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Most of us grew up believing that being smaller means being healthier. That if the number on the scale went up, something was going wrong. And if it went down, we were doing something right.

It's such a deep belief that we rarely stop to question it. But what if weight and health were never actually the same thing?

Dr. Lisa Folden is a licensed physical therapist and body image coach who works with people living in larger bodies and folks in recovery from disordered eating. She came to this work through her own story, after years of believing (and teaching) that weight and health were one and the same, until she started pulling that belief apart and couldn't unsee what was underneath it.

This conversation goes a lot of places. We get into our own bodies as parents, and we get into what happens when it's our kids' bodies that are changing and we start to panic.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why weight and health aren't the same thing, and the markers that actually tell us something about our health
• The one kind of weight change that's a true medical red flag (and it's not gaining)
• Why kids' bodies are supposed to change, especially through puberty, and what happens when we try to stop it
• What to do when a growing body makes movement harder, without making it about getting smaller
• How dieting early in life sets kids up for the very thing we're trying to protect them from
• What "joyful movement" really means, even on the days you don't love the workout

If you've ever looked at your own changing body, or your child's, and felt that flicker of worry that something must be wrong, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

✅ Instagram: @healthyphit
✅ Website: healthyphit.com
✅ Body Respect Journal (available on Amazon)

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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We can probably all agree that broccoli is healthy. It has vitamins, minerals, fiber. So when your kid asks if it's healthy and you say yes, that seems harmless enough. And it mostly is.

But most of us never stop to ask what we actually mean when we call a food "healthy." And once you do, the whole idea gets a lot harder to pin down than it seems.

I break down the four reasons why I don't label food as "healthy" with my own kids, and why the way we talk about food matters if we want our kids to eat in a balanced way.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why labeling one food "healthy" inherently labels other foods "unhealthy"
• Why "healthy" is so much harder to pin down than it seems
• How the very same food can be exactly what our body needs in one moment, and not in another
• What these labels can do to the way our kids feel about food, and about themselves
• What to focus on instead of healthy and unhealthy

If you want your child to have a healthy relationship with food and feel good about all types of foods, listen in!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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We think our reactions to how our kids eat are about the food. The sugar, the snacking, the fourth piece of pizza that makes us snap... "That's enough." 

But it's rarely (if ever) truly about the food.

Crystal Haitsma is a life coach whose entire practice centers on shame, and how shame is basically at the root of all of our reactions.

As a parenting coach, she kept noticing that parents already knew how they wanted to respond. That wasn't the problem. It was that they often couldn't do it. 

There's a trigger that fires before we can even think. In this conversation, we get into what that looks like around food and parenting, and what our reactions are really signalling.

We can have all the logical information, but it doesn't mean that's what we'll necessarily rely on.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The difference between guilt and shame, and why Crystal doesn't even know if guilt is really a thing
• Why staying calm on the outside isn't enough, and what your kids pick up on even when you don't say a word
• What's actually happening in the moment your kid's eating triggers you
• How to hold a boundary around food from a grounded place instead of a reactive one
• Why the work isn't about controlling your kid's eating, it's about what comes up in you

If you've ever known exactly how you wanted to respond around food and found yourself reacting anyway, this episode is for you.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

✅ Podcast: The Art of Shame Free Living
✅ Instagram: @its.crystal.Noelle

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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We all have reasons for the foods we choose for our kids. Maybe you'd rather they weren't eating Oreos every day, or don't want to buy Doritos.

But then they start kindergarten, or go to a birthday party, or come home from a friend's house asking for the exact thing you don't keep around. And suddenly you're not sure exactly what to do.

That's at the heart of Oreogate, the viral story of a mom asking the other parents in her kid's class to stop packing Oreos. If you've been anywhere near social media, you've probably heard something about it.

It's easy to have an opinion about the mom, but also... what do you actually do when your kid wants the foods you didn't choose, in a world you can't fully control?

In this episode, we talk about:

→ Why trying to control the foods around your kid tends to backfire, even when it works
→ The two extremes parents swing to, permissiveness and holding a hard line, and what each one does
→ Why "just teach them to walk past it" sounds empowering but sends a different message with food than something like alcohol
→ How restriction can turn a food into the forbidden fruit, and the consequences that follow
→ What it looks like to hold boundaries and also protect your child's relationship with food in these situations
→ How your kid's reaction tells you exactly how big a deal to make of it

We don't live in a bubble, and if you've ever wondered how to deal with food you don't fully have control over, listen in!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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The other day my son asked me, "Mom, is my smoothie healthy?" And it would be so easy to just answer: Yes. No. Or, well, kind of, but it has a lot of sugar.

But instead, I didn't answer him directly, because there isn't really a clean, absolute answer to that. Food is far more nuanced than yes or no, and that's also not how I want my child to think about food.

So in this episode, I walk you through the actual conversation I had with him, and why asking a few questions did so much more to help him think about "healthy" or "unhealthy" and food in general.

In this episode, I'm covering:

→ The real conversation I had with my son, question by question, that you can use with your kids

→ Why answering "yes" or "no" isn't accurate or helpful

→ How we can use this approach whether it's about a smoothie, cookie, or any food

→ How to talk to our kids about the different jobs that food does

→ What to do instead when your kid asks you a food question you don't have a clean answer to

If you've ever frozen, unsure of what to say when your kid asks a question about food... or you're waiting for it to happen and want to be prepared, this episode is for you. Listen in!

✅ More on food neutrality - Episode 4, "All Food Is Not Equal"

✅ Related - Episode 42, "Unhealthy" Isn't a Fact (It's a Judgment)

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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Last week, as we were gearing up for back to school, I made a post asking parents not to label foods as junk, bad, or unhealthy. And people got fired up about it. Way more than I expected.

The comments kept coming back to the same idea: that "unhealthy" isn't a judgment, it's just the truth. That some foods are simply bad, and we should be teaching our kids that.

I'm not sharing this to talk about the pushback I got. I'm sharing because those comments show how deeply we hold these beliefs, and how rarely we stop to ask whether they're actually true, or whether they've just become ingrained in the way we approach food. 

Not to mention, do we ever look at whether these ideas about food are actually helpful?

In this episode, I'm covering:

→ Why no single food is simply "healthy" or "unhealthy"

→ The comment from a mom of a child with ARFID

→ What actually happens to kids down the road when we ban and label foods (including a story from a dad who lived it)

→ Why the harm isn't just about the food, but about what kids come to believe about themselves

→ How to make a more informed choice about food talk in your home, wherever you are and however old your kids are

If you still struggle with making food sound neutral, or wonder if you really should be teaching your child more about what's "healthy" or "unhealthy", listen in!

✅ More on food neutrality - Episode 4, "All Food Is Not Equal" 

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

We all want to take care of our kids' bodies. So when there's a real medical reason to change how they eat, whether that's adding something in or cutting something out, we want to do it to support their health and to help them feel good.

And at the same time, we don't want food to feel more stressful. We don't want to put pressure on them, make them anxious, or create a whole new issue around eating. So we end up bouncing between two paths, either making the change happen no matter what, or tiptoeing around it and doing nothing.

But it doesn't have to be one or the other. We can help our kids make changes to what they're eating for specific medical concerns, while still protecting their relationship with food.

In this episode, I talk about:

→ Why changing food for a medical issue is different than doing it to "be healthy"
→ How to be proactive and shift what you're providing so you don't make it a "thing" for your child
→ The difference between adding foods in and taking foods out, and where to start
→ Specific tips for dealing with constipation, that are also applicable to other conditions
→ How to talk to your kid directly when you need to, in a way that's concrete instead of scary

If you're navigating a medical need, and feel like you need to make some dietary changes but aren't quite sure how, listen in!

✅ Training: How to Talk to Your Child About Nutrition Without Guilt or Shame — $27, includes video + PDF, broken down by age group from 2 through the teen years

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

We all want our kids to try new foods. I mean, let's be real. It's soooo frustrating when they say "I don't like it" when they've never even tried it.

So a "no thank you bite" seems like the perfect solution:

You don't have to eat it, but you have to try it.

Just one bite, and then you can say no thank you.

It's low-stakes, it comes from the best intentions, and they might even like it. So why not do a "no thank you bite"?

I got this question twice from clients in the same week, so I know you might be wondering about it too. In this episode, I break down what the no thank you bite actually does at the table, what the research says about pressure and kids' eating, and why the concept itself isn't the problem.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What the no thank you bite is (and why so many well-meaning parents use it)
• The "finish your soup" study, and what it tells us about pressure at the table
• The real difference between a rule and an invitation
• Three paths forward depending on what's happening at your table right now
• Exactly what to do if you've been enforcing the bite and want to change the rules

If you've ever sat at the table wondering whether making your kid take that one bite is helping or hurting, this episode will give you a clear answer and a next step you can use tonight.

✅ Research: "Finish your soup": Counterproductive effects of pressuring children to eat on intake and affect (Galloway et al., 2006, Appetite)

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Navigating food during the summer can feel like a whole lot of stress. Vacations, eating out, swim parties, sweets galore, lack of structure... I get it!

I just got back from a two-week baseball trip with my family - managing tons of restaurants, games ending at odd times, italian ice at by the pool. It's a lot!

We had an eight hour drive to kick off the trip followed by four flights and two hotels in between. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• How to help your kid eat in a balanced way even when eating out all the time
• What to keep in your hotel room at the bare minimum (and the hotel tip I wish someone had told me sooner)
• How to think about your role at restaurants - and what to let them order or not
• Meal and snack ideas for on the go (especially when it's long periods)
• How to have a rhythm and hold boundaries around things like ice cream and soda
• What I packed that sent people into a frenzy on Instagram and what actually ended up happening

If you're in the middle of summer and wondering how to navigate the lack of structure and countless sweets, or if you're anticipating your next week away - listen in!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

If you know, you know... The more we remind, encourage, and gently push our kids to do something, the less they want to do it. Even when they already know. Even when we're right.

My daughter said it to me out loud last week. My husband asked her to clean her room before family came over, and she looked at him and said, "Ugh! know. And when you say that, it just makes me not want to do it even more."

She wasn't being difficult. She was telling the truth. And it's the exact thing that happens with food all the time. Except it's usually unspoken.

In this episode, I'm sharing a few things I've been sitting with lately, including a peek at what I've been building behind the scenes and two real moments from my family that might shift how you think about food with your kids.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why reminding, encouraging, and pushing kids to eat creates more resistance, not less
• What my daughter said out loud that most kids only feel quietly
• How my daughter tried tomatoes for the first time and then asked for them again 🙌
• Why my son now puts lettuce on his burgers at home, and how a Big Mac made that happen
• What the research says about kids who find pleasure in food versus kids focused on nutrition rules

Whether you have a "picky" eater, a kiddo you're worried eats too much, one who's obsessed with sweets, or all of the above - this episode's for you!

✨ DM me 'BALANCED' on Instagram and I'll send you the link to my free training!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

When your child's weight goes up at their yearly physical, your pediatrician might comment that you should make some changes. 

Or maybe you see a post on social media telling you what changes to make if your child has gained weight. 

It can be really confusing. And it might leave you questioning what changes to make, or feeling like you should be cutting back on portions, or getting rid of "junk".

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why weight is one piece of data, not a diagnosis or a directive
• The questions worth asking before changing anything, including what might actually be driving weight changes that have nothing to do with food
• Why significant weight gain around ages 9 to 11 is often the body doing exactly what it's supposed to do
• How restriction, even subtle, can create the very eating patterns we're most worried about
• What to do when a provider tells you to make changes, and how to advocate for your child

If you've ever left a pediatrician's appointment feeling like something was wrong with your child's body, and nobody thought to ask how things were actually going, this episode is for you.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

If you have a "picky" eater, you've probably already tried to encourage them to take a bite, bribed with dessert, or even had a standoff at the table over food. Or maybe you've just given up and you make them something separate because, let's be real, they need to eat.

And regardless of where you're at, chances are it doesn't feel great.

Most of us want our kids to eat a variety, to be able to go out to a restaurant and find something on the menu, to make one meal the whole family will eat. 

So it's frustrating when you feel like you're stuck in the same patterns and not sure what else to do.

That's why I'm breaking down EXACTLY where to start if you're stuck in the "picky" eating cycle.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why kids are picky and how that matters in your approach
•  How to support your child without unintentionally making it worse 
• The first three steps every parent can take with food (even if you don't have a "picky" eater)
• What holding the boundary actually looks like - without creating battles at the table
• What to do when they skip dinner and come back hungry 30 minutes later

If you have a kid who won't try anything new and you want to stop fighting about food, this is for you!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

You've probably already heard that pressuring kids to eat backfires. It will likely make them more resistant to eat the things you want them to eat. But even when we know it - sometimes it's hard to not do it... even when it's not really effective.

But the thing is, it's not only that it's ineffective or that it will likely backfire. It's likely interfering with your child's long-term relationship with food and how they connect to their body.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why the short-term reactions we see are only part of the picture
• What's happening underneath the surface - and why this is actually the far more important consequence
• The long-term impact of controlling feeding dynamics, including what it looks like in adults
• Why your child's body cues are actually their best tool for a lifetime of healthy eating
• A simple check-in to notice where this might still be sneaking into your own mealtimes

If you've ever caught yourself saying "just one more bite" and wondered if it's really that big a deal - you'll want to listen to this one!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

You put broccoli on their plate and they won't touch it.

You try again. And again. And still nothing.

But what if you just don't have the right strategy yet?

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why more exposure alone isn't always the answer - and what else you need
• Tons of ideas for preparing, serving, and encouraging your child to try veggies without pressure
• Taste tests as a low-pressure, even fun way to build curiosity without expectations
• What to do when you feel like you're already standing on your head serving it 22 different ways
• Why it's normal to be frustrated - and how to make sure that's not accidentally turning into pressure at the table

If you've ever felt like you've tried everything and your kid still won't touch a vegetable, this episode will give you a few new things to try - and permission to keep going without needing to control the outcome.

Resources Mentioned:

✅ Give Your Kid a Knife with Heather Staller

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

You've read books. You've listened to podcasts. You follow experts on social media. And you understand, logically, why you shouldn't comment on what your kid puts on their plate or how much they eat. And then dinner happens, and something comes out of your mouth anyway.

Or you know how bad you feel when you eat too much, but you find yourself in the kitchen at 10pm doing the exact thing you swore you were done doing.

It's not because you don't know better. It's because knowing and feeling safe are two completely different things.

Stefanie Michele is a coach, writer, and nervous system educator who recovered from decades of binge-restrict cycles and now helps people understand the deeper forces driving their food struggles and why they can't just logic their way out of them.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why you can understand something completely and still not be able to do it - and what's actually going on in your brain when that happens
• How diet culture and wellness culture keep your nervous system in a low-level state of threat, even when you're not consciously aware of it
• Why binge eating keeps happening even when you hate how it feels
• How your own dysregulation shows up at the dinner table and drives the reactions you can't seem to stop
• Simple, body-based tools to bring yourself down a notch in the moment - before you say the thing you don't want to say

If you've ever felt like you know exactly what you should do and still can't do it - around food, with your child, or basically anything in life - this episode will finally bring some clarity and help you see why it's not willpower, and there's nothing wrong with you.

Connect more with Stefani Michele:

✅ Podcast: Full But Not Finished

✅ Instagram: @iamstephaniemichele

✅ YouTube: Stephanie Michele

✅ Website: iamstephaniemichele.com

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

You're being intentional. You're thinking about the language you use, how you talk about food at the table, what you allow and don't allow. And then your kid comes home and tells you that Joey said french fries are bad for you. Or you're standing right there when another little kid announces that pepperoni is bad. And you probably want to jump in and "fix" it.

You're trying so hard to change the messaging and give your child a healthy relationship with food.

But this is the culture we're raising our kids in. There are always going to be peers, family members, coaches, and teachers who say things about food that go against the way you're trying to support your child. We can't build a bubble. But we can build a foundation and help our kids start to think critically about the messages they're hearing instead of just absorbing them.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The different reasons kids say certain foods are bad, from diet culture messaging to allergies to cultural and religious food practices
• What to say in the moment when you're right there and another kid makes a comment
• How to have the conversation with your younger child (preschool and early elementary) when they bring it home
• How to go deeper with older elementary kids in a way that builds critical thinking skills
• The most powerful question you can ask your child to help them make decisions around food

If you want your child to have a healthy relationship with food and want to know how to best support them given the culture we live in - this episode is for you!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Have you heard that you should have your kid help in the kitchen? Probably that it will help expose them to new foods, feel more comfortable with different foods, create independence. 

But maybe it also feels like a big chore. And when it comes to actually getting them there, it feels like a lot. The mess, the patience it takes, the kid who stirs once and disappears.

I get it! 

But what if it's actually not THAT big of a deal. 

Heather Staller is a trained chef, culinary school graduate, and the creator of Happy Kids Kitchen. She's spent years teaching kids of all ages to cook - in classrooms, in recreational cooking schools, in preschools - and her message to parents is simple: you don't need a recipe, a plan, or even a fully willing child. You just need one minute.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why one minute in the kitchen genuinely counts - and how it adds up more than you'd expect
• The single most important skill to teach your kid first
• Why spreading is one of the most underrated kitchen skills - like spreading butter, peanut butter, jelly
• How to involve a kid who has zero interest in helping
• Where to start if you're not much of a cook yourself
• How getting kids comfortable in the kitchen helps with more than just nutrition

If you've ever wanted your child to be more capable and confident, in the kitchen and beyond, this episode will show you where to start.

RESOURCES MENTIONED: 

✅ Smoothie Download: The Smoothie Lab

✅ Blog Post: Teaching Knife Skills to Toddlers and Kids (Safety and Basics)

✅ Cookbook: Kid Kitchen 

✅ Instagram: @happykidskitchen

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Here's what I want you to consider: How does food actually feel in your home right now?

Does it feel joyful, playful, connected? Or does it feel pressured, stressful, controlled?

Because here's the truth that Ellyn Satter taught us: When the joy goes out of eating, nutrition suffers.

When eating feels stressful or controlled, kids eat less variety. They're less curious about food. They resist more. And all those strategies that you're implementing don't work nearly as well - or they backfire completely.

But when the environment feels good - when there's more joy, ease, and connection - everything shifts. Kids are more likely to try new foods, listen to their body cues, stay at the table, and actually eat a greater variety.

The environment isn't just one more strategy. It's the foundation. It's the thing you come back to when anything feels off. It's your thermostat for whether you're moving in the right direction.

In this episode, I break down:

• Why the environment around food is the foundation that colors everything else
• How to create joy AND structure (not one or the other)
• Real examples of how shifting the environment helps kids regardless of their eating patterns or the behaviors you're seeing
• Why focusing on connection instead of food actually leads to better nutrition
• Small, doable things you can try tonight to bring more joy to your table

If mealtimes feel tense, if your child is eating out of balance, if you're worried about nutrition, if you're not sure what else to do... this episode will help you see what might be missing.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

✅ Free Guide: Make Meals Fun 

✅ Episode 28 (on distractions): Is It Bad to Let My Kid Eat in Front of a Screen?

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

We all want our kids to eat well, make "good" choices with food, and care about their health.

So when they start choosing salads over pizza, or asking about ingredients, or saying they want to eat healthier - it can feel like a win.

But what if those "healthy choices" aren't actually about health at all?

What if they're early warning signs of something more concerning - something that's easy to miss because it looks so positive on the surface?

The truth is... disordered eating in kids doesn't usually start with dramatic restriction or obvious weight loss. It starts with things that get praised. Things that seem responsible. Things that look like discipline or being health-conscious.

And we're seeing these behaviors show up earlier and earlier, not just in teenagers, but in elementary-aged kids.

In this episode, I'm sharing what disordered eating usually looks like, why it's so easy to miss, and what signs are worth paying attention to... because the earlier we notice, the better the outcome.

I also share my own story with disordered eating and why this work is so personal to me.

We talk about:

• How eating disorders and disordered eating are showing up in younger kids now
• The early signs that often get disguised as "healthy choices" or discipline
• Changes in eating behavior, anxiety around food, body image concerns, and exercise patterns to watch for
• Why an eating disorder doesn't look like not eating
• How the way we talk about food at home can either plant seeds for protection or chip away at trust
• What to do if you're noticing patterns that feel concerning

This is not about creating fear or walking on eggshells. It's about knowing what to watch for so we can support our kids early - and so we can be intentional about the messages we're sending about food and bodies at home.

If you just want to be more aware of what these behaviors can look like, or if you're already wondering if something might be off, this episode is for you.

Foundational Episodes Referenced:

It's Not a Food Free-for-All

All Food is Not Equal

What the Heck is a Relationship with Food?

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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"Is it okay to let my kid watch a show while they eat?"

"Should we be stricter about no screens at meals?"

"Am I creating bad habits if they eat in front of an iPad?"

I get this question all the time... And the answer isn't a simple yes or no.

The real question isn't whether screens are good or bad. It's: How is this impacting my child's connection to food, their body, and their overall experience with eating?

Because here's the thing: not all distraction is the same. And sometimes, a little distraction is actually exactly what your child needs.

In this episode, I break down:

• The distraction spectrum: from hyper-stimulation (scrolling) to fully mindful eating (and why neither extreme is the goal)
• When distraction disconnects kids from their hunger and fullness cues
• When distraction actually helps kids stay regulated enough to eat
• How to tell if screens at meals are supporting your child or working against them
• Why sometimes the goal isn't more presence - it's less pressure
• The difference between distraction that zones kids out vs. distraction that takes the spotlight off food

If mealtimes feel tense, if your kid won't stay at the table, or if you're just wondering whether you need to ban screens entirely - this episode will help you think about it differently.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Are you familiar with Intuitive Eating? Maybe you take that approach with food yourself... or maybe you've heard of it.

But when you think about actually doing it, you think: If I let myself eat whatever I want, I'd never stop. I'd only eat junk. I'd never touch a vegetable.

Totally get it! When we think about intuitive eating, we often think - just eat whatever you want. But that's not really what it is.

In this episode, I'm talking with non-diet dietitian Katy Harvey about what intuitive eating actually is, how to start rebuilding trust with your body, and why doing this work for yourself is one of the most powerful things you can do for your kids.

Katy shares her journey from working in eating disorder treatment to helping women step off the diet roller coaster before it becomes something more serious. And she's breaking down all the misconceptions.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• What non-diet nutrition actually means (and what to do instead of dieting)
• The real framework behind intuitive eating (because it's not just the hunger-fullness diet)
• How to tell if you're eating enough in the first place - because restriction might be driving the behaviors you think are "out of control"
• Why you can't keep certain foods in the house (and how to start neutralizing them)
• The specific challenges parents face with intuitive eating - and practical strategies that actually work

If you've ever thought "I want my kids to have food freedom, but I don't know if I can trust myself with food," this episode will show you there's a path forward - for you and for them.

Mentioned in this episode:

• FB Group: Intuitive Eating Made Easy
• IG: Follow HERE! @katyharvey.rd
• TikTok: Follow HERE! @katyharvey.rd 
• For more info: katyharvey.net

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CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

You're in the kitchen getting snacks. Again. For the third time in an hour. Or you're staring at the dinner table watching your kid ask for seconds after already eating more than you did. Or maybe you're wondering if your child will ever eat a vegetable that isn't a carrot.

If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone. These are three of the most common questions I get from parents, and I'm guessing at least one of them has crossed your mind too.

In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly what to do when:

• Your kid wants a snack every 30 minutes (and you feel like you live in the kitchen)
• Your kid will only eat one vegetable - or none at all
• Your kid always wants seconds and seems like they never have a stopping point

Here's what I want you to know: all of these behaviors are normal. But that doesn't mean we just let it go. There are practical, doable things you can do to support your child - without pressure, without stress, and without being in the kitchen 24/7.

If you're ready for straight-to-the-point answers that you can actually use today, this episode is for you.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

As parents, we're constantly bombarded with conflicting messages about food: avoid ultra-processed foods, watch out for seed oils, limit sugar, push the vegetables. And underneath all of it is this fear - that if we don't control what our kids eat, something bad will happen.

In this episode, I'm talking with parent coach and educator Oona Hanson about what it really means to parent without diet culture - and why letting go of food rules and weight concerns is one of the most powerful things we can do for our kids' health.

Oona shares her journey from high school teacher to parent coach after helping her own child recover from an eating disorder. And she's not holding back on the hard truths: kids as young as six are showing up in treatment for anorexia, our focus on "healthy eating" is making kids sicker, and the restrictive messages we're sending are often the exact thing driving the behaviors we're trying to prevent.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• What diet culture actually is (and what it's not)
• The early warning signs of disordered eating in elementary-aged kids that parents often miss
• Why kids need to gain significant weight during puberty - and what happens when we try to prevent it
• How to respond when your child asks "why is my belly sticking out?" without making it worse
• The truth about weight and health that challenges everything we've been taught
• Why restriction and control around food almost always backfire

If you know that you want to parent without diet culture and show your child there's another way to think about food and bodies, then this episode is for you!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

You know when you're at the soccer game, the birthday party, or picking up from school, and you see your kid walking toward you with a bag full of candy, chips, a sugary drink... And you think to yourself: Really? Again? Another treat?

The amount of food handouts from friends, family, teachers, teammates... can feel endless.

And when it's not what you had planned, or what you would necessarily choose, you're left trying to figure out how to handle it without making it into a big deal - or maybe you even react because you really don't want them to eat it, or it's about to be dinner time.

In this episode, I'm walking through:

• How to think about these 'extra' snacks and sweets so that you can respond in an effective and helpful way
• What to say and what not to say in these moments so that snacks and sweets don't become the 'forbidden fruit'
• A simple, judgment-free framework for navigating the snack bag moment in a way that keeps food neutral and your child feeling trusted

Whether your kid is doesn't want to tell you when they get candy or snacks, or you've just been letting them have the whole bag and hoping for the best, this episode will give you a calmer, more confident way to handle it.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Your child is capable of listening to their body, eating a variety of foods, and not being obsessed with sweets.

Yes, even if they seem to have "no off switch" around food. Even if they're extremely "picky". Even if it feels like they've always been this way.

The truth is: kids are born intuitive eaters. They instinctively know how to listen to their hunger and fullness cues, seek out the nutrients they need, and stop when they've had enough. Just like a newborn cries for milk and pulls away when full.

But something can get in the way of, or compete with, that natural ability.

In this episode, I'm breaking down:

• Why kids are naturally intuitive eaters (and what that actually means)
• The three types of interference that disrupt your child's natural eating instincts - internal, circumstantial, and feeding dynamics
• Real client stories of kids who seemed "broken" around food but completely transformed when the interference was removed
• How to do a quick inventory to figure out what might be getting in the way for YOUR child

When you understand that your child is capable - they just need the right support and environment - everything changes. You can remove what's in the way and support them to be an intuitive eater.

It is never too late to make these shifts. Your child is capable, resilient, and wants to do well with food. They just need you to create the right environment.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

We all want the same things for our kids: to eat well, get the nutrition they need, and have a healthy relationship with food.

But how do we actually make that happen?

Most parents find themselves on one of two paths, or often bouncing back and forth because neither one feels quite right.

You might be trying to help your child eat well by encouraging bites, limiting sweets, or teaching them about "healthy foods." But it's creating tension at meals and you worry you could be passing down negative messages about food.

Or maybe you've gone in the opposite direction - because you don't want to make food be a 'thing'. But you worry that you're not supporting your child and helping them get what they need.

Here's what I want you to know: there's a third path. One where you get to be the parent and the guide, creating structure and support around food - while still giving your child real freedom and autonomy within that structure.

In this episode, I'm walking through:

• The three different paths parents take when it comes to feeding their kids
• What each path actually creates - for your child's eating, their relationship with food, and your stress level at home
• Why that third path (the empowered eating environment) will change your meals, your home, and your child's relationship with food long-term.

When you understand these different approaches and where you might be stuck, you can finally move toward a way of feeding your family that feels good - and sets your child up for a lifetime of trusting themselves with food.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

We're going to cut through all the conflicting advice and show you how you can help your child eat well without using pressure or bribes... or getting into power struggles or creating bigger food issues.

You've heard the advice: 

• "My kids have to at least try it."
• "Don't keep it in the house if you don't want them to eat it."
• "If they don't eat their dinner, no dessert."

But when you try these strategies, they either backfire completely - or they seem to work in the moment but you know something doesn't feel right.

Here's what most feeding advice gets wrong: it assumes all kids will respond the same way to the same approach. But your strong-willed child, your sensory-sensitive child, your people-pleaser... They'll all react differently.

In this episode, we're diving into how your child's personality and natural preferences with food interact with your feeding approach - and why conventional advice often backfires.

In this episode, I'm breaking down:

• The three layers that interact at the table: personality, natural  tendencies with food, and feeding dynamics
• Real examples of how the same feeding concern (picky eating, sweets obsession, overeating) can have completely different root causes depending on your child
• Why conventional approaches create either rebellion, anxiety, or compliance - but not a healthy relationship with food
• What we do instead: creating a complete supportive environment where your child can develop their own healthy relationship with food

When we understand how these layers interact, we can stop blaming ourselves when advice doesn't work. We can stop thinking our kid is just difficult. And we can start seeing them clearly and responding to what they actually need.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

If you're listening to this podcast, you're investing time and energy into changing how you feed your kids. And of course... you want to see it work.

That's exactly what we need to talk about today, because this approach will change how your child eats, and you have to stop caring whether it does.

In this episode, we're diving into one of the hardest parts of this work: detachment. Detaching from the outcome of what and how your child actually eats. Because when we focus too much on whether they're eating "right" or whether the approach is "working," it backfires.

In this episode, I'm breaking down:

• Why watching too closely for results undermines the approach (and how kids pick up on our energy even when we think we're hiding it)
• What detachment actually looks like in practice - and what it doesn't mean
• Why your child is on their own timeline and we have to trust the process
• How this work is layered in its impact and it's not just about what your child is eating
• The bigger picture and it's effects on your child's physical, mental, and emotional health

When we can detach from the outcome, it's not only helpful for our kids and their behaviors with food, but it's also freeing.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Are you familiar with the Division of Responsibility (DOR)?

Maybe you've read ALL the Ellyn Satter books. You're trying follow DOR to a tee - you're doing your job and letting your child do their job with food... and it feels like something's still missing.

Or maybe DOR is brand new to you or you've heard it mentioned somewhere in your parenting journey.

Either way, you're going to love this episode.

In this episode, I'm breaking down:

• What Division of Responsibility is and the research that backs it up
• Why DOR can feel rigid, controlling, or impossible to maintain - and that's not your fault
• What DOR is actually missing and why you need more
• How you can use this approach as an overarching approach with other tools and strategies

If you've been wondering why the framework that's supposed to reduce stress is actually creating more, or why it's just not working, this episode is for you.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Diet culture is loudest in January. And it's so easy to feel like we should be doing more, or trying to eat 'better', or do something to change the way we look... when we're inundated with this message EVERYWHERE!

In this episode, I'm breaking down three foundational beliefs that will transform how you approach food in your family, and help you hold onto what's important to you when the rest of the world is screaming lose weight, detox, it's time for a new you.

We can talk all about tools and strategies (and we do) but what really drives how we navigate food and how our kids end up thinking, feeling, and interacting with it - is deeper than that. 

These are the three core beliefs we want to adopt as we move into the new year:

1. We're Feeding for the Future

2. Kids Need Support, Not Control

3. Health Is Bigger Than Food, Weight, and Exercise

Your beliefs drive your behavior. Tools and strategies won't work if you're operating from fear or urgency.

Reflection: Which belief do you need to focus on right now?

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

As the year comes to a close, many parents naturally start reflecting... what felt good, what felt heavy, and what do they want to change moving into the new year - new systems and routines, projects to work on, changes with the kids...

In this episode, I'm breaking down seven lessons or themes that stood out most from recent conversations with parents. We're talking about what actually made the biggest changes with food and how one parent said "Our whole life has changed."

You’ll hear why big change rarely comes from one “right” decision, why the overall feel of food in your home matters more than any single moment, and why support, reflection, and community play such a big role in helping families move forward.

And spoiler alert: Your child doesn't need to be fixed!

As you head into the new year, it’s an invitation to pause and ask:
How does food feel right now and how do I want it to feel moving forward?

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

The holidays often bring more than just parties and sweets... they bring more people, more opinions, and a lot more eyes on how we’re parenting - especially around food.

For many parents, this time of year amplifies feelings of judgment around food: comments from grandparents, side-eyes from relatives, comparisons to cousins, or even the internal pressure we place on ourselves when our child eats differently than others.

In this episode, we’re talking about why feeding kids can feel so charged during the holidays, how diet culture and family dynamics play a role, and what it really means to feel confident in your approach - even when others don’t understand it.

We’ll explore how this work can feel countercultural, why judgment can bring up frustration, anger, sadness, or self-doubt, and how to stay grounded when you’re trying to protect your child’s relationship with food.

You’ll learn:

• Why judgment around food feels especially intense during the holidays
• Why this approach to feeding kids can feel uncomfortable - and why that doesn’t mean it’s wrong
• How your own experiences with food growing up can get activated in these moments
• The importance of getting clear on your values and approach with food
• Practical, non-confrontational ways to set boundaries or redirect comments

If you’ve ever left a holiday gathering feeling upset, defensive, or questioning yourself as a parent, this episode is here to remind you: you know what’s best for your family. And you don’t need anyone else’s approval for how you parent around food.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

The holidays are full of sweets, parties, and what some might describe as chaos. It can be an overwhelming time of year, especially for parents, as we try to buy and wrap gifts, attend all the festivities, travel, have family visits... and still maintain our normal parental responsibilities.

And while navigating it all, the diet culture messaging is arguably at a high this time of year. 

From the “be good now so you can indulge later” messaging to cheat days and guilt-free marketing, diet culture subtly (and not-so-subtly) can creep in to how we handling food with our kids.

In this episode we're going to identify if and when this mindset is creeping in and how it might influence the way we handle meals and snacks with our kids.

You’ll learn:

• Why some parents feel relaxed while others feel stressed around holiday food - and how diet culture might be influencing both.
• The difference between a temporary “holiday free pass” and true ease with food.
• How kids respond to structure - or lack of it - around food during the holidays.
• Practical ways to maintain a sense of intentionality without pressure, guilt, or the need to “fix it later.”
• Stories from parents, like Marie, showing how mindset shifts can help kids feel safe and confident around sweets and other foods.

If you want to enjoy the holidays without tension, guilt, or stress, while supporting your kids in developing a healthy relationship with food, this episode is for you.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Making Sense of Sweets program
• Previous episode: Food Is Not a Free-for-All (Episode 3)

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Do you ever wonder whether your child really needs a bedtime snack?

Is it ruining dinner?
Could skipping it mean they won’t sleep because they’re hungry?
And honestly… who wants to be back in the kitchen again at 7:30 pm?

In today’s episode of The Intentional Table, we’re breaking down:

• The real pros and cons of offering a bedtime snack
• When it’s helpful—and when it might not be
• How to use an evening snack without sabotaging dinner or dragging out bedtime

--> And I’m sharing exactly how I handle bedtime snacks in my own family

If you’re wondering whether Nourish Together might be the support your family needs, send me a DM @nicolecruzrd so we can chat about it!

I can't wait to hear from you 💛

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

First... If you want to raise your child to eat a variety, listen to their body and eat the amount they need, not obsess about or sneak sugar and sweets... and you want to get a step-by-step plan for exactly how to apply these feeding strategies for your family...

Our next cohort for Nourish Together is starting in January, and when you join right now, you'll also get holiday support all through December ❤️

DM me on Instagram @nicolecruzrd, and let me know that you're interested. We still have a few spots open!

The holidays can bring joy, magic… and a lot of food stress.

Between endless cookies and sweets, unpredictable schedules, big family gatherings, and well-meaning relatives who love to comment on your child’s eating, it’s no wonder parents feel overwhelmed this time of year.

In this episode of The Intentional Table, I’m answering the most common questions parents have about navigating food, gatherings, sweets, structure, and family pressure during the holiday season.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should bring backup food to a holiday meal, how to respond when someone tells your child to “just try a bite,” or how to keep any sense of structure when it feels like a season of endless snacks and grazing... this is for you!

You’ll learn practical strategies and scripts you can start using right away so you can support your child, stay grounded, and create a season that feels calmer and more connected around food.

You’ll hear:

• What to do when your child refuses most holiday foods
• How to handle pressure from relatives (like “finish your plate”)
• Ways to let your child enjoy holiday sweets without feeling like it's spiraling or that you have to be the food police
• How to keep predictable structure when schedules and routines get messy
• How to reduce your own stress and pressure so meals feel easier for everyone

By the end of this episode, you’ll feel more confident navigating holiday meals, sweets, and family dynamics - and you’ll have simple tools to help your child feel safe, supported, and flexible with food.

Let's have this season be a time of connection, trust, and joyful moments together ❤️

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

First... If you want to raise your child to eat a variety, listen to their body and eat the amount they need, not obsess about or sneak sugar and sweets... and you want to get a step-by-step plan for exactly how to apply these feeding strategies for your family...

Our next cohort for Nourish Together is starting in January, and when you join right now, you'll also get holiday support all through December ❤️

DM me on Instagram @nicolecruzrd, and let me know that you're interested. We still have a few spots open!

In this episode, you're going to hear the step-by-step process to raise your child to eat in a balanced way and get the nutrition they need... without creating guilt or shame. 

We're breaking it all down so you understand the core principles you need to apply to create an Empowered Eating Environment - and how we often miss pieces that leave us feeling like it's not 'working'.

If this resonates, I'm also sharing how you can get more support inside Nourish Together for our next 8 week group program. It will help you lay the foundations to best support your child to eat well and have a healthy relationship with food while reducing stress and chaos for everyone.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Before you dive in! If you're looking for more...

The next round of NOURISH TOGETHER is opening soon >>> Join the WAITLIST to learn more 🩵

Do you find yourself reacting... sometimes even before you realize it... when your child takes another bite of pizza, skips their vegetables, or reaches for a sweet?

You’re not alone. Most parents struggle with what or how their child is eating, and it often triggers strong emotions tied to our own childhood experiences, cultural beliefs, and fears about what our kids “should” eat.

In this episode of The Intentional Table, we dive into why those gut reactions happen, how subtle and obvious reactions can shape your child’s relationship with food, and, most importantly, what to do instead

You’ll learn practical strategies so you can respond from a place of calm and trust your child, stay grounded, and help them build a healthy relationship with food.

You’ll hear:

• Why tension and reactivity can backfire, even when you mean well
• How your subtle cues (tone, body language, “side eyes”) communicate pressure
• Why shame doesn’t work - and how it impacts your child’s eating and self-trust
• How to pause, shift focus, and reset during challenging moments
• Grounding techniques and mantras to help you feel calm and present at the table
• Why detaching from the outcome is key to building trust and long-term healthy habits

By the end of this episode, you’ll have tools to reduce mealtime tension, respond rather than react, and support your child in developing curiosity, confidence, and flexibility with food.

Because their relationship with food - and yours - deserves peace and connection.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

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FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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Have you ever said something like, “Good job eating your broccoli!” or “Just two more bites and then you can have dessert”?

It probably felt supportive, encouraging, or like you were helping your child eat well.

But what if those well-meaning bribes, praise, and rewards are actually making mealtimes harder and disconnecting your child from their own body cues?

In this episode of The Intentional Table, we’re looking at why praise and rewards seem like they work in the moment, but often backfire in the long run. You’ll learn how these approaches can create pressure (even when they feel positive), increase a child’s fixation on dessert or certain foods, and shift eating into something they do for approval instead of for hunger, curiosity, and satisfaction.

Most importantly, we’ll talk about what to do instead - so your child can eat with confidence, connection, and internal motivation over time.

You’ll hear:

• How praise and rewards can turn eating into a performance
• Why this can disconnect kids from hunger, fullness, and satisfaction
• The subtle ways pressure shows up, even when we don’t think we’re pressuring
• Why dessert and “finish your food” become power struggles
• What to say instead of “good job” (simple, neutral language you can use today)
• How to support exploration without pushing or motivating
• What actually helps kids become confident, curious eaters in the long-term

By the end, you’ll know how to encourage your child with food without pressure... so meals feel calmer, more connected, and more enjoyable for everyone. And no, you don’t have to be perfect. Awareness creates change.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

We’ve all heard it: “Sugar is toxic.” “It’s addictive.” “It makes kids hyper.”

It’s no wonder parents feel confused and worried when it comes to sweets.

But what if the problem isn’t sugar itself… it’s the fear surrounding it?

In this episode of The Intentional Table, I’m busting five of the most common myths about sugar… and showing you how that fear and restriction can actually fuel the very imbalance we’re trying to avoid.

You’ll learn what the research really says, how to create a calm, predictable environment around sweets, and what actually helps kids develop a healthy, balanced relationship with them over time.

You’ll hear:

• Why “sugar addiction” isn’t what most people think (and what’s really driving the feeling of being out of control)
• The truth about claims that sugar is “toxic” or “poison”
• Why kids seem to go wild around sweets - and what’s actually happening
• How restriction fuels obsession, and what to do instead
• What your real job is when it comes to helping your child navigate sugar (hint: it’s not teaching them to fear it)

By the end, you’ll understand why sugar isn’t the enemy — fear is, and how to help your child build a peaceful, trusting relationship with sweets that lasts a lifetime.

If you’re wondering where to start, grab my FREE guide- My Kid Has a Sweet Tooth

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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When it feels like candy is everywhere this time of year—trunk-or-treats, class parties, after-practice bags—it can start to feel overwhelming.
You might be okay with your child having some candy, but when it’s constant, it’s hard to know how to handle it without going overboard or setting up food battles.

In this episode of The Intentional Table, I’m sharing exactly how to navigate Halloween candy so your child can enjoy it - without guilt, shame, sneaking, or power struggles.

We’ll talk about what to avoid saying or doing, what to do instead, and how to handle all that candy after Halloween night in a way that builds trust, not tension.

You’ll hear:

• What not to do on Halloween night (and why it matters more than you think)
• How to talk about candy without guilt, judgment, or restriction
• Why letting kids have more access actually helps them eat in balance
• What to do with all the candy afterward (and what to skip)
• How to handle special situations, like allergies

By the end, you’ll have a clear plan to make Halloween candy fun again - for you and your kids - and to help your child enjoy it without it being an obsession or preoccupation.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

If it feels like all your child wants to eat are snacks, sweets, or packaged foods - and no matter what you do, they refuse vegetables or other foods you think they need…

You’re not alone, and there's nothing wrong with your child. In fact, this is completely normal.

But that doesn’t mean you have to give up... or resort to forcing them to eat veggies (or cut out “junk” altogether). 

Often, what’s happening is a combination of natural tendencies, learned behaviors, and the environment around food - all things you can influence.

In this episode, we break down why your child may be gravitating toward certain foods, how your words and actions around food influence them, and what you can do differently to help them explore, enjoy, and actually want to eat other foods.

You’ll learn:

• Why kids tend to want more processed snacks and sweets
• How you label foods can make kids want them even more... or make them not want things like veggies and protein
• Practical strategies you can apply to help your child eat a more balanced diet on their own

If you’ve ever wondered:

• “Why does my child only want snacks or sweets?”
• “How can I help them eat 'better' or make 'better choices'?"
• “Do I just need to get rid of 'junk' altogether?”

…then this episode is for you.

You’ll walk away with a clear framework for shifting the environment, your mindset, and your approach so your child can eat in a balanced way while feeling safe, confident, and trusted around food.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

If you’ve tried all the things... read the books, followed the advice on social media, tried recommendations from your pediatrician or best friend - yet mealtimes still feel tense or unpredictable, or you're concerned about what or how your child's eating...

You’re not necessarily doing it wrong - you’re likely just missing a few key pieces.

In this episode, we're bringing everything together to show you why the feeding strategies you’ve been trying might not be working - and what’s missing to make them click.

You’ll learn about the three essential elements every child needs for a healthy, confident relationship with food and how they come together to create an empowered eating environment so your child can eat well and feel good about food.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• “Why won't my child try anything new?”
• “Why do sweets feel so out of control?”
• “What boundaries do I hold without creating power struggles?”

…then this episode is for you.

You’ll walk away with a clear picture of what makes feeding work and how to build the environment your child needs to eat in a balanced way without creating guilt or shame.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Does your child eat in a way that feels out of balance?

Maybe they don't want to try anything new and stick to the same few safe foods.

Or they would eat and eat and eat if you let them. 

Or maybe they seem obsessed with sweets - like that's all they want.

Chances are - they're eating reactively.

It's not on purpose. They're not trying to be difficult. Reactive eating is often subconscious and literally, a reaction. But it can create a lot of power struggles and stress around food.

So today we're diving into what that actually means, why it happens, and what kids really need to be able to eat a variety, listen to their body cues, and eat the amount they need.

And the best part is - this isn't JUST about feeding our kids to eat in a balanced way now. It truly lays the foundation for lifelong healthy habits and behaviors with food. 

Because remember: we're feeding for the future!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

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If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

When you’re raising kids, it feels natural to want to teach them about “healthy" or "better" choices or to guide them with categories like sometimes foods, growing foods, or good vs. bad foods.

While those labels are well-intentioned, they can create worry, guilt, or even rebellion around food... and that disrupts our kids’ ability to trust themselves and eat in balance.

In this episode of The Intentional Table, I’m breaking down the concept of neutrality when it comes to food. I’ll share how our words shape the way kids see food and themselves, why judgment backfires, and what to do instead.

You’ll hear:

• Why kids are especially vulnerable to black-and-white food labels
• The real consequences of calling foods “good” or “bad” (fear, guilt, rebellion, restriction)
• A personal story about my son in kindergarten and how a “pizza is unhealthy” lesson created unnecessary stress
• The kinds of language that create judgment (and why it doesn’t work)
• Practical ways to talk about food neutrally - using food names, groups, and qualities instead of arbitrary categories
• The three key areas where neutrality matters most in everyday life

By the end of this conversation, you’ll see how shifting your language builds trust, reduces food anxiety, and lays the foundation for your child to enjoy a variety of foods without shame or fear.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

What does it really mean to give kids structure with food… without controlling them?

In this episode of The Intentional Table Podcast, we’re unpacking one of the biggest misconceptions parents have about feeding kids: if you remove pressure and 'getting' them to eat a certain way, it’s a free-for-all.

But the truth is, kids thrive when they feel both supported and like they have autonomy and control... and that comes from structure, not pressure.

We’ll talk about what structure actually looks like (hint: it’s not a rigid meal schedule), why it’s so important for kids to have comfort and trust with food, and how parents can provide leadership without slipping into control. You’ll also hear how the right kind of boundaries benefit you as a parent, bringing more ease and predictability to meals.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clearer picture of how to create a framework that works for your family, builds your child’s confidence with food, and makes mealtimes feel more peaceful.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why “no control” doesn’t mean “no structure”
• The difference between supporting and controlling kids with food
• Real-life examples of how kids act without structure (and why it’s normal)
• What structure actually looks like
• How flexibility and responsiveness fit into the bigger picture
• Why unlimited choices can create anxiety and overwhelm instead of freedom
• How structure builds safety, trust, and comfort with food... and makes mealtimes easier for the whole family

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

What does it really mean to have a healthy relationship with food?

In this second episode of The Intentional Table Podcast, we’re digging deeper into what’s truly at the root of how kids (and adults) eat. While it’s easy to focus on what’s on the plate or how our kids behave at mealtimes, what really drives those choices is their relationship with food... the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs they’re building every day.

We’ll explore why this foundation matters more than the broccoli or the cookies, how it shapes both eating habits and self-esteem, and what you can start shifting now to help your child feel calm, capable, and confident around food for the long term.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why eating behaviors are really just symptoms of a deeper relationship with food
• How pressure, guilt, and rigid rules can backfire (even when we mean well)
• Why it's not ACTUALLY about 'picky' eating or 'over' eating
• The triangle model that explains how feelings, behaviors, and food choices connect
• A powerful understanding of how our relationships with people mimic our relationship with food
• Real-life stories from parents who saw their kids’ eating shift when they focused on the relationship first
• What a healthy food relationship actually looks like... and why it matters more than their bites of broccoli or how many cupcakes they ate

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

What does it really mean to raise a healthy eater?

In this first episode of The Intentional Table Podcast, we’re diving into a new way of thinking about food and nutrition. Instead of obsessing over grams of protein, cutting out sugar, or following rigid rules, we’ll explore why 'healthy' eating isn't just about nutrition - and how a healthy relationship with food is the foundation that allows kids to thrive... and parents to feel more at ease too.

What you'll hear in the episode:

• Why nutrition is only part of the picture (and the other factors that matter just as much)
• The deeper influences behind what and how we eat
• What it looks like when a child has a positive, shame-free relationship with food
• Common patterns that can signal your child might need a different approach
• How shifting your approach can ease stress at the table and foster more joy in your home

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Welcome to The Intentional Table, the podcast that helps parents raise kids who eat well and feel good about food. In this trailer, you’ll get a sneak peek of what’s to come — practical tools, mindset shifts, and compassionate strategies to guide your family. Together, we’ll break the cycles of food guilt and control so your child can grow up with a positive, empowered relationship with food. Subscribe now so you don’t miss the first full episodes!” 

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!