Whether you have a picky eater or a kid who eats anything, proper nutrition is key to a healthy childhood.
So my kids (3 and 5) are pretty normal when it comes to eating; not super picky but they certainly prefer “kid foods” like chicken nuggets, pasta, hot dogs, etc. I give them veggies every night but often they ignore them or have to be nagged into eating them. Then my 5yo did a nutrition unit at school. Somehow his (brilliant!) teacher managed to teach a bunch of pre-K kids about vitamins, macr... More
A few things we do... try to offer non-healthy foods sparingly. Allow substitutions from the same food group. (don't like tonights chicken? Have a handful of almonds or some scrambled eggs <i only allow substitutions they can make themselves, I'm not a restaurant 😉> ) and the 3rd thing we do is play animal ("Does anyone see a giraffe who wants to nibble these trees *aka brocc... More
My energy levels have been crazy low recently. I used to take maca a couple years ago and I LOVED it. I want to get back on it to help me wake up a little bit, but I am currently breast feeding my 4 month old. Does anyone know if this is safe, or have any personal anecdotes to share? Thank you!
Hi Megan! I was researching why my energy was so low while breastfeeding- essentially I found out because of the hormones it makes not only them tired but also the mommas! Also- until about month 6, breastfeeding takes a toll on our calcium & literally takes it from our bones. However, at month 6 it is supposed to regulate as far as the hormones and calcium levels and you should see increas... More
What do you feed your non-animal (aka vegeterian) eating kids for main meals/protein? She hardly eats vegetables as it is... bean quesadillas are our go to. I need new ideas.
Hello! Tried and true meals of a picky vegetarian toddler: 1. Quinoa rice: 75% rice 25% quinoa mixture (doesn’t like straight up quinoa) 2. Miso soup with lots of tofu and spinach. Can also add seaweed in small pieces. Just check miso for no fish ingredients. 3. Beyond Burger - slider size (think it’s called Beast burger and it’s at almost every grocery store) with some ketchup to dip. 4. P... More
I stopped tracking how much milk my son is drinking since we just got him off the bottle but he likes to tip his milk cup (straw tumbler that isn’t leak/spill proof - the only cup he will drink milk from) and play with it. I try to give him cheese and yogurt to supplement but by ballparking it... we are far from reaching the 2 cup recommendation. What are your experiences? Did you have to give ... More
There’s ways to sneak more in if you feel like it..... Use milk in place of water when making pancakes, oatmeal, or pudding. Put yogurt in smoothies and use it as a dip for fruit. If he likes eggs serve him cheese eggs! Melt some cheese into mashed potatoes. Oranges, leafy greens, and beans are all great calcium sources.
Alright, so I’m currently 2 months post partum. I’ve already lost all my baby weight and then some, but am now struggling to continue losing the weight. I always have this vision of eating healthy, exercising, and just becoming a better healthier me. I’ll do it all day long but then once nighttime hits I am starving and begin to binge eat. So basically everything I accomplished during the day i... More
Keeping only good choices around (skinny pop or fruit or fruit juice popsicles or veggies & hummus would work as healthy bedtime snacks) or just go to bed earlier. Or have a glass of water. But also make sure you’re getting enough calories—breastfeeding is no joke! Hunger at bedtime may mean you really haven’t had enough during the day.
When my mom lost a lot of weight she chewed a lot of gum! She said when at a get together for example and there was a table of food she'd chew gum because you can't eat while chewing gum. Or if she had a sweet tooth she'd chew a fruity piece of gum.... I think she primarily used it as an excuse to say "no thanks, I have gum in my mouth" when offered food/snacks etc. she al... More
It’s so hard to get kids to eat. Here are the things that worked for my son when he was a baby: Minimize snacking. Only when necessary and something very light- fruit, nuts, etc. When he’s hungry he’s a better eater. Serve his meal in courses. Veggies first, then meat, then grains. My son is picky about textures, so I played a lot with cooking different foods in different ways. I learned ... More
I know it’s sometimes hard to remember that they’re just like anybody else where they may have low appetite days and hungry days but it’s starting to become a 1-2x a week thing for my son to skip dinner completely. He’s barely 1.5 years old so I can’t even reason with him. Anybody else have this happen? What did you do? What was your experience?
Our son is 3 yrs old, and has done this ever since he’s been out of infancy. Our son is, what I call, a grazer. He LOVES to eat a large morning meal, eats good for lunch, but does not like to eat dinner. I mean ever! As the day wears on, he wants to graze more and just grabs things from us as he runs by. Our son falls in the middle of the ADHD spectrum though, so he’s got a LOT of energy. He us... More
I have a picky eater, so I confided with my daughter's pediatrician. His response is very similar to all the previous comments. However, he said to avoid grazers, make a schedule and specific times for both meals and snacks (With snack time being between meals, that gives them the option to eat 5 times a day). Now I feel your pain... So with my daughter, I make her smoothies everyday to ma... More
Here’s a great recipe I just made for tortillas for salsa chicken tacos tonight. I gave my baby a cut up tortilla with some baby food purée on top and she is currently loving it!! (This is modified from a recipe I found online.) One egg white 1 TBSP melted coconut oil 4 TBSP arrowroot starch (or equal amount cornstarch) 2 TBSP water 1/2 cup fine almond flour A few punches of Real Salt Butter ... More
Any suggestions for daily exercise and meal plans? I have an 8 yo with celiac, already small for his age and the doctors say it’s likely he’ll stay at this size for the rest of his life. He is a shy and timid child with a beautiful heart. I don’t want his physical appearance to bog him down as he grows. I want him to grow strong despite of it, even if he doesn’t grow taller.
What are some of your favorite healthy snacks? My son is 1 and loves cheese doodles, Oreos and ice cream . I go to Aldi and Walmart primarily and I’m overwhelmed with choices, I don’t know where to start .
*FOR THOSE WITH ANEMIC BABIES/TODDLERS* So, I found out that my 1 y/o is anemic. He’s not very anemic, but he’s a little past the borderline mark.. He’s taking iron drops as supplement, but I would like to give him iron via: food & drinks. What kind of foods can I feed my little one in order to give him the iron his body needs? **I’ve also found that his anemia is not caused by health iss... More
My daughter is 1 and she has no problem eating a wide varieties of food, but when it comes to drinks she's so picky! She doesn't like really like to drink anything other then milk and water. I have tried almost every brand and flavor of juice and she just won't drink it. I maybe thought she could dislike cold drinks, so I tried juice room temperature and still a no go. Anyone els... More
My daughter is 3 and now she doesnt want to eat. I've tried everything but I'm out of ideas. Thanks!
I give very limited snacks something small if anything otherwise her real meal times are like pulling teeth. My desperate go to measure is I give her YouTube kids 😫 I know not great but she loves it (i don’t know what baby crack is in those videos) but when she’s really refusing to eat and I know it’s just stubborn bx I wait a little while then sit her down again and give her the iPad and she... More
DAIRY OR NOT? It seems that the pediatrician and studies contradict each other. I’ve heard that dairy is harmful, yet the doctor says that toddlers need the fatty milk for brain development and what not. What’s your take? Is dairy (milk especially) harmful or helpful??
This was tough for us at home. My husband and I don't do dairy at all just because of intolerance. My son is 1 and we went with grassfed milk. Also went with this because he's very hard to feed. So while yes we have all these other options for healthy fats and calories and what not milk is one thing he does like. It never crossed my mind that we would be struggling this much to get him ... More
My 16 month old son used to eat everything under the sun and is now boycotting his meals. I absolutely refuse to keep giving him alternatives because I don’t want him to think it’s a restaurant lol. He’s drinking his milk and water and doesn’t seem like he’s starving. Please tell me this is a phase. My goal is to keep offering what is given and keep plugging on.
My daughter became picky at this age. I try to feed her what we eat but will offer her either lunch or dinner with something I think she will like but we will eat too like pasta with purees veggies as the sauce or meatballs with sweet potatoes or quiche . So she is at least eating 1 good meal a day.
When my son was born he was 9.8lbs. Everyone including myself were SHOCKED. So whenever someone would jokingly ask me what did I eat, I always tell them CARBSSS. Pizza, pasta, sweet potato/yams, & fries were the main things I wanted and craved for (yes I did eat a lot of vegetables too) On both sides of the family (mine and hubby) no one was a big baby. All pretty average. which makes me w... More
Help!!!! I need all the advice I can get. My son who is now 15 months refuses to eat fruits and veggies. We have no problem in the protein dept. he loves chickens and meats. I’ve done the whole mixing in his food, for example he loves chicken salad so I’ve chopped up veggies very small and he’ll eat it. But once he realizes there are veggies in it, he’s done. I don’t know what to do at this p... More