How to Help Our Kids Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Food with Rachel Rothman, [Part 2]
Navigating family mealtimes can be stressful. Everyone has their own ideas of what they want to eat. Kids can be selective, and families are often frazzled by the end of the day when dinner rolls around.
Rachel Rothman helps families have less stress at mealtimes. She uses her extensive experience as a registered dietitian to work with families to alleviate food worries. Rachel and I had such an illuminating conversation that we had to split it into two parts. This is the second part of our insightful discussion. Join us to learn how to work through mealtime battles, how to handle teen food issues, how to approach vitamin deficiencies, and the answers to many more questions.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…
- How to work through mealtime battles [1:22]
- How to navigate eating well in the teenage years [8:06]
- What to do when kids fully refuse to eat or throw a fit [12:45]
- How to expand kids’ palates [15:50]
- How to approach vitamin deficiencies in selective eaters [21:51]
- Teen body issues [23:48]
- Rachel’s favorite snack options [26:19]
A Bedtime Hunger Tip
We’ve all been there. We prepare a healthy dinner that the kids don’t eat and when bedtime rolls around suddenly they’re hungry. Now you have to decide–are they stalling bedtime or actually hungry?
Rachel offers a tip: the bedtime snack. Try offering one more opportunity to eat by implementing a bedtime snack time. You decide what’s on the menu. It could be dessert, a piece of fruit, cheese and crackers, or a small veggie tray.
Set a reminder or an alarm that lets them know this is their last opportunity to eat before bedtime. With this regular routine, you’ll put them to bed with the comfort of knowing they had one last chance to satisfy their hunger.
How to Handle Teen Food Rebellion
Older kids come with a whole range of other issues around food. Oftentimes they revert back to toddlerhood with their own version of tantrums in the form of teen rebellion. This rebellion could spill over into their eating habits.
As kids get older, continue to gather for meals a few times a week. We can apply the same principles that we learned in the first part of this interview: parents provide the what, when, and where. The kids get to decide whether to eat or how much to eat.
Another way to get teens to eat better is to get them into the kitchen to show them how to create great tasting food. Teach them how flavors can change by experimenting together in the kitchen.
Our kids learn the most by watching us, so what we model is even more important than what we say.
Show Don’t Tell
Kids learn from the example you set. The more you develop a healthy relationship with food and movement in your own body, the more you will help your children.
If you’re not a member of Lindywell yet, check us out. Lindywell is based on three pillars: Pilates at the core, nourishment, not restriction, and a thriving mindset.
Pilates is at our core. We use movement to connect to our minds and bodies. We have a library of delicious recipes focusing on nourishment, not restriction. A healthy breathwork practice can relieve stress, improve sleep, and reset your nervous system.
Be the model that you want your kids to emulate. Join Lindywell today!
Resources & People Mentioned
Connect with Rachel
- Nutrition in Bloom
- 4 Steps to Help Your Child Try New Foods
- @Nutrition.In.Bloom on Instagram
- Nutrition In Bloom on Facebook
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2 thoughts on “How to Help Our Kids Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Food with Rachel Rothman, [Part 2]”
That’s some serious knowledge. Definitely going to implement some of those strategies in my own life.
Glad you found it helpful! We are cheering you on!