Healthy Parenting Handbook with Katie Kimball

Your child eats lentils at daycare but won’t touch them at home. Or a favorite dinner suddenly gets an emphatic “NO!” Does this sound familiar?

In part two of my conversation with Dr. Deborah MacNamara, author of Nourished, we explore picky eating through the lens of child development, attachment, and emotional safety. We talk about why toddlers become cautious about new foods, how sensory sensitivities can affect eating, and why getting a bite into your child’s mouth doesn’t have to be the measure of a successful family meal.

I especially loved our conversation about serving one family meal while making room for different preferences and needs. Deborah shares how she adapted meals for her sensitive eater without pressure, and we discuss how shared food can help kids feel included.

And if you worry that your own complicated relationship with food will rub off on your children, please listen. Deborah offers such an encouraging perspective on that internal struggle and how recognizing the patterns you want to change can help you move forward. This episode is full of hope for parents who want less mealtime stress, stronger parent-child connection, and a healthier relationship with food for the whole family.

Resources We Mention for Picky Eaters

• My TEDx talk on picky eating
• Get more picky eating strategies here
• Jump right in to the free No More Picky Eating Challenge
• Infographics on picky eating and gathering to eat
• Here are Deborah’s books
  • Nourished: Food, Connection, and Caring for our Kids (And Everyone Else We Love)
  • The Sorry Plane
  • Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One)

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

What if helping your picky eater started with how you connect, alongside what you serve? When family meals become a battle, it’s easy to focus on finding another recipe or getting your child to take a bite. But food also carries a powerful message: “You can count on me to take care of you.”

In this episode of the Healthy Parenting Handbook, I’m talking with Dr. Deborah MacNamara, author of Nourished, about the connection between food, attachment, and child development. We explore why being at the dinner table doesn’t always mean feeling connected, how everyday food routines can strengthen parent-child relationships, and why teaching kids to cook can be an act of care for the whole family.

If you’re raising a picky eater, juggling busy schedules, or wondering how to balance kids’ independence with their need for support, this conversation offers an encouraging perspective on feeding kids and building a healthy relationship with food. You don’t need a picture-perfect family dinner to help your children feel nourished.

Resources We Mention for Picky Eaters

• Here’s the study Deborah mentions about family dinners
• My TEDx talk on picky eating
• Get more picky eating strategies here
• Jump right in to the free No More Picky Eating Challenge
• Infographics on picky eating and gathering to eat
• Here are Deborah’s books
  • Nourished: Food, Connection, and Caring for our Kids (And Everyone Else We Love)
  • The Sorry Plane
  • Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One)

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

“Never require a bite.”

That’s advice I give parents of picky eaters. So what happens when I interview a psychologist whose treatment includes required bites AND rewards?

Well, I ask a lot of questions!

In part two of my conversation with Dr. Jessica Bodie, we dig into some approaches that made me pause, push back, and think more deeply. I had just finished writing The Picky Eater Playbook, so you can imagine what was going through my head: “Wait. Do I need to rethink what I just wrote?”

One distinction keeps coming up: who we’re trying to help. My work focuses on everyday picky eaters and building a healthy relationship with food. Dr. Bodie works with extreme picky eaters, including children with ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder), for whom eating unfamiliar foods can feel incredibly difficult.

We don’t agree on everything, and I’m glad we had room to explore that. We also find plenty of common ground, especially around helping kids feel capable, encouraging bravery, and making food less of a battle.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why Dr. Bodie uses several practice bites instead of a one-bite rule.
• How structured food challenges differ from “You can’t leave the table until you eat.”
• Where rewards fit into her treatment approach, and why I question using dessert as a reward.
• Why a child might happily eat chicken nuggets but struggle with other meat.
• How grazing, snack portions, and drinks can affect appetite at meals.
• Why “Do you like it?” might be a harder question than we realize.
• How cooking and grocery shopping can help kids become more curious about food.
• When screens enter the treatment picture, and when families need professional support.

If you’re worried about your child’s eating, I hope this conversation helps you understand the options and ask better questions. And if you’ve ever wondered why picky eating experts sometimes give different advice, come listen as we work through those differences together!

Resources We Mention for Treatment for ARFID in Kids

• If you register for the No More Picky Eating Challenge, there is a questionnaire to help you figure out if you have an extreme picky eater! 
• Why feeding therapy can backfire with extreme picky eaters 
• Simplify your schedule by scheduling your food
• Teaching kids to grocery budget, shop, and cook for themselves
• I always suggest finding a therapist versed in the SOS Approach to Feeding if you have an extreme picky eater

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

There is average picky eating … and then there are the more extreme cases.

Our guest today, Jessica Bodie, PhD, is a psychologist who works with these kids – including her own.

ARFID is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, and its treatment goes way beyond what I discuss in The Picky Eater Playbook and the No More Picky Eating Challenge. I’m so glad Jessica was able to come and share more about treatment for ARFID with us.

We chatted about:

• the reason doctors might look at a growth chart and ignore a parent’s concerns about eating
• what Jessica has done with her own son when it comes to his restrictive eating
• how ARFID is different than normal picky eating
• the strategies I would suggest AGAINST for average picky eaters that Jessica uses
• how being uncomfortable might have to be part of becoming more comfortable with food

Listen in now, and check out part 2 when it releases on Thursday!

Resources We Mention for ARFID in Children

• If you register for the No More Picky Eating Challenge, there is a questionnaire to help you figure out if you have an extreme picky eater!
• Why feeding therapy can backfire with extreme picky eaters
• I always suggest finding a therapist versed in the SOS Approach to Feeding if you have an extreme picky eater

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Sometimes we just need a little mental shift, a small piece of knowledge, an encouragement to break a habit, or a new perspective.

That’s my goal today!

I want to break into the day-to-day habits that might not be serving your kids and help you make a SHIFT – either in your thinking, your dinner routine, or your language.

I challenge you to set one tiny goal for your dinner table after listening, in one of these 3 areas:

1. Screens
2. Empathy/Understanding
3. Starting the Meal

Here’s to small changes making a big impact—just like we do in the No More Picky Eating Challenge!

You’ll learn new routines, pattern interruptions, and way more. And if you’re a reader or like to refer back to information time and again, grab a copy of The Picky Eater Playbook, my new book!

Resources I Mentioned for Picky Eating Habits

• My free No More Picky Eating Challenge
• Benefits of Family Dinners
• My picky eating TEDx talk
• Whole chicken in the Instant Pot
• BBQ chicken recipe for the slow cooker or Instant Pot
• Homemade air-fryer chicken nuggets
• Other good habits for the table
• Vibrant Blue Oils Parasympathetic blend

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

I was asked a question on a podcast interview the other day that I’ve never been asked before – “WHY are there so many picky eaters these days?”

It really does feel like it’s an epidemic, far different than our childhood.

What gives? I have 4 theories as to the underpinnings, and those lend a hand to create a playbook to avoid picky eating in your own kids if they’re young enough to circumvent bad habits.

That’s GREAT news with MUCH hope!

I’m going to be unpacking a lot of habits, expectations, and attitudes that can banish picky eating power struggles from your mealtimes during the FREE 5-day No More Picky Eating Challenge. We’ve had thousands of families go through the challenge, committing to making one small change each day so that they never again have to say, “I just want my kids to eat what I make!”

Save your Seat!

It has to be said of course that there are many biological root causes to picky eating too, and we’ll dip our toe into that during the challenge as well.

Or if you’re more of a reader—or have done the challenge before and want the information at your fingertips!—you can pre-order my book The Picky Eater Playbook. Along with all the strategies from the challenge, you also get all kinds of stories and examples from my family and other families I’ve worked with.

More Resources to Tackle the Root Causes Behind Picky Eating

• My FREE picky eating challenge
• My new book, The Picky Eater Playbook
• Redefining a “kid’s meal”
• Raising successful adults with Julie Lythcott-Haimes
• Understanding your highly sensitive child
• Reduce stress by raising resilient kids
• Solve picky eating with the tiny salad trick
• The importance of letting kids play with food
• Strategies for kids with sensory processing disorder
• Is it picky eating or something deeper?
• Picky eating solutions using all 8 senses
• 10 ways to get kids to eat more veggies with no tricks!

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

What’s healthier for your child: a donut or a muffin?

I know. That sounds like a trick question.

And after decades of talking about real food at Kitchen Stewardship and Kids Cook Real Food, I certainly have some thoughts about the ingredients in both!

But Dr. Dina Rose made an argument in this interview that stopped me in my tracks: From a habits perspective, sometimes the donut might actually have an advantage.

Why?

Nobody is pretending the donut is health food.

A muffin, on the other hand, can easily become a cupcake without frosting that we’ve mentally filed under “healthy breakfast.” Even if we healthify it with whole grains, flaxseed, applesauce, or whatever else we can sneak in there, our kids are still learning something about what breakfast tastes like and what they expect to eat.

That distinction gets right to the heart of my conversation with Dina.

In part one, we talked about her three habits of healthy eating: proportion, variety, and moderation. Now we’re getting even more practical.

How do we talk about candy without making it forbidden fruit?

Should kids have to eat dinner before they get dessert?

What do we do when a child announces, “I’m full!” at dinner and miraculously discovers a second stomach when dessert appears?

And what about the picky eater who refuses even one tiny taste of a new food?

Dina challenges us to stop making every bite of food carry so much emotional baggage. Instead, she gives parents structures that help kids understand what to expect, experience hunger and fullness, and explore unfamiliar foods without Mom or Dad hovering nearby thinking, “Please eat it. Please eat it. PLEASE EAT IT.”

(Our faces never give us away, right?)

This conversation challenged some of the language and rules we were using in my own home at the time. And once again, I walked away realizing that raising healthy eaters isn’t simply about getting the “right” foods into our kids today.

We’re teaching them how to eat for the rest of their lives.

Let’s dig into part two.

Resources We Mention for Changing Eating Habits

• Dr. Dina’s book: It’s Not About the Broccoli
• My video on “Growing Foods vs. Fun Foods”
• Don’t underestimate kids’ taste buds!
• Jump into the No More Picky Eating Challenge

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

If you’ve ever bribed a child with dessert to get three more bites of broccoli into their mouth, this interview may mess with your head a little.

In a good way.

Because what if our intense focus on getting healthy food INTO our kids is accidentally teaching them some not-so-healthy habits about eating?

When I first interviewed sociologist, parent educator, and feeding expert Dr. Dina Rose, her ideas challenged the way I thought about feeding my own kids. In fact, this conversation continues to influence how our family handles desserts and sweet treats today.

Dina’s big idea sounds almost too simple: Healthy eating isn’t only about what kids eat. It’s about the habits they’re learning around food.

That means we have to think beyond fruits, vegetables, protein, and all the other nutritional boxes we’re trying desperately to check before bedtime.

Are our kids learning to recognize when they’re hungry and full?

Are they learning to eat a variety of foods?

Are sweets becoming rewards, comfort, or forbidden treasures?

And are we accidentally creating power struggles because we’re so worried about getting those vegetables into them?

Dina boils healthy eating down to three habits: proportion, variety, and moderation. And I have to tell you, thinking in terms of three habits instead of servings, nutrients, and “Did anyone eat something green today?” feels like a breath of fresh air.

In this interview, we’ll dig into why focusing too heavily on nutrition can backfire, how kids’ taste preferences are shaped, why variety does NOT have to mean constantly serving new foods, and how sweets and treats can have a reasonable place in a healthy relationship with food.

Some of Dina’s ideas challenged me when I first heard them.

They still make me think.

And I have a feeling you’ll have a few “Wait...what?” moments too.

Let’s dig in.

Resources We Mention for Changing Eating Habits

• Dr. Dina’s book: It’s Not About the Broccoli
• My video on “Growing Foods vs. Fun Foods”
• Don’t underestimate kids’ taste buds!
• Get on the list for the next No More Picky Eating Challenge

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

If part one of my conversation with Dr. Stephanie Gray made you question what you thought you knew about hormones, buckle up. Part two goes even deeper.

Dr. Gray is the author of The Hormone Blueprint, and she has spent years researching and working with women on hormones, thyroid health, metabolism, and hormone replacement therapy.

And moms, this conversation is especially for us.

We get incredibly practical about testing, what may actually be hiding inside hormone prescriptions, and why Dr. Gray believes women need a much more nuanced conversation about HRT, breast cancer, brain health, bones, and aging.

We talk about:

• The hormone and thyroid tests Dr. Gray recommends women ask about, including one metabolic marker your doctor may not routinely check
• Why she says a “normal” lab result and an optimal result can be two very different things
• The surprising inactive ingredients she found inside some hormone prescriptions, including dyes, preservatives, and other ingredients you might never think to look for
• Why the way you take hormones matters, from pills and creams to patches and pellets
• What happens when you wear an estrogen patch in a sauna. Yes, Dr. Gray actually researched this!
• The complicated relationship between HRT and breast cancer, including research Dr. Gray says challenges some long-held assumptions
• Why she believes women should consider not only the possible risks of taking hormones, but also the risks of going without them
• How hormones may fit into the bigger picture of protecting our bones, brains, cardiovascular health, metabolism, and quality of life as we age

There is a LOT here, and this is definitely an episode where you may want to grab a notebook, jot down questions, and bring them to a healthcare provider who understands hormone health. You can also print off the cheat sheet of the episode – grab it here! 

Because “I guess feeling terrible is just part of getting older” is not a health plan.

Here’s part two of my conversation with Dr. Stephanie Gray.

Resources We Mention for Hormone Replacement Therapy and Hormone Testing

• Grab one of Dr. Stephanie’s books: Your Longevity Blueprint (Amazon/Bookshop.org); Your Fertility Blueprint (Amazon/Bookshop.org); Your Hormone Blueprint (Amazon/Bookshop.org).
• Get 10% off supplements at Dr. Stephanie’s site with the code KIDS.
• Perimenopause could be the best years of your life! with Jenn Pike
• More about menopause and hormones with Cynthia Thurlow here and here
• How to start and keep with a new habit

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Were you scared away from taking hormone replacement therapy?

I was. 100%!

But this conversation with Dr. Stephanie Gray may have changed my mind. 

I’m 46, firmly in the “what is happening to my body and what is ABOUT to happen?” stage of life, and I had definitely absorbed the message that hormone replacement therapy was a Big Scary Decision.

I couldn’t have explained the research. I couldn’t have named the famous study that scared so many women away from hormones. I just had this sense of, “Ooh, probably not for me. I’ll just eat my way to good health and keep my mobility, thankyouverymuch.”

You know what I mean?

That’s exactly why this conversation fascinated me.

Dr. Stephanie Gray has been working with hormones for well over a decade, and she walked me through what actually happened with the research that shaped our cultural fear of hormone therapy, what she believes we got wrong, and some REALLY important distinctions that tend to get flattened into one little word: hormones.

This one gets dense in the best possible way. We’re talking perimenopause, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, delivery methods, heart health, brain health, metabolic health, and why the details matter enormously.

Listen in to hear:

• Why the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study scared a generation of women away from hormone therapy, and the three major problems Dr. Gray sees with how that research was conducted
• The surprisingly simple way to tell whether the hormone you’ve been prescribed is actually the same hormone your body makes
• Why Dr. Gray says “progesterone” and “progestin” are NOT interchangeable words, even though they’re often treated that way
• What oral estrogen has to do with the liver and clotting risk, and why the delivery method of a hormone matters
• Patches, creams, pellets, lozenges, injections…oh my! How the options differ and why this definitely isn’t a one-size-fits-all conversation
• Why timing matters when women consider hormone therapy, especially around perimenopause and menopause
• Dr. Gray’s “healthy house” analogy for understanding estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid hormones without needing a medical degree
• The connection she draws between declining hormones and four major health concerns as we age: cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and metabolic dysfunction

If your entire understanding of hormone replacement therapy is basically, “Wasn’t there a study saying that was dangerous?” you are absolutely not alone.

I was right there with you.

This conversation gave me a LOT more questions to ask, which is exactly where I want to be when I’m making decisions about my health.

Resources We Mention for HRT and Perimenopause Hormones

• Grab one of Dr. Stephanie’s books: Your Longevity Blueprint (Amazon/Bookshop.org); Your Fertility Blueprint (Amazon/Bookshop.org); Your Hormone Blueprint (Amazon/Bookshop.org).
• Get 10% off supplements at Dr. Stephanie’s site with the code KIDS.
• Perimenopause could be the best years of your life! with Jenn Pike
• More about menopause and hormones with Cynthia Thurlow here and here
• Women build muscle differently – especially over age 30

Check out my new book at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/pickybook!

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Raising Healthy Families 
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at raisinghealthyfamilies.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!