In this episode you’ll hear tips from Jennifer (aka @Kids.Eat.In.Color), a mom, wife, and registered dietitian who has a masters of science in public health, in international health and human nutrition from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. When she was a new mom, Jennifer learned that feeding kids is sometimes tricky. Her first child fell off the growth chart and she learned how much effort can go into feeding a child and has spent a lot of time studying and working in the world of food, culture, and family.

 Jennifer completed dietetics coursework through the University of Northern Colorado, and organized her own dietetic internship focusing in policy and organizational management in the Washington DC metro area. She also has a bachelors of science in Cultural Anthropology & a minor in Economics from Wheaton College. Additionally, she spent 6 months living in India studying poverty and development and coordinated the Youth Nutrition Program for a food bank for several years. That's where she learned how much kids need veggies and decided to go back to school for nutrition and public health.

In this episode you’ll learn: 

• How Jennifer got into child-focused nutrition 
• Why pressuring kids to eat can have negative effects 
• How your approach can help avoid “food battles” with children 
• How parenting strategies can affect the foods that kids want and like
• Why it’s helpful to have structure when it comes to meals and snacks
• How to start changing your approach to food as a parent 
• Why parents should decide what to serve, and allow their kids to decide what to eat and how much 
• How to work with their changing taste buds and adjust accordingly 
• About setting goals to shoot for when it comes to protein, fat, veggies & fruit intake
• Some things to be aware of when it comes to feeding certain age groups
• How teaching that there aren’t good or bad foods can help prevent kids from associating foods with certain feelings
• Tips for eating in social situations 
• That sugar intake actually has not been shown to cause hyperactivity in children
• Why it’s important to balance setting boundaries and allowing kids to learn about food on their own 
• Why listening to your body is key when it comes to eating 
• How to approach family dynamics in relation to what your kids eat 
• Why kids under 2 don’t need juice 
• How to approach fast food with children
• About breastfeeding and formula 
• Jennifer’s advice on supplementing vitamins for children

References from the episode:

• Connect with Jennifer aka Kids.Eat.In.Color: Instagram |  kidseatincolor.com 

• Sign up for Jennifer's FREE shopping list and learn more about her program:  bit.ly/VeggieList