167. Complex Picky Eating: Why Some Kids Struggle With Food (and How to Help)

Dr. Tony Ebel sits down with Shandy Watters, integrative speech-language pathologist and functional nutrition practitioner, to unpack the root causes of complex picky eating in kids with neurodevelopmental challenges. Moving beyond typical feeding advice, Shandy shares her five-domain framework and explains how nervous system regulation plays a central role in feeding struggles.

Parents will learn practical, real-life strategies to reduce mealtime stress, including environmental setup, co-regulation, movement before meals, and supportive positioning. Shandy also highlights hidden food triggers and shares powerful success stories that offer both clarity and hope for families navigating complex picky eating.

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Links & Resources:

Learn more about Shandy's work and access free resources to support your child at speakingofhealthandwellness.com

Grab Shandy’s free guide The Dos and Don’ts for Parents of Complex Picky Eaters: https://www.speakingofhealthandwellness.com/freebies

Follow Shandy on Instagram: @speakingofhealthandwellness

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Key Timestamps:

(00:00) What Is Complex Picky Eating? Typical vs. complex feeding challenges
(09:00) The Nervous System Connection Why regulation matters for feeding
(16:00) The Five-Domain Paradigm Shandy’s framework for complex picky eating
(28:00) Beyond Gluten and Dairy Hidden inflammatory food triggers
(37:00) Mealtime Setup What actually supports success
(43:00) The 90-90-90 Rule Proper positioning for feeding and digestion
(47:00) Beyond Obedience Redefining the goal of feeding support
(52:00) ARFID and Missed Diagnoses Overlooked PANS and PANDAS connections
(55:00) Autism and Feeding Challenges Rethinking the root cause
(58:00) Success Story From Goldfish to Salmon
(01:05) Resources How to work with Shandy

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