Category Archives: Family Food Tips

What would a 10 year old say?

Posted in Family Food Tips, Healthy Kids on January 31, 2023 by

A conversation happened at my daughter’s summer camp in August of 2022 between Eve and another camper. This conversation gave her pause so we talked it through and continue to have open conversations about nourishment and body image at home.

Thankfully, Eve appreciates her 10 year old body in its changing ways, as all bodies are shifting constantly. Her experiences of being labeled as skinny, prior being labeled as having a higher BMI during COVID, made me want to hear her perspective on the podcast    in addition to her really wanting to use the microphone and record with me!

Here’s a snippet of that camp conversation.

“Eve, are you a vegetarian?”

“No, why?”

“You look like a vegetarian.” 

“What does a vegetarian look like?”

“Skinny, like you.”

Have you ever helped your children navigate a conversation like this? Even adult children? What about with friends or a partner? If so, I’d love to hear about it.

Having Eve on the podcast this month was impactful to me, especially as the American Academy of Pediatrics released guidelines on treating overweight and obesity in children made me angry. I talk more about why on my Instagram post which can be found here.

Given January is the month of being ‘dry’, resolutions, programs, changes to our whole being as suggested by nearly everywhere we turn – from social media to friend groups to national organizations for kids – let’s try to remember a few things. Our bodies change and this is normal. Our kids’ bodies change and this is normal. You’ll hear how Eve reacts to the AAP guidelines on the podcast and she is spot on.

Try to keep in mind not using these words around food or body image which has been my standard list, though added to, for a long time: good, bad, sorry, should, can’t, healthy, clean, diet, and any of the latest diet buzzwords. I hope this helps, as Eve reminds us on the podcast, to not compare or hold ourselves to shoulds. Our worth is so much more than how we look, how much we weigh and what we decide to eat and drink.

Nutrition Trends from FNCE

Posted in Family Food Tips, Resources on October 30, 2018 by

IMG_1978I left FNCE this year with three main questions. Read me out and let me know your thoughts – I’d love to hear from you!

Imagine rows and rows of food brands. Then take this image to tasting, learning, and understanding how these foods can help the clients and patients you see in private practice. This is the Expo part of FNCE.

What I noticed at the Expo this year (and as also pointed out by colleague, Robyn Flipse, an RDN and anthropologist – who also spells her name with a Y and is from New Jersey like me! What are the chances?) was that there were way less big brands and more smaller food companies. Why the changes? I have a few ideas, but this is where I ask questions.

As much as I love small – small houses, small companies, local farms – these companies don’t always reach nor are they affordable to a large part of our world’s population. A lot of the smaller food companies present were gluten, soy, dairy, GMO, grain, or sugar-free – either a combination of these or one of these was eliminated from a product. This is wonderful for individuals with food allergies. In fact it could not be better timing to have food allergies, specifically in the US, because of the food industry’s focus on creating products suited for those with allergies and food sensitivities. But if the food industry is moving away from big companies that make processed foods, aren’t foods free of so many key ingredients and food groups still processed? Check my social media posts in the coming weeks for more exploration on what exactly is processed and minimally processed food.

Another part of FNCE are the educational sessions. The two most powerful sessions I attended were Food Porn Dilemmas: Balancing Artful Imagery and Real-World Attainability in Social Media with Marci Evans, Regan Jones, and Rebecca Scritchfield and Debate: A Conversation on Weight Management and Health At Every Size.

In the first session we learned about ‘Social Comparison Theory’ and ‘food porn’. For example, when you see pictures of glorious foods on Instagram, then compare these to what you’re eating, which is ‘comparing up’, this can actually correlate to low self esteem. We can also relate this theory to our clothing choices, social situations, and how we feel about food and our bodies in other ways. So if you are on social media and you are ‘comparing up’ with the pictures you see, this could make you feel worse about yourself! How can we use social media positively without allowing ‘food porn’ to make us ‘compare up’ triggering low self esteem? I’ll be exploring more on this topic next month as we approach what I refer to as the ‘food holiday’ (Thanksgiving is coming…quickly!).

This brings me to the second session I loved with Christy Harrison, Hollie Raynor, and Dr. Robert Kushner. Wow. So incredible that the evidence between the movements of ‘Health At Every Size’ and ‘Weight Management’ were being discussed openly and in a room with thousands of dietitians! Christy and Dr. Kushner discussed diets and ‘weight stigma’. Weight stigma is actually a greater risk factor than dieting in regard to an individuals’ mental health.
We hear, read about, and see countless messages from healthcare professionals and all forms of media about weight stigma – it’s everywhere.

The big question is: Can we overcome using so much weight stigma and instead accept our bodies for what they are whilst taking care of them as we individually need? As we move into the New Year prepare to see even more on weight stigma, as we do annually, with the month of January. Stay posted for more on this as I will continue to write on ‘intentions’ again in early 2019.

Food for thought – thank you for reading!