I once heard, “To write well is to write what you know.” What I know is – I have a very picky eater and my home is not nearly as healthy as I thought it would be.
I am a seeker. It’s what kickstarted my on my religious journey and probably explains why my favorite books to read are self-help books. So, once I realized my five-year-old son wasn’t outgrowing his “pickiness,” it was time to do some more seeking.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to travel too far: my sister is a registered dietitian nutritionist. She teaches my son all about macronutrients, and though it’s really cute to hear him spout all this knowledge, it wasn’t really helping him eat better. What was helpful was her recommending a parenting nutrition class by one of her mentors who works specifically with kids.
After I got over my initial, “Hey, I don’t need a kid nutrition class,” I signed up and honestly it was life-changing. The class was given by Yaffi Lvova, a wonderful registered dietitian who runs Baby Bloom Nutrition. I took diligent notes and implemented her strategies. Over a short time, they have made a profound difference in the way we think about food.
I highly recommend checking her and her books out because they can really positively transform eating habits. Here are just three ways her class changed our life for the better.
Cultivating a healthy relationship with food
In my attempt to get my son to eat healthier I was inadvertently stressing him out. I realized this about two minutes into Yaffi’s first class. She shared how nutrition is a long-term goal and it’s not accomplished in a day or a snack. That was a snack to my ears.
Let’s set the scene. It’s dinner time and I made a healthy, delicious Crock-Pot dish that my son won’t touch. I bribe him with desserts, ask him to take two more bites, all classic positive and negative food associations that Yaffi warns against. Sound familiar?!
Soon after the first class, I noticed people around me saying things to their kids like, “Don’t eat that candy, it’s garbage.” I learned this is demonizing food, which can also be detrimental. Body image associations start incredibly young, so it’s important to be mindful of what we say around food.
My main takeaways from the first class were to set the meal up for success (more on that below) and learn to trust my son’s eating cues rather than making every meal a triggering incident.
In the class, Yaffi said, “When we follow their cues, we respect their signals and give them trust in themselves.” Learning these strategies for making mealtimes a positive experience can bond a family and build confidence, too.
I’ve always been a firm believer in “words have the power to shape our reality.” On that note, Yaffi encourages parents to move away from calling kids “picky eaters” and trying something softer like:
- He is still learning about foods
- She is cautious around food
- He is selective at meals
Family meals 2.0
Another realization in Yaffi’s class is that I was a short-order cook in a restaurant where the customer would send me back into the kitchen two or three times a meal. This was driving me crazy, but I was really at a loss for what to do.
Thank G-d, there was a fairly easy solution. Well, the easiest would be to do what many of our parents did, “Eat what’s on the table or go to bed hungry.” That never really sat well with me, but Yaffi’s suggestion definitely did.
It was always important to my husband and me to have family dinners. After the first class, I upgraded our family dinner and immediately felt impressed.
Rather than serving one dish as I had been, Yaffi recommends a family-style meal with options where everyone can serve themselves. Bonus: my son was ecstatic that I was letting him serve himself.
I had a main dish, two sides and a pitcher of water on the table. Having food you know your picky eater… I mean, “food explorer” actually eats on the table will help them get in the habit of grabbing food on the table. For us, that’s bread rolls and luckily the week we started this, Kiwi Kids sent a package of delicious freezer rolls.
It seems so simple and does take a little planning or creativity, but serving meals this way made eating way less stressful and actually got my son to start trying (and liking!) new foods.
I don’t always have it together enough to have meals with tons of table options each night, but even if I do it three nights a week that’s a step in the right direction!
It’s OK to play with your food
After we started revolutionizing mealtimes, it was time to start having fun exploring new foods. I have heard that playing with food was frowned upon, but Yaffi says it’s actually a healthy part of exploring food.
The first technique we tried was doing a magic trick to pick what vegetable I would send in my son’s school lunch. At this point, he always protested when I packed vegetables and almost never ate them.
I took three red Solo cups and under each one I put either a carrot, tomato or cucumber. We moved the cups around and my son revealed he was bringing a cucumber for lunch that day. I cut it up, he bagged and packed it in his lunch and was actually excited about this the whole time. He would request that we play the “Magic Veggie Cup” game often.
Another great tip I learned is the “Crunch Contest.” At mealtimes, I would grab a carrot, look at my husband and say, “Want to have a crunch contest?” We would take turns taking bites and ask our son to judge which was louder. Of course, he grabbed a carrot and wanted to join, too.
I was hesitant to encourage playing with food and asked Yaffi about it. She said if something becomes too distracting you can redirect with something like, “That went sideways, let’s try something different.”
Months after taking this course I can happily share that mealtimes are less stressful and more nutritious. I can now take a short break from seeking and just enjoy.
I know it’s annoying… but meal plans work!
It doesn’t have to be color-coded or fancy, but meal plans are a life saver for me. I try to meal plan every week, and on the weeks I don’t I find I’m way more stressed.
Easy sample meal plan to get you started. I’m NO expert, but I do try my best to stay organized. I find that helps and maybe it can help you, too?! I bought a folding dry erase board and keep this in the kitchen to plan for the week and then for Shabbos (on the back!)
I also keep a list on Google Drive with meals that went over well. That way, when I can’t think of what to make I just take a look and pick something! I also like hand-writing recipes (because it’s easier than trying to get my printer to work.) I bought a binder with dividers and some sheet protectors to keep track of recipes we like. That way, I can also write notes on there when things come up!
I reached out to Yaffi to make sure she was on board with me sharing this on my personal blog. Not only was she on board, but she sent over tons of resources to help! If this is something you are also working towards, check out Yaffi’s “Got a Picky Eater” guide!
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