Meet Sarah Eichenbaum
My road to becoming a registered dietitian (RD) was anything but conventional. I went back
Nutrition Education for Kids
How to handle nutrition education and information with our kids can be tricky to navigate at times. And it's especially challenging when we're caught off guard or in the midst of a tantrum or meltdown of sorts. So I want to offer a few tools to help you feel more clear and confident!
Dealing With Family When Feeding Your Child
Dealing with family... This is one of the most common struggles I hear from parents.
How I Learned to Trust My Kids with Food
Six years ago I gave avocado to my first baby when he was 6 months old. He opened his mouth wide with excitement to eat off the spoon, spit part of it out, ate some of it, and mashed the rest in his hair. He loved eating! It was fun to watch, and yes, a mess to clean up! He started with avocado, sweet potato, squash, banana and any fruit or vegetable we could mash. Then he tried hard-boiled egg yolks, and eventually cooked meats and grains. I loved watching his face when he tried new foods and seeing the excitement or horror from a different taste or texture. We stuck with basic foods, and he was generally content with his options. I thought, "There's no reason to feed him anything else. He's eating wholesome foods and nourishing his body."
What Food Is Healthy to Eat? (We’re Missing the Point)
What food is healthy to eat? As a dietitian, I get asked this a lot. There are so many different ideas and opinions and the research is constantly changing. You've probably heard you shouldn't eat eggs, they have too much cholesterol. Maybe you've also heard they're a great source of protein. Have you been told a low-fat diet is best for heart health, but then you read that Keto (high-fat) is the best for weight loss and health? This is the confusion I'm referring to, and not only is it confusing, but it also misses the point. Asking, "What food is healthy to eat?" especially without context, isn't helpful nor accurate, and it's potentially harmful. The information discussed here is only the tip of the iceberg. It's certainly not all-encompassing, but I hope it provides another perspective and provokes greater thought. So here are some reasons why labeling food as "healthy," especially as a blanket statement, misses the point.
How to Create Food Neutrality for Your Child
The other day I walked in from the store and my son came running in to make sure I got more peppers. He then wanted me to cut them for him to eat right then and there. Then my daughter started helping me unload the groceries and I heard, “*GASP* Mommy, you got me strawberries!!” in the sweetest and most endearing voice. Once everything was put away, I made hard-boiled eggs, and my boys were begging for them out of the instant-pot warm and sprinkled with a touch of salt. They do the exact same thing when I buy pop-tarts or make fresh-baked cookies.
How to help your child stop overeating
Do you wonder how to help your child stop overeating? Have you ever wanted to say, I told you so! when you watched your child eat "too much?" My oldest kiddo is definitely the most “into” food. He also has the biggest appetite. I remember one of the first times he told me he didn’t feel well because he ate too much ??? It was his first bbq chicken pizza. I had made it at home for lunch one day and he kept going back for more and more and then some more. Finally, he said, “Ugh! My stomach hurts!” ? He laid on the couch and after a bit felt better.
Are you struggling to get in enough veggies?
Are you struggling to get in enough veggies? Are you finding it harder to serve fresh veggies right now? Or maybe your kids are refusing veggies or just not interested in them right now? Or maybe this is common and they generally don’t eat them.
Making Sense of Sweets
I have watched my children down multiple bowls of ice cream in one sitting, almost an entire bag of sour gummy worms from the store, and more cookies than I could count at a party. It doesn’t always seem ideal. However, I also know from observing, these same kids will take two bites of a cookie and say “I’m done” or one bite of ice cream and then throw away the melted mess. The other day I was leaving for work and my kids were asking the babysitter for leftover cookies and cake from the birthday party a few days before.
Cringe worthy behavior: We don’t eat like animals
If you've ever cringed watching your child eat, or felt a gut reaction that made you want to turn away, stop their behavior, or leave the room... you're not alone! The other day during snack I turned around to see one of my kids with chocolate all over his face, nose-buried in his empty bowl, licking the last bit of chocolate residue he could clean up. Yes, in my head, cringe-worthy behavior. It took everything in me not to yell out, What do you think you're doing? We don't eat like animals!