S7:E1: Mealtime Hacks For Picky Eating Kids

Although we’re all well-meaning parents, oftentimes we fall into a trap of trying to encourage or even coerce our kids to eat. We say things like “just take a bite,” “try it, you might like it,” or “but you ate it last week!” No matter what we say, however, it either doesn’t work or it backfires and we all leave the table feeling totally discouraged. The goods news is that picky eating can be a thing of the past with some simple tweaks to how we approach mealtimes and feeding our kids.  In this episode, I sat down with Stephanie Meyers, MS, RDN, founder of Families Eating Well, a nutrition practice that trains parents to coach healthy eating habits, and the author of End the Mealtime Meltdown: Using The Table Talk Method to Free Your Family From Daily Food Struggles and Picky Eating. Stephanie is also The Nutrition Manager in The Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and she presents worldwide seminars on mindful eating, family nutrition, and cancer survivorship. Stephanie says the way to get our kids out of their picky eating ways is to change how we talk to them about food. She also talks about how to nurture what she calls gastronomic intelligence, and offers simple questions and scripts that you can use with your kids that will help them become more healthy, adventurous, and happy eaters and make mealtimes easier and less stressful for your family. Stephanie is also giving away a copy of her book. All you have to do is sign up for my FREE 5-day challenge. Welcome 2:56 Let’s talk about your story! 3:45 How do you deal with picky eating at home?  5:20 Do you think the things we say to our kids about food come from our own childhoods? 6:06 What does the latest research show about picky eating and feeding kids? 8:17 What are the reasons feeding kids in 2022 is so hard and dinners so stressful? 10:43 What’s important to keep in mind as we’re trying to raise healthy eaters? 15:29 What are the phrases we should be saying and avoiding? 21:47 You say conflict at the dinner table is a normal part of parenting—say what?! 22:57 What is the Table Talk method and what are the benefits? 27:00 What are examples of specific words and scripts? 29:30 What is the difference between gastronomic intelligence and intuitive eating? 30:41 What are the best practices for Table Talk? LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW Learn more about Stephanie Meyers, MS RDN on her website FamiliesEatingWell.com Purchase a copy of her book on End the Mealtime Meltdown. Follow Stephanie Meyers on Instagram and Facebook.  FROM OUR PARTNERS Kids Cook Real Food eCourse The Kids Cook Real Food eCourse, created by a mom of 4 and a former elementary school teacher, is designed to build connection, confidence, and creativity in the kitchen. The course includes 30 basic cooking skills, 45 videos including several bonuses, printable supply and grocery shopping lists, and kid-friendly recipes. The course is designed for all kids ages 2 to teen and has three different skill levels. More than 18,000 families have taken the course and The Wall Street Journal named it the #1 cooking class for kids. Sign up now for the Kids Cook Real Food ecourse and get a free lesson for being a “Food Issues” listener. Thrive Market Thrive Market is an online membership-based market that has the highest quality, organic, non-GMO, healthy, and sustainable products. From groceries, clean beauty, safe supplements, and non-toxic home products to ethical meat, sustainable seafood, clean wine, and more, Thrive Market is where members save an average of $32 on every order! Through Thrive Gives, every paid membership sponsors a free one for a low-income family. Join Thrive Market today and get 25% off your first order and a free gift.