November 11, 2024 • 41 mins
On this episode of the Brainy Moms podcast, cognitive psychologist Dr. Amy Moore and cognitive specialist Sandy Zamalis share how dietary choices can significantly impact brain development and cognitive performance in your children. From the powerhouse omega-3 fatty acids to essential proteins and carbohydrates, we break down the crucial nutrients your kids need for their growing brains. Learn practical ways to incorporate these brain-boosting elements into everyday meals and what to avoid for brain health.
For parents wrestling with mealtime battles and picky eaters, we tackle these challenges, too! Sensitivities to textures or tastes and a child's desire for independence doesn't have to be a source of stress. We share personal anecdotes and expert advice on creating a positive mealtime environment. Avoid the pitfalls and learn effective tactics to encourage them to explore new foods without resorting to making separate meals for each family member.
Lastly, turn your kitchen into a hub of creativity and learning by involving your children in meal preparation to foster autonomy and enthusiasm for healthy eating.
Become part of our community by connecting with us on social media @TheBrainyMoms, and share this episode with another parent like you!
CONNECT WITH US:
Website: www.TheBrainyMoms.com
Email: BrainyMoms@gmail.com
Social Media: @TheBrainyMoms
Visit our sponsor's website: www.LearningRx.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Amy Moore (00:00):
Hi smart moms and dads.
Welcome back to another episodeof the Brainy Moms podcast,
brought to you today byLearningRx Brain Training
Centers.
I'm Dr Amy Moore.
I'm here with Sandy Zimalis.
Sandy and I are gonna talkabout nutrition and the brain.
Good morning, Sandy.
Sandy Zamalis (00:15):
Good morning.
Not only are we gonna talkabout nutrition and the brain,
but we're gonna talk about pickyeaters.
Do you have a picky eater athome?
I think we've all had at leastone, if not been the picky eater
ourselves.
So I think this is going to bea great discussion, but let's
first talk about key nutrientsthat the brain needs from birth
(00:38):
and on.
Dr. Amy Moore (00:39):
Yeah.
So scientists in nutritionscience have determined that
there are eight key nutrientsthat developing brains need in
those first 1000 days, and by1000 days that means prenatal
development through age three,right so zero to three.
(01:00):
Eight key nutrients, and sothose are carotenoids, choline,
folate, iodine, iron, omega-3fatty acids and vitamin D.
So that's in the first thousanddays, and then in the next
thousand days, right so throughage six, developing brains and
(01:22):
growing brains also needproteins, fats and carbs,
magnesium, vitamins a, b and c,trace minerals like zinc and
water, water, water, all right,did everybody make that list?
Did you hurry up and write allof those down?
I hope not, because you don'tneed to write those down.
(01:42):
The reason that Zandi and Iwanted to highlight all of those
different nutrients is becausewe wanted to say here's how you
get all of those nutrientsthrough variety.
A variety of foods will get youthose nutrients.
Sandy Zamalis (02:02):
Do you think it would be helpful for our
listeners to talk about, fromthe brain perspective, what each
of those different nutrientshelps with in the brain, like
omega-3s for example?
What does that do in the brain?
Dr. Amy Moore (02:15):
Yeah, let's talk about omega-3s.
So omega-3s are essential fattyacids and they actually help the
development and function of themyelin sheath, which is that
fatty coating around the neuron,and so it actually will help
neurons communicate one another.
(02:36):
So the ability to move freelythroughout the brain, connect,
talk, and so that's why omega-3sare so important.
You know, they did a reallyinteresting couple of studies in
the last few years onpreschoolers, and what they did
is they increased preschoolers'fish consumption.
(02:57):
So fish is the primary sourceof omega-3 fatty acids and they
actually found that when theyincreased the fish consumption
okay, these preschoolers weregiven more fish to eat.
It raised their IQ scores andtheir processing speed scores.
Wow, which doesn't surprise us,right?
I talk all the time about theimportance of omega three fatty
(03:19):
acids for the brain, and so.
But to have a study on,specifically on preschoolers,
right, while the brain is asplastic as it will ever be, its
ability to change and grow thatis when it's happening and then
to add additional omega-3 fattyacids and it really plussed up
their cognitive abilities, thatwas a fun, fun couple of studies
(03:41):
to read about.
Sandy Zamalis (03:44):
Yeah, fish is really hard for kids to eat,
though, right like in my head,I'm imagining like how are we
serving this fish, yeah, and isit particular kinds of fish?
So I'm, you know, I'm assumingwild caught salmon you know like
really fatty fishes are whereyou're gonna get get the best
(04:04):
omega-3s, yeah.
Dr. Amy Moore (04:05):
Fatty fishes are the best.
And then you have to be reallycareful, because the big fishes
the big fishes, is that a word?
Big fish, you know, can havehigh mercury content.
So we don't want to be feedingthem a lot of yellowfin tuna or
shark shark, right, oh, andthose are fun occasionally to
(04:27):
eat, but they do collect moremercury um than an average to
small size fish um.
So yes, fish is not easy toincorporate into a snack or a
daily meal, but you could havefish Fridays, right, like to
(04:49):
introduce it at least once aweek as a family.
Sandy Zamalis (04:53):
Yeah, absolutely the option.
Dr. Amy Moore (04:55):
Yeah, and you can do omega-3 fatty acid
supplements as well.
I don't recommend the gummiesbecause there's not enough
omega-3s in the gummies Reallyit's just sugar but they do make
liquid omega-3 fatty acids.
Barleen's Jr is one of those.
In fact, my kids learned tojust squeeze it out right.
(05:20):
You leave it in the fridge.
They would squeeze it out inthe morning and then go to
school so that is one way to geta fish supplement.
Sandy Zamalis (05:30):
So, looking at all of these other nutrients, do
we know what benefits forexample, protein and carbs have
in the brain?
Dr. Amy Moore (05:37):
Yeah, those are great questions.
So protein is super importantfor brain development, but also
for concentration and focus.
And then carbs are importantbecause glucose is the primary
energy source for the brain, andso where do we get glucose
Carbohydrates?
So we just talked about fatsright, how important fats are
(06:01):
for the brain, but protein andcarbs also are essential for
helping the brain functionoptimally.
Let's talk about water.
Sandy Zamalis (06:10):
Why is water so important to the brain?
Dr. Amy Moore (06:12):
Yeah, so water actually helps the neurons move.
It helps with the plasticity ofneurons, it helps again with
the mobility of neurons, ithelps with the number of neurons
and it helps neuronalconnections right.
So even slight dehydration canresult in impaired attention and
(06:36):
memory.
Sandy Zamalis (06:39):
And that's for your lifespan.
So that's something even we asadults and our seniors need to
think about as well.
Dr. Amy Moore (06:46):
Yeah, absolutely.
And so you know we need to justgradually increase the amount
of water that kids have.
You know, early on they'regetting a majority of their
water from breast milk orformula formula, right.
But babies around six monthscan be introduced to a little
(07:07):
bit of water, you know, four toeight ounces a day.
And then children, one to three, need about four cups of fluid
a day from either water or milkcombined not combined at the
same time, but four cupscombined either of water and or
milk.
And then five cups of water forfour to eight year olds.
(07:29):
And then older children needseven to eight cups of water a
day.
And you know there's some newresearch that is saying we
really should base waterconsumption on thirst and not on
this static metric thateveryone needs eight ounces of
water a day.
(07:49):
But if we aren't intentionalabout introducing water early to
our kids, then they won't makeit a habit of staying hydrated
and then that will result inmild dehydration which impacts
attention and focus.
So we still want to beintentional about saying, hey,
(08:09):
we have to drink water all day.
Sandy Zamalis (08:11):
Yeah, and you also want to get them used to
the neutral, bland flavor ofwater right, so that they're not
only choosing sugary juices ordrinks to satisfy that thirst.
So balancing that out for themis really important.
Dr. Amy Moore (08:27):
Yeah, absolutely.
And we have this tendency togive our kids juice and we think
that, well, this is 100% juice,there's no added sugar, it's
not Kool-Aid, it's 100% juice.
But that actually has thiscascade effect.
So when we serve 100% juice,they are getting more sugar,
(08:49):
without fiber for the most part,and that can result in too much
sugar during the day becauseit's so concentrated.
But what happens is you'redrinking your calories, and so
then kids aren't as hungrydrinking your calories, and so
then kids aren't as hungry, andso then they won't necessarily
eat the healthful foods that weneed them to eat to get their
(09:10):
calories throughout the day.
So it kind of has this effectnot of just replacing water, but
of impacting calorieconsumption.
Sandy Zamalis (09:20):
Yeah.
So what it sounds like I'mhearing you say is that we've
really got to make sure thatwe're trying our best to make
sure our kids have a variety offoods in their daily diet so
that we can hit all of those keynutrients that we highlighted
at the front, and that varietyis going to help us get there.
Dr. Amy Moore (09:40):
Us get there Right.
And so that variety is going toinclude, you know, lean
proteins and eggs, leafy greens,fish, nuts and seeds, really
brightly colored fruits andvegetables, and Greek yogurt.
(10:02):
Why Greek yogurt?
So Greek yogurt has thathealthy fat right essential for
concentration and for brainfunction and communication
between the brain cells.
And because Greek yogurttypically has a lower sugar
content than some of the otheryogurts out there and it
typically does not have addedartificial food colors as well.
And so that's why we recommendGreek yogurt.
Sandy Zamalis (10:21):
And the probiotic effect of yogurt in general for
the gut.
Dr. Amy Moore (10:25):
Absolutely, and we know that that gut brain
connection is essential.
Sandy Zamalis (10:29):
Yeah, if you have a variety of foods, you're
going to help both the gut andthe brain.
Yeah, because you're addingthat fiber in, you're avoiding
constipation and any kind ofissues that can stem from leaky
gut, if you're having a reallygood influence of fiber in your
diet and all of those brightfruits and vegetables to get the
(10:53):
vitamins and nutrients for yourbrain.
But you've been blessed with apicky eater.
Dr. Amy Moore (10:59):
What do you do?
Yeah, so I was a picky eater,were with a picky eater.
Sandy Zamalis (11:04):
What do you do?
Yeah, so I was a picky eater.
Were you a picky eater?
I don't remember.
I don't remember.
I really like food of all typesand kinds, so I'm guessing no,
although I do have a texturething.
On occasion.
My father-in-law makes fun ofme because I'm always like eh,
texture's off.
Dr. Amy Moore (11:18):
Yeah, I was a picky eater, and I'm still a
little bit of a picky eater,although my you know, my
repertoire of foods has expandedover my lifetime, but I did
have a picky eater as well.
So my middle child was superpicky, and so I wish that I had
known some of the tips that I'mgoing to give everybody here in
(11:39):
a second when I was raising him,because it was hard and he
wasn't growing quickly enoughbecause he was so picky.
And so now people have gottensuper creative, parents have
gotten super creative, somepediatricians out there have
gotten creative and have sharedtheir tips to success, and so
(12:01):
we've been collecting them, andso let's talk about.
Well, first of all, let's talkabout why some people are picky
eaters.
Sandy Zamalis (12:09):
Yeah, let's start there.
Dr. Amy Moore (12:10):
Because sometimes it looks like they're picky,
but that might not be what'sgoing on.
Okay, but the primary reasonwhy we might have a picky eater
is because they are sensitive totextures, tastes and smells,
but typically it's a textureissue.
Sandy Zamalis (12:27):
I used to be that way with tomatoes.
I don't know this is a randomstory, but like, especially like
the, the baby ones, the smalltomatoes like the pop when you
oh, I would gag every time.
Tomatoes like the pop when youbite into it oh, I would gag
every time.
Well, blueberries do that to me.
(12:48):
But yeah, texture I definitelyidentify with.
Dr. Amy Moore (12:51):
Yeah, I used to hate raw carrots because of the
texture, so I totally identifiedwith that.
So that's a primary reason whykids are picky is because of
texture.
But a lot of picky eaters havea temperament that says I
approach the world with caution.
(13:11):
And so a picky eater who'spicky because of their cautious
temperament will probably becautious about the world in
other areas.
Right, that's the child whodoesn't want to try new things.
They just want to stand backand watch other people do it
(13:31):
before they make a decision.
It's the child who will say noautomatically.
They might eventually say yesto something new, but their
automatic reaction to hey, youwant to try this is no.
They just have this temperamentthat says the world out there
is scary and I have to make surebefore I try that.
(13:53):
So that's another reason why wemight see picky eaters.
But there are some things thatlook like being picky that
really aren't pickiness.
It's just behavioral, like achild has become autonomous and
is exerting their autonomy andwants to feed themselves.
They do not want you to feedthem anymore, they're ready to
(14:16):
feed themselves.
So it might look like they'rebeing picky because they're
pushing the spoon away, but it'sbecause maybe they want to hold
the spoon, so they want to feedthemselves.
So it might look like they'rebeing picky because they're
pushing the spoon away, but it'sbecause maybe they want to hold
the spoon, so they want to feedthemselves.
And then one other reason isthey might look picky but it's
they just don't want to sit longenough.
One of my kids off the chartsADHD didn't like to sit fully on
(14:38):
a chair, just wanted to restone leg on the edge of the chair
to eat.
And so we just have to adaptand sort of put on our curiosity
goggles and say what do I thinkis really going on here?
Sandy Zamalis (14:55):
Well, and in that case I imagine, as a parent,
you had to think.
You know what's the mostimportant thing.
The important thing is he'seating, even though he may be
zooming back and forth from thetable or moving or not sitting
properly with the rest of us atthis dinner hour, but really
getting fed is the mostimportant thing, so we're going
(15:18):
to move there.
Dr. Amy Moore (15:19):
Right and we have to manage our expectations,
like what do we expect ourdinner time to look like?
And if we're hung up on whetherboth butt cheeks are on the
chair, then we might want toreimagine what dinner should
(15:41):
look like.
Because is it important in thescheme of things, that both butt
cheeks are on the chair?
Not really.
Is your child engaging with you?
That's important.
Sandy Zamalis (15:51):
That's right.
So what is truly a picky eater?
How would you define that?
Dr. Amy Moore (15:56):
Yeah, a picky eater is a child who only
chooses to eat a limited numberof foods, you know, because of
sensitivity to texture, taste,smell or temperament.
Sandy Zamalis (16:15):
Okay, all right.
So what do we do if we've gotone of those kiddos that we're
trying to make sure we aregiving as much variety to as
possible?
Dr. Amy Moore (16:26):
Yeah.
So I want to say three thingsthat we shouldn't do.
First, before I makerecommendations on make
recommendations on what weshould.
So the first thing we shouldnot do is force a child to eat.
So forcing a child to eat orclean their plate will actually
result in them eating less, andwhat it does is it teaches the
(16:49):
child to rely on others to tellthem how much and when to eat,
rather than relying on hungerand fullness cues, and that's
not good.
We want our kids to stop eatingbecause they're full and not
because we forced them to cleantheir plates, and then we want
(17:12):
them to say I'm hungry, I wantto eat, and not rely on you to
tell them it's time to eat.
So we don't want to force ourchild to eat our picky children.
That's number one.
Number two we don't want tomake deals with them, right.
We don't want to bribe them toeat, because what that will do
(17:37):
is that will transfer to otherthings that your child does not
want to do.
So for every behavior that yourchild does not want to do, like
brush their teeth or cleantheir room or get ready for
school or get in the car, theywill expect a deal.
They will try to make a dealwith you because you've been
making deals over food.
Why wouldn't you make dealsover teeth brushing?
(17:59):
And so we want our kids tolearn these healthy habits
because that's what you do as ahuman and not because mom or dad
will be rewarding you for it orbecause they made a deal, all
right.
So we're not going to force ourkids to eat, we're not going to
make deals regarding food, andwe're not going to hide a food
that they don't like in a sauce.
(18:21):
So I used to think that wasgenius.
Oh, let's hide the broccoli inthe spaghetti sauce.
We just throw it in the blender, we mix it up, we hide it in
there, and they will never know.
Well, what that does is itvillainizes food, right?
It says broccoli is so gross,so we're going to hide it so
(18:43):
that you don't have to choke itdown, right?
So we don't want to villainizefood, and so I have a suggestion
on a different way to includebroccoli.
Sandy Zamalis (18:55):
Can I add one more to your list?
I would add don't punish yourchild for not eating.
Yes, whatever is you know, notfinishing their plate, not not
eating at grandma's house.
Probably, if I were to thinkback, as you had asked me I
can't remember during or beforethe podcast if I was a picky
(19:16):
eater, but if I was a pickyeater, but my most visceral
memories about food were beingpunished for not eating
something.
It's a funny story to me now,although I'm sure it wasn't then
but my parents had made thisdinner and I think it was like
Chinese, but it was like I don'tknow.
It was like Chinese in a can,like a chow mein Chinese.
(19:40):
It wasn't like a restaurantChinese food and again, I'm a
texture person.
So it had this sauce in it thatI didn't like, and it was
probably the one time I canremember where I would have sat
in that chair for days and wouldnot eat it.
(20:03):
I wasn't going to.
I would say I was standing firm, I was not going to touch it.
No amount of punishment wasgoing to work for me.
Um, and then after that I nevergot punished again about food
Cause I stood my ground so hardI wasn't going to eat it.
But that you know, causesometimes I'll parents like,
well, if you don't eat it thismeal, it'll be your be what you
(20:24):
eat at the next meal.
You know that kind of mentality.
And so it ended up on my platelike four meal times and I
refused every single time andthey were my parents, were like,
well, that didn't work, wewon't be doing that again.
And then the other time was ata parent's house, our
grandparents' house, where I hadmade a comment about you know
(20:49):
something on the plate, cause,as kids do, they have no filter
and I got in very big troublefor that.
So you know, yes, you.
Just I feel like when you addthat punishment to it, it again
defeats the argument and thepurpose of what you're trying to
accomplish in terms of gettingyour child to be more open to
(21:12):
trying new things.
Dr. Amy Moore (21:14):
Yeah, absolutely.
And if you think about a childwho has sensory issues, right,
who is sensitive to a texture infood, if you think about it as
a sensory issue where they'resensitive to the itchiness of a
sweater, do we force them towear the itchy sweater or do we
(21:38):
punish them for not wearing theitchy sweater?
I don't think so.
Right, that's a very visibleresponse to a texture problem,
right?
Oh, this itches so badly, right?
You can see your child ismiserable and they're suffering
and they're pulling at it, andso you take it off and you don't
make them wear that sweateranymore.
(21:59):
So if you can think about foodin the same way, right, my child
is sensitive to this texture orthis taste or the smell.
It's a sensory issue, right,it's a sensory, a negative
sensory response to this food.
So how can I support my child?
Then, right, we know that mychild needs all of these key
(22:20):
nutrients for brain developmentand for other health issues as
well.
But you know, our focus isobviously on the brain.
Then I think again, we put onour curiosity goggles and say,
all right, what can we dodifferently?
Sandy Zamalis (22:36):
Yeah, all right.
So now, what do we do?
Dr. Amy Moore (22:38):
Yeah.
So let me just say that I amsensitive to those families who
make four different meals, and Ithink that we should not get in
the habit of making fourdifferent meals, because that is
hard to sustain and thatcreates resentment, because
whoever is making the fourdifferent meals is exhausted.
(23:00):
Whether you're a stay-at-homemom, a homeschooling mom or you
work outside the house.
That is a lot of work to makefour different meals to
accommodate everyone's tastes.
So I would say, try to not dothat.
What I would say is, as you arekeeping track of the foods that
(23:22):
your picky eater likes, goahead and make your family meal,
but include at least one foodin the meal that your picky
eater does like.
So you're going to serve thatalongside the new foods, so that
you know A they're at leastgoing to eat one thing, right,
(23:45):
and?
But they also know, ok, momknows what I like, or dad knows
what I like and has put that onmy plate too.
Sandy Zamalis (23:54):
So you're going to offer several choices on the
plate, but one of those choiceswill be something that you know
your picky eater likes and thenis the goal then to maybe give
them some encouragement to tryat least one or another item
(24:14):
that you put on the table aswell?
Dr. Amy Moore (24:16):
Absolutely.
So we're going to gently offerit, we're going to create an
invitation to try it.
So it's on the plate, right,because that's what the family
is eating.
It's on the plate, and so we'regoing to show how much we like
(24:36):
it.
We're going to take a bite andgo this is really good.
Yes, dear, you did a great jobmaking this spaghetti tonight.
And then encourage your childhey, have you tried it yet?
And so what we know with pickyeaters it might take 10 to 15
invitations invitations before apicky eater will try something
(25:01):
new.
And that's okay, you've madethat dinner anyway.
You've made it for everybodyelse, so you're not being put
out right.
Just create the invitation.
10 to 15 tries before theymight actually try it.
Sandy Zamalis (25:15):
And it isn't personal If they don't like your
meal.
Dr. Amy Moore (25:21):
It is not personal.
Personal yeah.
Sandy Zamalis (25:23):
It's preference, but.
Dr. Amy Moore (25:25):
I would.
I would put the new foods rightnext to the old foods, right?
I would not put it on aseparate plate, right?
It is part that is the dinnerright and one part of that
dinner you know the child likes,so it doesn't have to touch,
but I would put it on the plate,all right.
I would be also sensitive tothe texture issues, and so if
(25:48):
there's a way to combine adisliked texture with a light
texture, so okay.
Sandy Zamalis (25:57):
For example, I was going to say I need an
example for that.
Dr. Amy Moore (26:00):
Yeah.
So let's say they don't likethe texture of peanut butter,
but they do like crunchy foods.
The texture of peanut butter,but they do like crunchy foods.
You can spread peanut butter oncelery, so you're combining the
mushiness of the peanut butterwith the crunchiness of the
celery, which changes thetexture of all of it when it's
combined right.
(26:20):
And then sometimes simplyadding a healthy dip, something
that your child can dip thatfood into, might make all the
difference in the world.
So they might not like thehomemade chicken fingers that
you've made, but that they likeketchup because they put it on
(26:41):
their French fries.
So offer that ketchup for thosechicken fingers.
Or offer the honey mustard thatthey like on their salad.
Offer that for those chickenfingers.
Or offer, you know, the honeymustard that they like on their
salad.
Offer that for the chickenfingers.
So sometimes just a dip alonewill make all the difference,
you know.
Or some honey and Greek yogurtto dip an apple in if they don't
(27:02):
like the apple plain.
Sandy Zamalis (27:05):
Kind of like a chip but fruit oriented.
Kind of like a chip but fruitoriented.
Dr. Amy Moore (27:09):
Exactly, yeah.
So anytime that you can changethe way that the texture feels
in the mouth by combiningtextures and again you're just
creating invitations hey, youknow, I know that you like this
sauce or this dip.
So what if you tried this newfood dipped in it?
See if you like it.
Sandy Zamalis (27:28):
So I have to share this ingenious story that
my, my son shared, my son anddaughter shared.
So last year they went on acruise with my mom and their
extended, our extended family,and I didn't go.
I didn't, I had other thingsplanned and they got to go
without me.
But on that trip we had afamily member who is a very
(27:49):
picky eater and older.
But you know, as they wereworking through the food on the
cruise, they noticed that thatone family member was only kind
of staying in their comfort zoneand somehow I don't know how
they did it, but I think it wasbrilliant how they explained it
to me, was they told.
(28:11):
Said family member you knowwhat?
We're on the cruise, all of thefood is included.
So you don't have to worry thatif you don't like your meal,
that you're wasting money.
So you can try anything thatyou want and if you don't like
it you can get something else,because we usually, when you go
out to eat, that's not the case,right?
You get what you order Sixdifferent entrees until you find
(28:34):
something yes exactly, but forwhatever reason that unlocked it
for them, like, and they werelike, oh, it took that stressor
off of like trying something andhating it, and then that would
have been your dinner and yoursunk.
And it just got me thinkingthat, you know, with younger
kids, maybe even a buffet, likea buffet restaurant, might be a
(28:57):
fun experience where you cankind of they can see all the
different things and they canpick and choose that way,
without that worry of you.
Know, I ordered that for you.
You need to finish it, you know.
Dr. Amy Moore (29:11):
Yeah, so I love that idea, because that's one of
my tips is to do like a tacobar, where your child can choose
which toppings they want toinclude or which type of shell
they want they want to include,or which type of shell they want
.
Or a build your own potatobaked potato bar, right, where
(29:36):
you have the baked potato, butthen the child can choose all
the different things or just theone thing that they want to put
on top of the potato.
Or you have a make your ownpizza night where you lay out 20
different possible toppings andlet your child pick which
toppings they want to put.
Sandy Zamalis (29:50):
And I think the key for that is to let them
explore and don't cringe or giveany feedback as to their
combinations.
Dr. Amy Moore (30:00):
Yes.
So I, one of my kids, ate hamand grape jelly sandwiches and I
said, oh, okay, but that's whathe liked and he was getting the
protein.
Sandy Zamalis (30:22):
So that's all that matters, right?
That's all that matters.
Dr. Amy Moore (30:25):
And so part of that idea of throwing out this
smorgasbord or this buffet orthe make your own is that you're
involving the child in the foodprep right, you're involving,
and that's that gives themautonomy and agency and choice.
And anytime that we can giveour child choices, that gives
them power and control.
(30:46):
And then you get relationalequity there too, right, because
you're not forcing choices onyour child.
You're saying, hey, I trust youto make your own choices here,
but you've provided the choices.
Sandy Zamalis (31:02):
That's what I was going to say.
It's not necessarily a free forall of whatever you want is
what you're eating, but it's ahere are your five choices for
the meal.
Dr. Amy Moore (31:15):
What would you like from these guys on top of
your taco?
Right Cause, that's not one ofthe options that you provide.
Sandy Zamalis (31:20):
Yeah, but that's how, as a parent, you can
maintain some control over thosechoices, cause, of course, if
you give them full reign,they're going to choose the
things that are maybe not asnutritious or helpful to them
and their brain.
Dr. Amy Moore (31:33):
Right.
And then another way instead ofhiding broccoli in the spaghetti
sauce, um is incorporating, um,a variety of foods into sauces
or smoothies.
But having your child beinvolved in the process, right,
where you've got the foodprocessor out or you have the
blender out and you're saying,okay, we're going to add these
(31:58):
leafy greens with this banana,with this protein powder, you
know, with this oat milk, we'regoing to put all this together
and make a healthy smoothietogether.
You know, oh, let's add theblueberries.
And so, even though your childmight like the dark leafy greens
on their plate, once it'sblended up into a really
(32:18):
colorful smoothie, that might bea way that they'll eat or drink
the leafy greens, right?
Or, if they do struggle withbroccoli, saying, hey, let's
make homemade tomato saucetonight for our pizzas, or let's
make homemade pasta sauce forour spaghetti.
Hey, let's put this in it andthis in it and this in it, and
(32:41):
broccoli might be one of thosethings, but you're not hiding it
, you're incorporating it.
Hey, this is how we make oursauce hiding it, you're
incorporating it.
Sandy Zamalis (32:49):
Hey, this is how we make our sauce.
I like the idea of justincorporating kids as early as
you can and just food prep, justbeing involved in the kitchen,
cutting, tasting, putting thingstogether, because I think just
that exploratory nature of itwill also ignite curiosity, just
that exploratory nature of itwill also ignite curiosity.
Dr. Amy Moore (33:09):
Absolutely I love that idea and you know they
make those child safe littlestools, like three step stools,
with the arms, the safety railsthat slide right up to the
counter so that your toddlersand preschoolers can be involved
in that process too.
Sandy Zamalis (33:30):
I mean, there's lots of benefits of that fine
motor skills and just lots ofbrain goodness happening when
you do that.
So, if you have the time, byall means, I would encourage
parents to do that.
It does take patience, though,and it might get messy.
So I yeah, I realize it won'thappen all the time, because he
(33:52):
might be not wanting to make ahuge mess, but don't don't
deprive them of that opportunityjust because there might be
some inconvenience, um, in thecleanup.
Dr. Amy Moore (34:03):
Yeah.
So all three of my boys love tocook because my mom would
include them in everything thatshe made when they were little
and grandma's a great for that.
And so they know.
Yeah, I mean so she would getthem so excited about helping
(34:27):
her make anything like whatevershe was in the kitchen making.
They got to help, and so thenthey always wanted to help us,
you know, when we were makingfood.
And so now all three of themlove to cook and love to
experiment.
So it's been fun to watch Evenmy picky one who's hardly picky
at all anymore, you know,because he really did get to
(34:48):
experiment- yeah, what othertips do you have for our
listeners?
Just that we want to come atthis as we're going to offer
this, we're going to createinvitations that parenting is
about coaching and guiding andmentoring and discipling and
(35:11):
teaching.
And when we come at this froman attitude of curiosity hey, my
kid is really struggling withthese textures, or my kid is
really struggling with thesetastes or smells, so I wonder
what I can do to make this abetter experience for my child.
When we come at it that way,rather than getting frustrated
(35:35):
or angry, it makes all thedifference.
Right, and our child deservesthat.
Our child deserves our patienceBecause, like you said, it's
not personal, it's not about us,it's not that our cooking is
bad.
I mean, it might be bad, buttypically it's not because our
cooking is bad right, it'sbecause they're struggling with
something related to that kindof food, and so we just have to
(35:58):
figure a workaround.
We have to get creative and notgive up and just say, fine, you
can have cheese and mayonnaisesandwiches every night.
Sandy Zamalis (36:08):
Yeah.
Dr. Amy Moore (36:08):
Because they need the full variety for brain
health.
Sandy Zamalis (36:12):
Right.
Well, let me read a word fromour sponsor and then let's sort
of wrap up our our ideas for ourlisteners to kind of help them
get through this time of workingwith their picky eaters.
It is estimated that there areover 6 million children in the
US diagnosed with ADHD.
Most children diagnosed withADHD have a cluster of weak
(36:35):
cognitive skills that we allrely on for focusing and staying
on task Skills like workingmemory, long-term memory and
processing speed.
At LearningRx, we create aone-on-one brain training
program that's tailored to helpaddress the root cause of your
child's biggest challenges.
Visit LearningRxcom to learnhow we're helping kids and
(36:57):
adults with ADHD significantlyimprove their cognitive skills.
Get started at LearningRxcom orhead to our show notes for
links to more helpful resources,including some free brain
training exercises you can tryat home.
Dr. Amy Moore (37:13):
Okay.
So we talked about theimportance of serving a wide
variety of foods for brainhealth, as our kids are having
these developing brains and howto, you know, optimize their
cognitive function by makingsure that they're getting this
variety of foods.
We talked about some tips anddo's and don'ts for picky eaters
(37:34):
.
I just want to quickly say thatif you are noticing a pattern
of inattention, lack of focus,brain fog, slow processing speed
, one of the first things I liketo encourage parents to look at
is what's what is going in yourchild's mouth, right, and are
(37:58):
there any food allergies or foodsensitivities that you might
not have identified yet?
Because food sensitivities andfood allergies can show up as
inattention and brain fog andslow processing speed.
So just be on the lookout forthat.
I do want to mention there is adifference between processed
sugar and fruit sugars, and sowe know that the sugar from
(38:21):
fruit is okay, but processedsugars from baked goods and
sweets and treats that type ofsugar does cause inflammation in
the body, and if the body isinflamed, so is the brain, and
that can impact thinking andlearning as well.
And then you know, we've talkedabout in prior episodes,
(38:42):
specifically the one with DavidSteinman, the importance of not
exposing our kids to pesticidesin foods, and so to eat organic
whenever possible and to avoidfoods that have artificial food
dyes, because we know that thathas unhealthy outcomes and can
mimic ADHD symptoms.
(39:03):
A lot of research has shownthat as well, so I wanted to
make sure that we touched onthose.
If you want more information,if you really want to dive
deeply into some of that, besure to listen to that episode
that we did with David Steinman.
What else you got for us, sandy?
Sandy Zamalis (39:23):
I think that's all.
I think we covered it.
We hit all the big points thatwe wanted to make sure we
covered today again, to get backto you know, variety is the key
and your brain thrives onhealthy nutrients yes,
absolutely so.
Dr. Amy Moore (39:42):
We're not just feeding our body, we are feeding
our brains too, and so a lot oftimes we don't think about that
right no, I don think we do.
Sandy Zamalis (39:49):
I think we only really ever talk about you know
the body and how it affects thebody, but it really, I think,
more importantly is how itaffects the brain.
Dr. Amy Moore (39:58):
Yeah, absolutely All right, friends, thanks for
listening to us today.
If you love us in any way, wewould love it if you would
follow us on Instagram andTikTok at the Brainy Moms.
You can find Sandy on TikTok atthe Brain Trainer Lady, and you
can find me on Instagram at DrAmy Says Grace.
(40:19):
You can visit our website atTheBrainyMomscom.
You can find us on every singlepodcasting platform.
Hey, why don't you share ourshow with other moms and dads
like you, who could benefit fromall the cool stuff that we talk
about?
That is all the smart stuffthat we have for you today,
though, so we're going to catchyou next time.
Sandy Zamalis (40:39):
Have a great week .
Hi smart moms and dads.
Welcome back to another episodeof the Brainy Moms podcast,
brought to you today byLearningRx Brain Training
Centers.
I'm Dr Amy Moore.
I'm here with Sandy Zimalis.
Sandy and I are gonna talkabout nutrition and the brain.
Good morning, Sandy.
Sandy Zamalis (00:15):
Good morning.
Not only are we gonna talkabout nutrition and the brain,
but we're gonna talk about pickyeaters.
Do you have a picky eater athome?
I think we've all had at leastone, if not been the picky eater
ourselves.
So I think this is going to bea great discussion, but let's
first talk about key nutrientsthat the brain needs from birth
(00:38):
and on.
Dr. Amy Moore (00:39):
Yeah.
So scientists in nutritionscience have determined that
there are eight key nutrientsthat developing brains need in
those first 1000 days, and by1000 days that means prenatal
development through age three,right so zero to three.
(01:00):
Eight key nutrients, and sothose are carotenoids, choline,
folate, iodine, iron, omega-3fatty acids and vitamin D.
So that's in the first thousanddays, and then in the next
thousand days, right so throughage six, developing brains and
(01:22):
growing brains also needproteins, fats and carbs,
magnesium, vitamins a, b and c,trace minerals like zinc and
water, water, water, all right,did everybody make that list?
Did you hurry up and write allof those down?
I hope not, because you don'tneed to write those down.
(01:42):
The reason that Zandi and Iwanted to highlight all of those
different nutrients is becausewe wanted to say here's how you
get all of those nutrientsthrough variety.
A variety of foods will get youthose nutrients.
Sandy Zamalis (02:02):
Do you think it would be helpful for our
listeners to talk about, fromthe brain perspective, what each
of those different nutrientshelps with in the brain, like
omega-3s for example?
What does that do in the brain?
Dr. Amy Moore (02:15):
Yeah, let's talk about omega-3s.
So omega-3s are essential fattyacids and they actually help the
development and function of themyelin sheath, which is that
fatty coating around the neuron,and so it actually will help
neurons communicate one another.
(02:36):
So the ability to move freelythroughout the brain, connect,
talk, and so that's why omega-3sare so important.
You know, they did a reallyinteresting couple of studies in
the last few years onpreschoolers, and what they did
is they increased preschoolers'fish consumption.
(02:57):
So fish is the primary sourceof omega-3 fatty acids and they
actually found that when theyincreased the fish consumption
okay, these preschoolers weregiven more fish to eat.
It raised their IQ scores andtheir processing speed scores.
Wow, which doesn't surprise us,right?
I talk all the time about theimportance of omega three fatty
(03:19):
acids for the brain, and so.
But to have a study on,specifically on preschoolers,
right, while the brain is asplastic as it will ever be, its
ability to change and grow thatis when it's happening and then
to add additional omega-3 fattyacids and it really plussed up
their cognitive abilities, thatwas a fun, fun couple of studies
(03:41):
to read about.
Sandy Zamalis (03:44):
Yeah, fish is really hard for kids to eat,
though, right like in my head,I'm imagining like how are we
serving this fish, yeah, and isit particular kinds of fish?
So I'm, you know, I'm assumingwild caught salmon you know like
really fatty fishes are whereyou're gonna get get the best
(04:04):
omega-3s, yeah.
Dr. Amy Moore (04:05):
Fatty fishes are the best.
And then you have to be reallycareful, because the big fishes
the big fishes, is that a word?
Big fish, you know, can havehigh mercury content.
So we don't want to be feedingthem a lot of yellowfin tuna or
shark shark, right, oh, andthose are fun occasionally to
(04:27):
eat, but they do collect moremercury um than an average to
small size fish um.
So yes, fish is not easy toincorporate into a snack or a
daily meal, but you could havefish Fridays, right, like to
(04:49):
introduce it at least once aweek as a family.
Sandy Zamalis (04:53):
Yeah, absolutely the option.
Dr. Amy Moore (04:55):
Yeah, and you can do omega-3 fatty acid
supplements as well.
I don't recommend the gummiesbecause there's not enough
omega-3s in the gummies Reallyit's just sugar but they do make
liquid omega-3 fatty acids.
Barleen's Jr is one of those.
In fact, my kids learned tojust squeeze it out right.
(05:20):
You leave it in the fridge.
They would squeeze it out inthe morning and then go to
school so that is one way to geta fish supplement.
Sandy Zamalis (05:30):
So, looking at all of these other nutrients, do
we know what benefits forexample, protein and carbs have
in the brain?
Dr. Amy Moore (05:37):
Yeah, those are great questions.
So protein is super importantfor brain development, but also
for concentration and focus.
And then carbs are importantbecause glucose is the primary
energy source for the brain, andso where do we get glucose
Carbohydrates?
So we just talked about fatsright, how important fats are
(06:01):
for the brain, but protein andcarbs also are essential for
helping the brain functionoptimally.
Let's talk about water.
Sandy Zamalis (06:10):
Why is water so important to the brain?
Dr. Amy Moore (06:12):
Yeah, so water actually helps the neurons move.
It helps with the plasticity ofneurons, it helps again with
the mobility of neurons, ithelps with the number of neurons
and it helps neuronalconnections right.
So even slight dehydration canresult in impaired attention and
(06:36):
memory.
Sandy Zamalis (06:39):
And that's for your lifespan.
So that's something even we asadults and our seniors need to
think about as well.
Dr. Amy Moore (06:46):
Yeah, absolutely.
And so you know we need to justgradually increase the amount
of water that kids have.
You know, early on they'regetting a majority of their
water from breast milk orformula formula, right.
But babies around six monthscan be introduced to a little
(07:07):
bit of water, you know, four toeight ounces a day.
And then children, one to three, need about four cups of fluid
a day from either water or milkcombined not combined at the
same time, but four cupscombined either of water and or
milk.
And then five cups of water forfour to eight year olds.
(07:29):
And then older children needseven to eight cups of water a
day.
And you know there's some newresearch that is saying we
really should base waterconsumption on thirst and not on
this static metric thateveryone needs eight ounces of
water a day.
(07:49):
But if we aren't intentionalabout introducing water early to
our kids, then they won't makeit a habit of staying hydrated
and then that will result inmild dehydration which impacts
attention and focus.
So we still want to beintentional about saying, hey,
(08:09):
we have to drink water all day.
Sandy Zamalis (08:11):
Yeah, and you also want to get them used to
the neutral, bland flavor ofwater right, so that they're not
only choosing sugary juices ordrinks to satisfy that thirst.
So balancing that out for themis really important.
Dr. Amy Moore (08:27):
Yeah, absolutely.
And we have this tendency togive our kids juice and we think
that, well, this is 100% juice,there's no added sugar, it's
not Kool-Aid, it's 100% juice.
But that actually has thiscascade effect.
So when we serve 100% juice,they are getting more sugar,
(08:49):
without fiber for the most part,and that can result in too much
sugar during the day becauseit's so concentrated.
But what happens is you'redrinking your calories, and so
then kids aren't as hungrydrinking your calories, and so
then kids aren't as hungry, andso then they won't necessarily
eat the healthful foods that weneed them to eat to get their
(09:10):
calories throughout the day.
So it kind of has this effectnot of just replacing water, but
of impacting calorieconsumption.
Sandy Zamalis (09:20):
Yeah.
So what it sounds like I'mhearing you say is that we've
really got to make sure thatwe're trying our best to make
sure our kids have a variety offoods in their daily diet so
that we can hit all of those keynutrients that we highlighted
at the front, and that varietyis going to help us get there.
Dr. Amy Moore (09:40):
Us get there Right.
And so that variety is going toinclude, you know, lean
proteins and eggs, leafy greens,fish, nuts and seeds, really
brightly colored fruits andvegetables, and Greek yogurt.
(10:02):
Why Greek yogurt?
So Greek yogurt has thathealthy fat right essential for
concentration and for brainfunction and communication
between the brain cells.
And because Greek yogurttypically has a lower sugar
content than some of the otheryogurts out there and it
typically does not have addedartificial food colors as well.
And so that's why we recommendGreek yogurt.
Sandy Zamalis (10:21):
And the probiotic effect of yogurt in general for
the gut.
Dr. Amy Moore (10:25):
Absolutely, and we know that that gut brain
connection is essential.
Sandy Zamalis (10:29):
Yeah, if you have a variety of foods, you're
going to help both the gut andthe brain.
Yeah, because you're addingthat fiber in, you're avoiding
constipation and any kind ofissues that can stem from leaky
gut, if you're having a reallygood influence of fiber in your
diet and all of those brightfruits and vegetables to get the
(10:53):
vitamins and nutrients for yourbrain.
But you've been blessed with apicky eater.
Dr. Amy Moore (10:59):
What do you do?
Yeah, so I was a picky eater,were with a picky eater.
Sandy Zamalis (11:04):
What do you do?
Yeah, so I was a picky eater.
Were you a picky eater?
I don't remember.
I don't remember.
I really like food of all typesand kinds, so I'm guessing no,
although I do have a texturething.
On occasion.
My father-in-law makes fun ofme because I'm always like eh,
texture's off.
Dr. Amy Moore (11:18):
Yeah, I was a picky eater, and I'm still a
little bit of a picky eater,although my you know, my
repertoire of foods has expandedover my lifetime, but I did
have a picky eater as well.
So my middle child was superpicky, and so I wish that I had
known some of the tips that I'mgoing to give everybody here in
(11:39):
a second when I was raising him,because it was hard and he
wasn't growing quickly enoughbecause he was so picky.
And so now people have gottensuper creative, parents have
gotten super creative, somepediatricians out there have
gotten creative and have sharedtheir tips to success, and so
(12:01):
we've been collecting them, andso let's talk about.
Well, first of all, let's talkabout why some people are picky
eaters.
Sandy Zamalis (12:09):
Yeah, let's start there.
Dr. Amy Moore (12:10):
Because sometimes it looks like they're picky,
but that might not be what'sgoing on.
Okay, but the primary reasonwhy we might have a picky eater
is because they are sensitive totextures, tastes and smells,
but typically it's a textureissue.
Sandy Zamalis (12:27):
I used to be that way with tomatoes.
I don't know this is a randomstory, but like, especially like
the, the baby ones, the smalltomatoes like the pop when you
oh, I would gag every time.
Tomatoes like the pop when youbite into it oh, I would gag
every time.
Well, blueberries do that to me.
(12:48):
But yeah, texture I definitelyidentify with.
Dr. Amy Moore (12:51):
Yeah, I used to hate raw carrots because of the
texture, so I totally identifiedwith that.
So that's a primary reason whykids are picky is because of
texture.
But a lot of picky eaters havea temperament that says I
approach the world with caution.
(13:11):
And so a picky eater who'spicky because of their cautious
temperament will probably becautious about the world in
other areas.
Right, that's the child whodoesn't want to try new things.
They just want to stand backand watch other people do it
(13:31):
before they make a decision.
It's the child who will say noautomatically.
They might eventually say yesto something new, but their
automatic reaction to hey, youwant to try this is no.
They just have this temperamentthat says the world out there
is scary and I have to make surebefore I try that.
(13:53):
So that's another reason why wemight see picky eaters.
But there are some things thatlook like being picky that
really aren't pickiness.
It's just behavioral, like achild has become autonomous and
is exerting their autonomy andwants to feed themselves.
They do not want you to feedthem anymore, they're ready to
(14:16):
feed themselves.
So it might look like they'rebeing picky because they're
pushing the spoon away, but it'sbecause maybe they want to hold
the spoon, so they want to feedthemselves.
So it might look like they'rebeing picky because they're
pushing the spoon away, but it'sbecause maybe they want to hold
the spoon, so they want to feedthemselves.
And then one other reason isthey might look picky but it's
they just don't want to sit longenough.
One of my kids off the chartsADHD didn't like to sit fully on
(14:38):
a chair, just wanted to restone leg on the edge of the chair
to eat.
And so we just have to adaptand sort of put on our curiosity
goggles and say what do I thinkis really going on here?
Sandy Zamalis (14:55):
Well, and in that case I imagine, as a parent,
you had to think.
You know what's the mostimportant thing.
The important thing is he'seating, even though he may be
zooming back and forth from thetable or moving or not sitting
properly with the rest of us atthis dinner hour, but really
getting fed is the mostimportant thing, so we're going
(15:18):
to move there.
Dr. Amy Moore (15:19):
Right and we have to manage our expectations,
like what do we expect ourdinner time to look like?
And if we're hung up on whetherboth butt cheeks are on the
chair, then we might want toreimagine what dinner should
(15:41):
look like.
Because is it important in thescheme of things, that both butt
cheeks are on the chair?
Not really.
Is your child engaging with you?
That's important.
Sandy Zamalis (15:51):
That's right.
So what is truly a picky eater?
How would you define that?
Dr. Amy Moore (15:56):
Yeah, a picky eater is a child who only
chooses to eat a limited numberof foods, you know, because of
sensitivity to texture, taste,smell or temperament.
Sandy Zamalis (16:15):
Okay, all right.
So what do we do if we've gotone of those kiddos that we're
trying to make sure we aregiving as much variety to as
possible?
Dr. Amy Moore (16:26):
Yeah.
So I want to say three thingsthat we shouldn't do.
First, before I makerecommendations on make
recommendations on what weshould.
So the first thing we shouldnot do is force a child to eat.
So forcing a child to eat orclean their plate will actually
result in them eating less, andwhat it does is it teaches the
(16:49):
child to rely on others to tellthem how much and when to eat,
rather than relying on hungerand fullness cues, and that's
not good.
We want our kids to stop eatingbecause they're full and not
because we forced them to cleantheir plates, and then we want
(17:12):
them to say I'm hungry, I wantto eat, and not rely on you to
tell them it's time to eat.
So we don't want to force ourchild to eat our picky children.
That's number one.
Number two we don't want tomake deals with them, right.
We don't want to bribe them toeat, because what that will do
(17:37):
is that will transfer to otherthings that your child does not
want to do.
So for every behavior that yourchild does not want to do, like
brush their teeth or cleantheir room or get ready for
school or get in the car, theywill expect a deal.
They will try to make a dealwith you because you've been
making deals over food.
Why wouldn't you make dealsover teeth brushing?
(17:59):
And so we want our kids tolearn these healthy habits
because that's what you do as ahuman and not because mom or dad
will be rewarding you for it orbecause they made a deal, all
right.
So we're not going to force ourkids to eat, we're not going to
make deals regarding food, andwe're not going to hide a food
that they don't like in a sauce.
(18:21):
So I used to think that wasgenius.
Oh, let's hide the broccoli inthe spaghetti sauce.
We just throw it in the blender, we mix it up, we hide it in
there, and they will never know.
Well, what that does is itvillainizes food, right?
It says broccoli is so gross,so we're going to hide it so
(18:43):
that you don't have to choke itdown, right?
So we don't want to villainizefood, and so I have a suggestion
on a different way to includebroccoli.
Sandy Zamalis (18:55):
Can I add one more to your list?
I would add don't punish yourchild for not eating.
Yes, whatever is you know, notfinishing their plate, not not
eating at grandma's house.
Probably, if I were to thinkback, as you had asked me I
can't remember during or beforethe podcast if I was a picky
(19:16):
eater, but if I was a pickyeater, but my most visceral
memories about food were beingpunished for not eating
something.
It's a funny story to me now,although I'm sure it wasn't then
but my parents had made thisdinner and I think it was like
Chinese, but it was like I don'tknow.
It was like Chinese in a can,like a chow mein Chinese.
(19:40):
It wasn't like a restaurantChinese food and again, I'm a
texture person.
So it had this sauce in it thatI didn't like, and it was
probably the one time I canremember where I would have sat
in that chair for days and wouldnot eat it.
(20:03):
I wasn't going to.
I would say I was standing firm, I was not going to touch it.
No amount of punishment wasgoing to work for me.
Um, and then after that I nevergot punished again about food
Cause I stood my ground so hardI wasn't going to eat it.
But that you know, causesometimes I'll parents like,
well, if you don't eat it thismeal, it'll be your be what you
(20:24):
eat at the next meal.
You know that kind of mentality.
And so it ended up on my platelike four meal times and I
refused every single time andthey were my parents, were like,
well, that didn't work, wewon't be doing that again.
And then the other time was ata parent's house, our
grandparents' house, where I hadmade a comment about you know
(20:49):
something on the plate, cause,as kids do, they have no filter
and I got in very big troublefor that.
So you know, yes, you.
Just I feel like when you addthat punishment to it, it again
defeats the argument and thepurpose of what you're trying to
accomplish in terms of gettingyour child to be more open to
(21:12):
trying new things.
Dr. Amy Moore (21:14):
Yeah, absolutely.
And if you think about a childwho has sensory issues, right,
who is sensitive to a texture infood, if you think about it as
a sensory issue where they'resensitive to the itchiness of a
sweater, do we force them towear the itchy sweater or do we
(21:38):
punish them for not wearing theitchy sweater?
I don't think so.
Right, that's a very visibleresponse to a texture problem,
right?
Oh, this itches so badly, right?
You can see your child ismiserable and they're suffering
and they're pulling at it, andso you take it off and you don't
make them wear that sweateranymore.
(21:59):
So if you can think about foodin the same way, right, my child
is sensitive to this texture orthis taste or the smell.
It's a sensory issue, right,it's a sensory, a negative
sensory response to this food.
So how can I support my child?
Then, right, we know that mychild needs all of these key
(22:20):
nutrients for brain developmentand for other health issues as
well.
But you know, our focus isobviously on the brain.
Then I think again, we put onour curiosity goggles and say,
all right, what can we dodifferently?
Sandy Zamalis (22:36):
Yeah, all right.
So now, what do we do?
Dr. Amy Moore (22:38):
Yeah.
So let me just say that I amsensitive to those families who
make four different meals, and Ithink that we should not get in
the habit of making fourdifferent meals, because that is
hard to sustain and thatcreates resentment, because
whoever is making the fourdifferent meals is exhausted.
(23:00):
Whether you're a stay-at-homemom, a homeschooling mom or you
work outside the house.
That is a lot of work to makefour different meals to
accommodate everyone's tastes.
So I would say, try to not dothat.
What I would say is, as you arekeeping track of the foods that
(23:22):
your picky eater likes, goahead and make your family meal,
but include at least one foodin the meal that your picky
eater does like.
So you're going to serve thatalongside the new foods, so that
you know A they're at leastgoing to eat one thing, right,
(23:45):
and?
But they also know, ok, momknows what I like, or dad knows
what I like and has put that onmy plate too.
Sandy Zamalis (23:54):
So you're going to offer several choices on the
plate, but one of those choiceswill be something that you know
your picky eater likes and thenis the goal then to maybe give
them some encouragement to tryat least one or another item
(24:14):
that you put on the table aswell?
Dr. Amy Moore (24:16):
Absolutely.
So we're going to gently offerit, we're going to create an
invitation to try it.
So it's on the plate, right,because that's what the family
is eating.
It's on the plate, and so we'regoing to show how much we like
(24:36):
it.
We're going to take a bite andgo this is really good.
Yes, dear, you did a great jobmaking this spaghetti tonight.
And then encourage your childhey, have you tried it yet?
And so what we know with pickyeaters it might take 10 to 15
invitations invitations before apicky eater will try something
(25:01):
new.
And that's okay, you've madethat dinner anyway.
You've made it for everybodyelse, so you're not being put
out right.
Just create the invitation.
10 to 15 tries before theymight actually try it.
Sandy Zamalis (25:15):
And it isn't personal If they don't like your
meal.
Dr. Amy Moore (25:21):
It is not personal.
Personal yeah.
Sandy Zamalis (25:23):
It's preference, but.
Dr. Amy Moore (25:25):
I would.
I would put the new foods rightnext to the old foods, right?
I would not put it on aseparate plate, right?
It is part that is the dinnerright and one part of that
dinner you know the child likes,so it doesn't have to touch,
but I would put it on the plate,all right.
I would be also sensitive tothe texture issues, and so if
(25:48):
there's a way to combine adisliked texture with a light
texture, so okay.
Sandy Zamalis (25:57):
For example, I was going to say I need an
example for that.
Dr. Amy Moore (26:00):
Yeah.
So let's say they don't likethe texture of peanut butter,
but they do like crunchy foods.
The texture of peanut butter,but they do like crunchy foods.
You can spread peanut butter oncelery, so you're combining the
mushiness of the peanut butterwith the crunchiness of the
celery, which changes thetexture of all of it when it's
combined right.
(26:20):
And then sometimes simplyadding a healthy dip, something
that your child can dip thatfood into, might make all the
difference in the world.
So they might not like thehomemade chicken fingers that
you've made, but that they likeketchup because they put it on
(26:41):
their French fries.
So offer that ketchup for thosechicken fingers.
Or offer the honey mustard thatthey like on their salad.
Offer that for those chickenfingers.
Or offer, you know, the honeymustard that they like on their
salad.
Offer that for the chickenfingers.
So sometimes just a dip alonewill make all the difference,
you know.
Or some honey and Greek yogurtto dip an apple in if they don't
(27:02):
like the apple plain.
Sandy Zamalis (27:05):
Kind of like a chip but fruit oriented.
Kind of like a chip but fruitoriented.
Dr. Amy Moore (27:09):
Exactly, yeah.
So anytime that you can changethe way that the texture feels
in the mouth by combiningtextures and again you're just
creating invitations hey, youknow, I know that you like this
sauce or this dip.
So what if you tried this newfood dipped in it?
See if you like it.
Sandy Zamalis (27:28):
So I have to share this ingenious story that
my, my son shared, my son anddaughter shared.
So last year they went on acruise with my mom and their
extended, our extended family,and I didn't go.
I didn't, I had other thingsplanned and they got to go
without me.
But on that trip we had afamily member who is a very
(27:49):
picky eater and older.
But you know, as they wereworking through the food on the
cruise, they noticed that thatone family member was only kind
of staying in their comfort zoneand somehow I don't know how
they did it, but I think it wasbrilliant how they explained it
to me, was they told.
(28:11):
Said family member you knowwhat?
We're on the cruise, all of thefood is included.
So you don't have to worry thatif you don't like your meal,
that you're wasting money.
So you can try anything thatyou want and if you don't like
it you can get something else,because we usually, when you go
out to eat, that's not the case,right?
You get what you order Sixdifferent entrees until you find
(28:34):
something yes exactly, but forwhatever reason that unlocked it
for them, like, and they werelike, oh, it took that stressor
off of like trying something andhating it, and then that would
have been your dinner and yoursunk.
And it just got me thinkingthat, you know, with younger
kids, maybe even a buffet, likea buffet restaurant, might be a
(28:57):
fun experience where you cankind of they can see all the
different things and they canpick and choose that way,
without that worry of you.
Know, I ordered that for you.
You need to finish it, you know.
Dr. Amy Moore (29:11):
Yeah, so I love that idea, because that's one of
my tips is to do like a tacobar, where your child can choose
which toppings they want toinclude or which type of shell
they want they want to include,or which type of shell they want
.
Or a build your own potatobaked potato bar, right, where
(29:36):
you have the baked potato, butthen the child can choose all
the different things or just theone thing that they want to put
on top of the potato.
Or you have a make your ownpizza night where you lay out 20
different possible toppings andlet your child pick which
toppings they want to put.
Sandy Zamalis (29:50):
And I think the key for that is to let them
explore and don't cringe or giveany feedback as to their
combinations.
Dr. Amy Moore (30:00):
Yes.
So I, one of my kids, ate hamand grape jelly sandwiches and I
said, oh, okay, but that's whathe liked and he was getting the
protein.
Sandy Zamalis (30:22):
So that's all that matters, right?
That's all that matters.
Dr. Amy Moore (30:25):
And so part of that idea of throwing out this
smorgasbord or this buffet orthe make your own is that you're
involving the child in the foodprep right, you're involving,
and that's that gives themautonomy and agency and choice.
And anytime that we can giveour child choices, that gives
them power and control.
(30:46):
And then you get relationalequity there too, right, because
you're not forcing choices onyour child.
You're saying, hey, I trust youto make your own choices here,
but you've provided the choices.
Sandy Zamalis (31:02):
That's what I was going to say.
It's not necessarily a free forall of whatever you want is
what you're eating, but it's ahere are your five choices for
the meal.
Dr. Amy Moore (31:15):
What would you like from these guys on top of
your taco?
Right Cause, that's not one ofthe options that you provide.
Sandy Zamalis (31:20):
Yeah, but that's how, as a parent, you can
maintain some control over thosechoices, cause, of course, if
you give them full reign,they're going to choose the
things that are maybe not asnutritious or helpful to them
and their brain.
Dr. Amy Moore (31:33):
Right.
And then another way instead ofhiding broccoli in the spaghetti
sauce, um is incorporating, um,a variety of foods into sauces
or smoothies.
But having your child beinvolved in the process, right,
where you've got the foodprocessor out or you have the
blender out and you're saying,okay, we're going to add these
(31:58):
leafy greens with this banana,with this protein powder, you
know, with this oat milk, we'regoing to put all this together
and make a healthy smoothietogether.
You know, oh, let's add theblueberries.
And so, even though your childmight like the dark leafy greens
on their plate, once it'sblended up into a really
(32:18):
colorful smoothie, that might bea way that they'll eat or drink
the leafy greens, right?
Or, if they do struggle withbroccoli, saying, hey, let's
make homemade tomato saucetonight for our pizzas, or let's
make homemade pasta sauce forour spaghetti.
Hey, let's put this in it andthis in it and this in it, and
(32:41):
broccoli might be one of thosethings, but you're not hiding it
, you're incorporating it.
Hey, this is how we make oursauce hiding it, you're
incorporating it.
Sandy Zamalis (32:49):
Hey, this is how we make our sauce.
I like the idea of justincorporating kids as early as
you can and just food prep, justbeing involved in the kitchen,
cutting, tasting, putting thingstogether, because I think just
that exploratory nature of itwill also ignite curiosity, just
that exploratory nature of itwill also ignite curiosity.
Dr. Amy Moore (33:09):
Absolutely I love that idea and you know they
make those child safe littlestools, like three step stools,
with the arms, the safety railsthat slide right up to the
counter so that your toddlersand preschoolers can be involved
in that process too.
Sandy Zamalis (33:30):
I mean, there's lots of benefits of that fine
motor skills and just lots ofbrain goodness happening when
you do that.
So, if you have the time, byall means, I would encourage
parents to do that.
It does take patience, though,and it might get messy.
So I yeah, I realize it won'thappen all the time, because he
(33:52):
might be not wanting to make ahuge mess, but don't don't
deprive them of that opportunityjust because there might be
some inconvenience, um, in thecleanup.
Dr. Amy Moore (34:03):
Yeah.
So all three of my boys love tocook because my mom would
include them in everything thatshe made when they were little
and grandma's a great for that.
And so they know.
Yeah, I mean so she would getthem so excited about helping
(34:27):
her make anything like whatevershe was in the kitchen making.
They got to help, and so thenthey always wanted to help us,
you know, when we were makingfood.
And so now all three of themlove to cook and love to
experiment.
So it's been fun to watch Evenmy picky one who's hardly picky
at all anymore, you know,because he really did get to
(34:48):
experiment- yeah, what othertips do you have for our
listeners?
Just that we want to come atthis as we're going to offer
this, we're going to createinvitations that parenting is
about coaching and guiding andmentoring and discipling and
(35:11):
teaching.
And when we come at this froman attitude of curiosity hey, my
kid is really struggling withthese textures, or my kid is
really struggling with thesetastes or smells, so I wonder
what I can do to make this abetter experience for my child.
When we come at it that way,rather than getting frustrated
(35:35):
or angry, it makes all thedifference.
Right, and our child deservesthat.
Our child deserves our patienceBecause, like you said, it's
not personal, it's not about us,it's not that our cooking is
bad.
I mean, it might be bad, buttypically it's not because our
cooking is bad right, it'sbecause they're struggling with
something related to that kindof food, and so we just have to
(35:58):
figure a workaround.
We have to get creative and notgive up and just say, fine, you
can have cheese and mayonnaisesandwiches every night.
Sandy Zamalis (36:08):
Yeah.
Dr. Amy Moore (36:08):
Because they need the full variety for brain
health.
Sandy Zamalis (36:12):
Right.
Well, let me read a word fromour sponsor and then let's sort
of wrap up our our ideas for ourlisteners to kind of help them
get through this time of workingwith their picky eaters.
It is estimated that there areover 6 million children in the
US diagnosed with ADHD.
Most children diagnosed withADHD have a cluster of weak
(36:35):
cognitive skills that we allrely on for focusing and staying
on task Skills like workingmemory, long-term memory and
processing speed.
At LearningRx, we create aone-on-one brain training
program that's tailored to helpaddress the root cause of your
child's biggest challenges.
Visit LearningRxcom to learnhow we're helping kids and
(36:57):
adults with ADHD significantlyimprove their cognitive skills.
Get started at LearningRxcom orhead to our show notes for
links to more helpful resources,including some free brain
training exercises you can tryat home.
Dr. Amy Moore (37:13):
Okay.
So we talked about theimportance of serving a wide
variety of foods for brainhealth, as our kids are having
these developing brains and howto, you know, optimize their
cognitive function by makingsure that they're getting this
variety of foods.
We talked about some tips anddo's and don'ts for picky eaters
(37:34):
.
I just want to quickly say thatif you are noticing a pattern
of inattention, lack of focus,brain fog, slow processing speed
, one of the first things I liketo encourage parents to look at
is what's what is going in yourchild's mouth, right, and are
(37:58):
there any food allergies or foodsensitivities that you might
not have identified yet?
Because food sensitivities andfood allergies can show up as
inattention and brain fog andslow processing speed.
So just be on the lookout forthat.
I do want to mention there is adifference between processed
sugar and fruit sugars, and sowe know that the sugar from
(38:21):
fruit is okay, but processedsugars from baked goods and
sweets and treats that type ofsugar does cause inflammation in
the body, and if the body isinflamed, so is the brain, and
that can impact thinking andlearning as well.
And then you know, we've talkedabout in prior episodes,
(38:42):
specifically the one with DavidSteinman, the importance of not
exposing our kids to pesticidesin foods, and so to eat organic
whenever possible and to avoidfoods that have artificial food
dyes, because we know that thathas unhealthy outcomes and can
mimic ADHD symptoms.
(39:03):
A lot of research has shownthat as well, so I wanted to
make sure that we touched onthose.
If you want more information,if you really want to dive
deeply into some of that, besure to listen to that episode
that we did with David Steinman.
What else you got for us, sandy?
Sandy Zamalis (39:23):
I think that's all.
I think we covered it.
We hit all the big points thatwe wanted to make sure we
covered today again, to get backto you know, variety is the key
and your brain thrives onhealthy nutrients yes,
absolutely so.
Dr. Amy Moore (39:42):
We're not just feeding our body, we are feeding
our brains too, and so a lot oftimes we don't think about that
right no, I don think we do.
Sandy Zamalis (39:49):
I think we only really ever talk about you know
the body and how it affects thebody, but it really, I think,
more importantly is how itaffects the brain.
Dr. Amy Moore (39:58):
Yeah, absolutely All right, friends, thanks for
listening to us today.
If you love us in any way, wewould love it if you would
follow us on Instagram andTikTok at the Brainy Moms.
You can find Sandy on TikTok atthe Brain Trainer Lady, and you
can find me on Instagram at DrAmy Says Grace.
(40:19):
You can visit our website atTheBrainyMomscom.
You can find us on every singlepodcasting platform.
Hey, why don't you share ourshow with other moms and dads
like you, who could benefit fromall the cool stuff that we talk
about?
That is all the smart stuffthat we have for you today,
though, so we're going to catchyou next time.
Sandy Zamalis (40:39):
Have a great week .
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!