The Nourished Child

Dr. Charlotte Markey discusses girls' body image, how to parent through the tweens and teens, and her book, The Body Image Book for Girls. Get full show notes and more information here: https://jillcastle.com/122

Discover the latest research and recommendations on early childhood nutrition, including nutrient needs, self-feeding, and baby food innovations. Get full show notes and more information here: https://jillcastle.com/121

Liz Ward, RD talks pregnancy diet, food cravings, nutrients for a successful pregnancy, and prenatal supplements. Get full show notes and more information here: https://jillcastle.com/120

Joan Salge Blake, RD, college professor and podcaster, discusses how weight gain in college happens, from increasing independence with food selections to stress and lack of sleep. Learn how young adults can be healthy in college. Get full show notes and more information here: https://jillcastle.com/119

Dayle Hayes, RD and school food champion, discusses how schools stepped up to the pandemic, how COVID-19 impacted food insecure kids in school, the safety precautions of feeding kids in the lunchroom, and much more. Get full show notes and more information here: https://jillcastle.com/118

One show that a lot of my listeners enjoyed was my episode with Catherine Pearlman, author of the book, Ignore it! I thought that perhaps your child's behaviors might be annoying you right about now… or maybe you could use a pep talk, so I'm re-sharing this episode. In this ep, Catherine Pearlman walks us through her method for creating good behaviors in our kids – the behaviors we want to see. She explains how every kid acts out sometimes, which can make it even more frustrating than usual to guide them on a path of healthy development. She coaches us in how to look the other way and simply ignore the attention-seeking actions from our children. Not easy! But she does break it down in a way that makes it easier for all of us, especially what behaviors are acceptable to ignore, and what are not. One of her main points is to not reward bad behavior – and giving too much attention to it is rewarding to kids. It's a good thing she's an expert in the psychological aspect of this – because it's easy to think that if we work hard with our children on their negative behaviors, they will change…but Catherine Pearlman shows us that's not the case. You've gotta tune in to this one! And, remember, I'll be back live in just a few weeks. Until then, take a listen.

There's no denying that how we feel (sad, mad, or glad for example) may be tied to what we choose to eat and how we eat it. One of my personal favorite episodes this past year or so has been the topic of emotional eating. I had Melanie Smith, the Training Director of the Renfrew Center specializing in eating disorders, on the podcast to discuss the importance of teaching emotional regulation in children and how it relates to food and eating. Melanie said, "Emotional regulation is the ability to understand the whole range of emotions that you're having and to be willing to experience the ones that might be more difficult, but in a way that is proportionate to the situation." For example, when your child gets mad, she has a healthy way to express and deal with that emotion, rather than shut down and refuse to eat. Or if she feels sad that she seeks human comfort rather than comforting herself with a pint of Ben and Jerry's. (Not that Ben & Jerry's isn't comforting but a habit of seeking comfort from their delicious products may not be a healthy, effective approach). One of the things I reflected on after this interview – and became more sensitive to – was noticing how my own children navigated and regulated their feelings and emotions. I hope listening to this episode again (or for the first time) will bring that sensitivity to you as well. Here she is!

I nerd out on brain development. All the changes that happen in the brain throughout childhood are simply amazing. Brain development has been a fascination of mine for quite some time. And not just what goes on in the infancy years. Quite a bit goes on throughout childhood and the teen years too. And, as a 50-something year old, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just slightly interested in what happens to the brain as we age. I've had two guest experts come on the podcast to talk about infancy and toddlerhood, and today, I'm recapping my interview with Dr. Bob Murray, a pediatrician who is equally fascinated with brain development in the early years. Much of our success in life is due to a healthy, functioning, well-developed brain. And nutrition is a big piece of the healthy brain puzzle. It all begins in pregnancy, and after birth, what babies eat, how they are cared for and interacted with, all help to nurture a healthy brain. I'll let Dr. Murray fill you in on the rest. In the meantime, if you have a baby and it's getting close to starting solids, I invite you to check out my book The Smart Mom's Guide to Starting Solids, available in print or ebook on Amazon. Enjoy the show!

When other relatives take care of your kids, your food choices for them and feeding routines can swerve off track. One of the questions I get from parents is around grandparents feeding their grandkids. Parents complain or are distressed by their own parents or in-laws feeding their kids unhealthy food. Grandparents may give their grandchildren too many sweets. Or let them off the hook at mealtime and give them what they really want to eat, like pizza or chicken nuggets. Or, perhaps they blatantly violate nutrition values that have been expressed to them by the child's parents. Sometimes the dynamic around relatives feeding children, especially grandparents, can put parents in a quandary. I tapped Dina Rose for this episode. Dina's a sociologist and feeding expert who teaches parents, educators, and nutritionists about helping kids develop healthy, sustainable eating habits. Over the summer, kids may see their grandparents a bit more, so I hope this episode will give you some guidance in this area. I'll be back in September with a lineup of new guests and episodes. In the meantime, Enjoy!

What do you say to your child when he refuses to eat? When he throws a tantrum because what you served for his meal isn't what he wants to eat? Or, what do you say when your child keeps asking for more food? In my work over the years with parents, the question of what to say, or how to respond, comes up a lot. Parents don't want to be the NO GUY or GAL all the time. I get it. I don't want to say no all the time either. So, how can you say no without saying that word? AND, how can you do this while expressing empathy for your child, set up and hold the line on expectations, and keep a cool head? It's not easy – but it is possible. This episode is for you if you have a hard time saying no, or feel guilty saying no. You'll get my 3 go-to responses to kids (and why they work), so you can hold limits and boundaries without feeling guilty. And if mealtime battles are a reality in your house, check out my 2-hour workshop called Eat in Peace. It'll help you get over the hump with family-style meals, manners training, and realistic expectations for everyone at the table (including mom and dad!). You can register for that over at jillcastle.com/eat-in-peace. Remember, I'll be back in the fall with live shows! Until then, I hope you enjoy this episode