids and teens, but will often admit that their adolescent doesn't seem bothered by their body!

When this is your experience, it's NOT your job to make your adolescent conscious of their body as a problem, even if it's to protect them from developing those thoughts.

You can keep him feeling comfortable in his body by:

⭐Not commenting on his body
⭐Not commenting on your body (or that of others')
⭐Encouraging eating all foods in a way that feels right and nourishes the whole body - NOT DIETING OR RESTRICTING
⭐Finding ways of connecting in a meaningful way
⭐Highlighting the (non physical) qualities your adolescent has.

You CAN'T protect your child from teasing or bullying by being your child's first bully. Creating a safe space in your home for your adolescent is crucial to building their self confidence and self worth, regardless of their appearance.

If you're struggling raising adolescents who feel good in their body and comfortable around food, work with me. Schedule a Discovery Call (linked in bio) and feel confident raising adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, free of guilt and shame 💖

A mom sent me pictures of her NINE year old's nutr

A mom sent me pictures of her NINE year old's nutrition homework yesterday.

There was a lot of information on "empty calories" coming from "junk" food with questions on how much exercise would be needed to 'use up' those calories.

Calories are not empty, no matter what food they come from.
Whether your adolescent is eating cookies or brown rice, the body knows how to break down those carbohydrates and use the energy for all it's current needs.

A calorie is a unit of energy.
And our bodies need energy!
Adolescents need LOTS of energy!

We can't "cancel out" or "use up" the energy we eat with exercise, because that would leave our body without the energy to grow, develop, or do all the many necessary processes of running a healthy body.

This type of education is DANGEROUS!
If your child or teen is coming home with these kind of messages, you need to speak up and protect your adolescent!

And if you're looking for more direct support, schedule a Discovery Call *linked in bio* to feel confident raising adolescents free of dieting culture, and a good relationship with ALL food 💖

So often when I initially speak with parents, they

So often when I initially speak with parents, they express guilt or shame for seeking support in their adolescent's care, believing it's a mark of failure.

This is your reminder that seeking help IS NOT WEAKNESS

1. Adolescents have so many influences in their lives that impact their beliefs and behaviors. It can be really challenging for parents to address these often opposing influences.
It becomes personal to parents, while a professional can usually remain non-judgmental while supporting healthier habits.

2. Part of adolescent growth and development is distancing themselves from their parents. Tweens and teens don't want to hear from their parents!
Having someone separate from their parents can reinforce a message (that they may have heard hundreds of times!) but weren't willing to hear.

3. While parents have their child's best interest in mind, sometimes your adolescent needs more than you're able to provide.
Giving them the access to someone who can help demonstrates your love, caring, and devotion to giving your adolescent what they need.

If you've been struggling with your adolescent's eating habits and beliefs around food and body, don't wait any more! Schedule a Discovery Call *linked in bio* and gain the skills and confidence for raising adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, free of guilt and shame 💖

Food aversions can significantly affect your adole

Food aversions can significantly affect your adolescent AND impact you and your family.
While often a food aversion is something minor - like not liking boiled eggs (or soup🙃) , it can be more significant than that.

If your adolescent won't join a meal when particular food is being served
If he experiences anxiety or panic at the thought, knowledge, or smell of a meal
If she's unable to regulate these emotions enough to eat her own food
If they don't have enough variety in their diet because of their aversions

These are serious concerns that likely need multi- professional intervention.
Follow @adolescent.nutritionist for more information and tips for raising adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, or schedule a Discovery Call linked in bio to gain confidence and skill in supporting your adolescents'growth free of guilt and shame 💖

Here's your seasonal reminder that food is not "go

Here's your seasonal reminder that food is not "good" or "bad"

Some food provides more nutrients than others, but ALL food provides us with benefits.

my number one tip for raising kids and teens with a good relationship with food is to break this thought process of food belonging in categories of "healthy/junk" etc.

💫 Our bodies need calories- which all food provides!
💫 Bodies need nutrients- different foods provide different ones and in different amounts
💫 Bodies need enjoyment and pleasure- some foods give more than others
💫 People are MORE than bodies, and need to connect with others or celebrate their culture, - often with food!

Let's help adolescents embrace HEALTHY eating by embracing ALL foods, free of guilt and shame.

If your adolescent is struggling with their relationship with food, work with me! schedule a Discovery Call *linked in bio* and start feeling confident and comfortable with all food free of negative emotions and behaviors 💖

Is your adolescent planning on going trick-or-trea

Is your adolescent planning on going trick-or-treating this year? Tell me in the comments below 👇
Even if they're not, adolescents have a way of accessing candy and it can be challenging knowing how to deal with that.

Normalizing candy as a morally neutral food is important for helping adolescents create a good relationship with ALL food. When kids know they have ready access to sweets, they can decide which candy they actually want to eat, and how much they want to eat to feel good.

1. DO NOT take it away! That can lead to hiding, sneaking, and lying about candy.

2. Let your adolescent eat and enjoy their candy!
If you're uncomfortable with it becoming a free-for-all, consider setting up some rules for when and where they can eat it.
**Make sure these don't reinforce restriction or create feelings of guilt for eating sweets**

Some examples of rules may include:
timing (ex don’t eat it within 15 minutes of a meal if it impacts their appetite),
location (not in their bedroom),
hygiene (eat sticky sweets with crackers and a drink, make sure to brush and floss)

If you're struggling with how to approach candy, snacks, or treats for your adolescent, schedule a Discovery Call, linked in bio, for individualized support for raising adolescents with a good relationship with food free of guilt and shame 💖

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