Brittany Darling, nutritionist and herbalist joins me today to discuss healthy eating habits for children. Brittany's mission is to help adults and children clearly understand what to eat to better their health on every level. In this episode, Brittany provides some great insights into introducing solids in a nutritious and fuss-free way for babies. Brittany offers some great practical tips to help ensure a smooth transition into solids.

Selected Links from Episode

Brittany Darling website

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Dr Ron Ehrlich:             Hello and welcome to Unstress. I'm Dr Ron Ehrlich. Setting up healthy eating habits starts from, well, the womb, actually. And there are some opportunities and challenges in introducing healthy foods to children. Particularly before they actually get a chance to have a choice, or voice any opposition. If you got onto the web for advice, there's an endless stream of information that can be overwhelming. Well, my guest today is nutritionist and herbalist Brittany Darling. And her mission is to help you get really clear on what to eat to better your health on every level and guide you to which nutritional and herbal medicines can support you so you can live your best life. A life with less pain, less inflammation, where you feel calmer and less stressed. That's a familiar term. And where you have healthier digestion and a stronger immune system. And what better place to begin that journey than at the beginning of life. The early years. And especially when it comes to introducing solids. Now, whether you have children or not, if you are a fussy eater, or know children or people that are, this will give you some insight into how that may have come about. And if you do have children, also some great insights into ensuring it's a good start. I hope you enjoy this conversation I had with Brittany Darling.

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Welcome to the show, Brittany.

Brittany Darling:           Thanks for having me, Ron. I'm excited to be on your show.

Dr Ron Ehrlich:             Thank you. We're excited to have you. Now listen, I've got two young grandchildren, and if I've been through this before when my kids were growing up. They're now in their 30s, or 29 and 32. But watching my grandchildren and three and six months, you know, the starting of solids is quite a big deal. And you've written this great book, Starting Solids. How do we know when our kids are ready for solids?

Brittany Darling:           Look, they'll be showing signs that they're ready. They'll be launching themselves toward your food, trying to grab your food. They would have lost their tongue thrust. And mainly they'll be able to sit upright in a highchair and hold their head up. If their head's flopping around all over the place, that's a sign that they're not ready. But if they're able to show some head control, that's definitely a sign they're ready. And when they're showing interest in food.

Dr Ron Ehrlich:             Hmm. Listen, I mean, you know, one of the things also that has struck me in this whole process, as now an observer, is when our kids were growing up we had one or two books to consult. But gee, when you get online now, it's mind-boggling, isn't it really, what's available out there. And so, this book that you've written has made ... You know, I mean, I know you, Brittany, and I can just imagine this is very, there's a lot of evidence, a lot of research that's gone into this.

Brittany Darling:           Yeah, absolutely. Look, it is evidence-based, and I think that's the most important thing when you're introducing solids, is to stick to that, you know, to the Australian Dietary Guidelines to some degree. Because that's where the evidence is. But there is so much information out there.