Pressure Cooker

Listen in on a live podcasting event on the future of motherhood, coproduced by Future of Women. This week, Jane is joined by the Better Life Lab’s Brigid Schulte, journalists Helena Dyer Andrews, Julianna Goldman and Daniella Senior of the Colada Shop to discuss what’s not working for moms in America today and how we can work together to make change. 

If you’re fired up after the conversation, here are a few organizations to follow or get involved with: Moms Rising, the Better Life Lab, the Center for American Progress, the National Women’s Law Center, Moms First.

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For years, cook and writer Tamar Adler’s kitchen overflowed with leftovers: stale bread, leftover buttermilk, potato chip crumbs. Her mission was to figure out what to do with all of them. Her new book, The Everlasting Cookbook: Leftovers A - Z, has the answers. In this episode, she troubleshoots how busy parents can rethink leftovers – it’s a meal with half the work already done! – plus offers advice on how not to let a picky child get under your skin.

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On Instagram, mommy influencers abound, offering recipe inspiration, parenting hacks…and advice on which non-stick pan or organic snackbar will definitely, finally make you feel like the mother you always thought you would be! On this episode, Jane and Liz talk to Sara Petersen, the author of the new book “Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture” about the multi-billion dollar business of momfluencing, and why we’re so drawn to watching performances of motherhood online. 

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Americans spend almost a billion dollars each year on children’s dietary supplements: a category which, today, includes not just daily multivitamins but an increasingly exotic array of gummies aimed at promoting immunity, digestion, mood, and sleep. Liz and Jane unspool the history of our national obsession with vitamins with the science journalist and Vitamania author Catherine Price – then talk to pediatrician and educator Dr. Krupa Playforth, aka The Pediatrician Mom, to get to the bottom of which gummies your kids might actually need, and which they don’t. 

As promised, here’s where you can find out more about the third-party vitamin certifiers mentioned by Catherine and Krupa on the show:

https://www.usp.org/

https://www.nsf.org/

https://www.consumerlab.com/

To learn more about Catherine, sign up for her newsletter at CatherinePrice.com. You can also stay up-to-date on the latest parenting tips from Dr. Playforth at thepediatricianmom.com where you can also find her free download that reviews research on common immune supplements.

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“Do I look fat in this?” This is the phrase that parents fear more than most any other. And yet, how many parents raised in the diet crazed 1980s and ‘90s have never said this themselves. As a nation, we are pathologically afraid of fat. And this, argues Virginia Sole-Smith is making us, not thinner or healthier, but fatter and sicker. Jane and Liz go deep with Virginia on her new book, Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture, about how fatphobia affects children and how you to rethink conversations about weight. 

And if you like what you hear, check out Virginia’s excellent Substack newsletter, Burnt Toast. 

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Three meals, good. Extra snacks, bad. Or so they say. With the help of Professor Marion Nestle, Jane and Liz dig into the cultural history of snacking to find out why parents believe they should limit snacking and whether that advice still stands in a 24/7 world.

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Twenty-six episodes down and still so many things to discover about why feeding kids is so absurdly complicated! Jane and Liz reflect on how a year of reporting did–and did not–change how they feed their kids, and, essentially, how they feel about their success. 

We're always planning future episodes. So if you have ideas you want to share with us, stories from your own kitchens, crazy things your kids said, nodding questions -- send a voice memo or email to:  [email protected]

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Some people will go to any length to cook the best version of pizza, ribs–you name it. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is their culinary hero. The best-selling cookbook author and New York Times recipe columnist has earned a cult following putting the scientific method to work for home cooks. On this week’s episode, Kenji talks about how he really cooks at home for his kids and how he managed to get the only kid in the world who loves to eat fish heads.

For more inspiration, check out two of Kenji’s favorite, kid-proof recipes: Three Ingredient Stovetop Mac and Cheese and Foolproof Pan Pizza

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Going to restaurants with kids is…not always fun. So how do we set the table for success? Jane and Liz talk to Roberta Schomburg, a child development expert who worked for many years with Fred–that’s Mister, to you--Rogers, and Daniel Post Senning, the great-, great-grandson of Emily Post who offers up tactical wisdom on how to teach good table manners to your kids.  

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One-third of Americans are trying to eat less meat. And yet…U.S. meat consumption per capita is at an all-time high. What gives? Turns out shifting your family’s diet is really (really) hard. On this episode, Jane and Liz talk to Jenny Rosenstrach, author of “The Weekday Vegetarians” for ideas on how to eat less meat overall and to accommodate kids who choose to skip meat. 

Trying to eat less meat yourself. Check out these additional resources: 

Dinner a Love Story Substack: Lots of ideas for meat-free meals, plus a peek into Jenny’s life in Brooklyn

Nigel Slater’s Green Feast Series: Always inspiring, very simple cooking. Mostly plants. 

Hetty McKinnon: Cookbook author and mom who specializes in Asian flavors. Her new book Tenderheart (pre-order here) is about vegetable cooking and family bonds.

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