Food For Kids

If there was an Olympics of things that parents worry about, there would be a few contenders, but food and sleep would definitely be up there on the medals podium. And when those two things combine, there's a lot of room for self-doubt. So today's episode is an interview with Lucy Upton about children's food and sleep.We discuss whether children need to eat a big dinner at night to sleep through properly, whether foods or lack of nutrients can cause issues with sleep and how to figure out whether food is a factor in your child's sleep.Lucy Upton, The Children’s Dietitian, is a leading UK paediatric Dietitian and author with over 15 years of experience. She’s dedicated to helping babies, children, and their families find joy and health through food, nutrition, and mealtimes while dispelling the overwhelming misinformation surrounding children’s feeding. Everything Lucy does is rooted in empathy, blending real-life mum experience with evidence-based advice.Links in this episode:Lucy's website: https://www.thechildrensdietitian.co.uk/Lucy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childrensdietitian/Lucy's Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@childrensdietitianMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode, Joanne runs through a list of fruits and vegetables which are in season in the UK in March, and offers tips for getting children to try each of them. There is also a short list of imported foods that are currently in season.This will be useful if you want to increase your intake of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and want some ideas for helping to build your child's familiarity with them, whether they eat the end result or not!Links in this episode:List of foods in season in ​March - www.thefoodies.org/seasonal/​march-food-ideas/Printables of spring seasonal foods: https://thefoodiesbooks.com/product/spring-seasonal-food-printablesGood website about foraging safely for wild garlic: https://www.thegrizzlyforager.co.uk/wild-garlic/ Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

If you're a family or an education setting that grows fruit or veg with children, then you will already be aware of many of the ways it can be helpful and magical.But if you're new to gardening or you're not sure if it's for you, this is a quick episode to give you some ideas for ways it could be helpful for the children you care for and a couple of suggestions for super low key ways to start.Links in this episode:Episode on three growing projects for kids: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk15Easy bean activity: https://www.thefoodies.org/sowing-broad-beans-with-kids/Windowsill peashoots: https://www.thefoodies.org/how-to-grow-pea-shoots/Learning through watering: https://www.thefoodies.org/ways-to-sneak-learning-into-watering-the-plants/RHS growing ideas: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/children-young-people/family-activities/grow-itGarden Organic cards on growing lots of different foods: https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/expert-advice/how-to-grow/how-to-grow-cardsMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

This episode is part of a monthly series where Joanne runs through some ideas to reduce food waste and save money by storing foods well and using them up effectively.This episode is about brassicas (cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower) so there some ideas about how to store root veggies to make them last longer, and stop them going off. This includes how to store them in the kitchen, how to freeze them and how to dry them.And then there are a few good ideas on how to use up leftover cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower - either surplus from a recipe or coming out of the garden.The episode includes our monthly Q&A with Kate Hall from The Full Freezer on how to freeze brassicas and different ways to use them.Links in this episode:Blog post and video on dehydrating and making green powder: ​https://www.thepurposefulpantry.com/homemade-green-powder/​​​ and ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EInrNrEzEhY​​​Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on cauliflower: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CXq1f0CoAbJ/Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on kale: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CKV1T2Rn2zF/Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on Brussels sprouts: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CEJVs7OgHbh/Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on broccoli: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CXq60A-IESM/Kate's website: https://www.thefullfreezer.comEpisode about adding extra veg to food with suggestions for cauliflower too: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk42/Recipe suggestions on the shownotes page at https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk78/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via UppbeatKate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on cauliflower: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CXq1f0CoAbJ/Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on kale: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CKV1T2Rn2zF/Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on Brussels sprouts: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CEJVs7OgHbh/Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on broccoli: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CXq60A-IESM/Kate's website: https://www.thefullfreezer.comEpisode about adding extra veg to food with suggestions for cauliflower too: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk42/Links to recipe suggestions mentioned in the episode are in the shownotes at https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk78/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today's episode is the second part of our two parter about vitamins and supplements for children.In the last episode we talked through the basic UK government guidelines for average families in average times, so that was the guidelines for vitamins A, C and D for babies and children, so if you haven’t listened to that one, it's highly recommend to go back and check that out as the advice is the broad government advice for everyone. But all families have phases where life doesn’t feel particularly normal or average and some families have additional issues to deal with all the time, so today we are going to look at a couple of different scenarios that you may have been mulling over when you were listening to the general guidelines in the last episode.There is so much confusing information about children's diets now, and lots of it is schilling product and not necessarily well evidenced so Joanne wanted to ask an actual dietitian who has to work within proper evidence based guidelines to untangle some of that noise for us. So this episode today is the second part of the interview with dietitian Sara Dawson.As in the last episode her advice is for general information purposes only, to give you some information about the UK recommendations, and does not replace the need to get personalised advice for your child from a GP or dietitian if you have any concerns. But hopefully these two episodes will give you a sensible starting point to cut through the online noise. Sara is a highly specialist allergy dietitian with over 11 years’ experience, who has worked at two NHS UK allergy centres of excellence: St Thomas’ Hospital in London and Southampton. She helped establish the first adult allergy dietitian service in Southampton and now specialises in supporting children with allergies, both within the NHS and privately through her company, YNRD Ltd. She has taught and marked on the Southampton Allergy MSc and taught allergy on the Dietetics MSc at King’s College London as well as carrying out allergy research. She has also worked in CAMHS with children and with eating disorders, and is passionate about children’s nutrition, accurate allergy diagnosis, safe avoidance and reintroduction where possible, and providing realistic nutrition advice that supports a healthy relationship with food. She also specialises in allergy and eczema, and in 2024 set up the first paediatric dietitian role within the dermatology dept at Southampton Children's Hospital.Links in this episode:Sara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saradawsondietitian/Sara's website: https://www.ynrd.co.ukMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today is the first of a two-parter about vitamins and supplements for children.There's a lot of wellness information online for parents right now between ultra processed foods and gut microbiome information and allergies and deficiencies and picky eating advice. It's hard as a parent to know whether or not you're meeting your child's needs. And for sure, there is always someone trying to tell you something. And unless you have the time and skills to dig into the nutrition recommendation, you can be left thinking that maybe you're letting your child down if you don't investigate or try out some of the things you're being told you need for them.So in this episode Joanne wanted an actual dietitian who has to work within proper evidence-based guidelines to untangle some of that noise for us. So she invited dietitian Sara Dawson to come and answer a load of the questions we see getting asked online about supplements.Of course Sara's advice is for general information purposes only, to give you some information about the UK recommendations, and does not replace the need to get personalised advice for your child from a GP or dietitian if you have any concerns. But hopefully these two episodes will give you a sensible starting point to cut through the online noise. Sara is a highly specialist allergy dietitian with over 11 years’ experience, who has worked at two NHS UK allergy centres of excellence: St Thomas’ Hospital in London and Southampton. She helped establish the first adult allergy dietitian service in Southampton and now specialises in supporting children with allergies, both within the NHS and privately through her company, YNRD Ltd. She has taught and marked on the Southampton Allergy MSc and taught allergy on the Dietetics MSc at King’s College London as well as carrying out allergy research. She has also worked in CAMHS with children and with eating disorders, and is passionate about children’s nutrition, accurate allergy diagnosis, safe avoidance and reintroduction where possible, and providing realistic nutrition advice that supports a healthy relationship with food. She also specialises in allergy and eczema, and in 2024 set up the first paediatric dietitian role within the dermatology dept at Southampton Children's Hospital.Links in this episode:Sara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saradawsondietitian/Sara's website: https://www.ynrd.co.ukSACN report if you're interested in the research: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65ddd5f6cf7eb10015f57fb4/SACN-annual-report-2023.pdfMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Over the year we have had a few episodes talking about how to encourage your child to branch out a bit with their tastes, how to help picky eaters and how to help kids relax at the table with their safe foods while exposing them to new foods over time. In this episode we are going to talk about one of the tools parents can use when their child is reluctant to try things that look or feel different from their safe foods, which is a technique called food chaining.Emma Shafqat is a qualified paediatric dietitian and runs Dietitian with a Difference. She focuses primarily on fussy eating and allergy issues.Since graduating with a first class honours degree in Dietetics and Nutrition, she has been working as a Dietitian for over 9 years. She has worked for the NHS, in special needs schools and privately, focusing on children’s health. Emma helps children and their families overcome a broad range of dietary issues. She is also a SOS Paediatric Feeding Therapist and has worked with brands like Just Chill Baby Sleep and Bloss. Links in this episode:Emma's website - https://dietitianwithadifference.co.uk/Emma's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dietitian.withadifference/Emma's programme - https://dietitianwithadifference.co.uk/raisingconfidenteaters/Blog post about food chaining: https://dietitianwithadifference.co.uk/food-chaining/Food chaining masterclass: https://dietitianwithadifference.co.uk/downloads/food-chaining-masterclass/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode of the Food for Kids podcast, Joanne shares simple, family-friendly meal ideas using seasonal produce available in February. The focus is on easy-to-make recipes that require minimal prep time, making them perfect for busy families. Joanne discusses three main meals, a dessert, and a quick snack, all utilizing fresh ingredients that are in season. She gives suggestions on adapting recipes to suit children's tastes and some swap ideas too.Links to the recipes:Meal 1 – ​Cabbage wedges with tomato sauce - ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtSO3K61Q​​​Meal 2 – ​Cheese and leek potato pie - ​https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/easy_cheese_leek_and_98782 ​​​​​Meal 3 - Veggie burgers:​Storecupboard bean burger - ​https://lianaskitchen.co.uk/spicy-bean-burger-recipe/#mv-creation-343-jtr ​​​Smoky roast carrot burger - ​https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/smoky_roast_carrot_00838 ​​​Plantain and bean burger - ​ https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/plantain_and_bean_74740​​​Dessert – ​Apple pinwheels - ​https://www.cookingwithmykids.co.uk/apple-pinwheels/ Bonus recipe - pizza pinwheels - ​https://thefastrecipe.com/cheese-and-tomato-pinwheels/​​​​​​Snack - Carrot cake energy balls - ​https://mykidslickthebowl.com/carrot-oat-energy-bites/​​​Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today's episode is a fairly speedy run through of 25 practical ideas for saving money on family food.Chances are you'll know a lot of them, but it never hurts to refresh your memory about something you might have stopped doing if you've got in a rut and you might pick up one or two new ideas to try. so pick and choose what you want and there'll be some links in the show notes to additional information for them too.Links in this episode:Website to find meals in your cookbooks to use things up: https://www.eatyourbooks.com/Planner with three ingredients: https://www.bigoven.com/Meal prep site: https://www.mealpreppro.com/Ways to prep components: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwpltZGCGd8Freezable sandwiches: https://thebatchlady.com/recipe/freezable-sandwiches/OLIO app for free food: https://olioapp.com/en/Too Good To Go for last minute bargains: https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-gbApproved Food: https://approvedfood.co.uk/Kate Hall's episode on freezing components: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk3Kate Hall's episode on reducing food waste: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk21Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode, Joanne runs through a list of fruits and vegetables which are in season in the UK in February, and offers tips for getting children to try each of them. There is also a short list of imported foods that are currently in season.This will be useful if you want to increase your intake of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and want some ideas for helping to build your child's familiarity with them, whether they eat the end result or not!Links in this episode:List of foods in season in ​February - www.thefoodies.org/seasonal/​february-food-ideas/Printables of winter seasonal foods: https://thefoodiesbooks.com/product/winter-seasonal-food-printablesMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today’s episode is an interview with Dr Anna Colton who is a leading clinical psychologist specialising in the psychology of food, eating, and emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents. She works with families on everything from fussy eating to eating disorders and body image concerns and recently published a book called How to Talk to Children About Food.We have had some episodes dealing with the way we talk to children directly about food, but one of the very interesting things in Anna’s book was the psychology around how we have to be aware of our own issues with food to make sure that we don’t pass them on, that intergenerational relationship with food that can easily be transmitted subconsciously. So Joanne spoke to Anna about that, and also some helpful ideas of what we can do if our child comes to us with issues of their own around food or body image.Dr Anna Colton is a leading clinical psychologist specialising in the psychology of food, eating, and emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents. She works with families, teens, and adults on everything from eating disorders to fussy eating and body image concerns. Her book, How to Talk to Children About Food, helps parents create a healthy food culture at home, heal their own relationship with food and break the intergenerational cycle of food and body image struggles. Her work is a powerful call to shift from crisis response to prevention.Links in this episode:Anna's website: https://www.dranna.co.uk/Anna's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drannacoltonBuy Anna's book How To Talk To Children About Food: https://geni.us/HTTTCAFMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

This episode is part of a monthly series where Joanne runs through some ideas to reduce food waste and save money by storing foods well and using them up effectively.This episode is about root vegetables so there some ideas about how to store root veggies to make them last longer, and stop them going off. This includes how to store them in the kitchen, how to freeze them and how to dry them. And then there are a few good ideas on how to use up leftover carrots, parsnips and beetroot either surplus from a recipe or coming out of the garden.The episode includes our monthly Q&A with Kate Hall from The Full Freezer on how to freeze root vegetables and different ways to use them.Links in this episode:Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on baked potatoes: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/ClrFqiVoLqm/Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on roast potatoes: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CXn6pKqIz4C/Kate's Can I Freeze It? video on new potatoes: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgCqOwNo0qp Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on beetroot: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CcYeEwbqVh7/Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on parsnips: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CXn1SJwIvFx/Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on chopped carrots: https://www.instagram.com/p/CXoB213IVm9/Kate’s reel on never wasting potatoes: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHVgrkGImXd/Kate's website: https://www.thefullfreezer.com Episode about adding extra veg to food with suggestions for root veg too: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk42/Links to recipe suggestions mentioned in the episode are in the shownotes at https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk70/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Do you need to be caring about your child's gut microbiome?At this time of year our feeds are filled with a lot of wellness adverts and one of the things you see a lot of adverts for is probiotic supplements, and intolerance and microbiome test kits. You might be thinking it’s hard enough just keeping everyone at the table happy and fed with the food you’re putting on the plate, so should you now be listening to these adverts and podcasts and news articles and worrying about your child’s gut microbiome? And if so, how on earth do you do anything about it?So to help us out on today’s episode I am talking to Lucy Jackman who is a Specialist Paediatric gastroenterology Dietitian at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Lucy deals with all kinds of complex tummy and bowel issues but she also posts really helpful information about general principles that parents can use to help keep little guts healthy.Lucy is a Specialist Paediatric gastroenterology Dietitian at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where she leads the dietetic service for complex gastrointestinal (GI) allergy and motility disorders. She is also the Lead Dietitian for the NHS England-commissioned service for the diagnosis of paediatric intestinal pseudo-obstruction (PIPO).With extensive experience in managing children with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGID), motility disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Lucy is a key member of the British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (BSPGHAN) EoE working group. She has contributed to national and international guidelines and has authored multiple publications on EoE, EGID, pseudo-obstruction, and paediatric motility disorders.Lucy is passionate about advancing clinical care through research and education, ensuring that dietetic interventions play a central role in optimising outcomes for children with complex GI conditions.Links in this episode:Lucy's website: https://www.thehappytummydietitian.com/Lucy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehappytummydietitianMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

This episode is full of suggestions for small ways that you can pack in a little extra goodness to foods that you already eat.Over the last week we talked to Maeve Hanan about why we shouldn’t hyperfixate on the label or category that one individual food or one meal fits into, but instead we should zoom out to the overall picture of the variety and benefits of the foods we are eating across a week or a month of meals. And coming up we have an episode with a gastroenterology dietitian who will also talk about why diversity is good for our guts.So between the two we are fitting in some ideas for how to increase that diversity and get some more wholefoods, fibre and nutrients into the kinds of meals that our children already accept. That way we can accept that in modern life we are going to eat some processed foods sometimes, but find small and practical ways to pack in lots of things our bodies need alongside or in between those foods to increase our diversity of plants and whole foods without becoming narrow or obsessive.Joanne runs through some ideas of what to add to meals and snacks and some easy swaps to boost too. This will just be a list of some ideas to scribble on to a maybe list.Links in this episode:Vegan parmesan style topping: https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-vegan-parmesan-cheese/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today’s episode is the second of our two parter talking about ultra processed foods. If you haven’t listened to the first part, I would urge you to go back and listen to that as some of the information in that will help you to understand today’s discussion more. Today we are going to talk about whether being more relaxed about some processed foods in the diet can actually help with being more consistent, and whether we should set goals about processed foods in our resolutions or not. Maeve Hanan is a Registered Dietitian who specialises in disordered eating and food freedom. She’s the founder of DieteticallySpeaking.com, a platform offering evidence-based information, practical tools, courses, and one-to-one support to help people build a healthier, more peaceful relationship with food. Maeve advocates for a compassionate, weight-inclusive approach to nutrition, and is passionate about cutting through the online nutrition BS by sharing clear, evidence-based and practical messages.LInks in this episode:Maeve's masterclass: https://dieteticallyspeaking.com/product/eating-with-easeMaeve's website: https://dieteticallyspeaking.com/Maeve's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dieteticallyspeakingMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today’s episode is the first of a two parter talking about ultra processed foods. I wanted to have some information about this topic at this time of year because there is so much food talk around, and so much resolutions and setting food goals and for parents there is the added weight of being responsible for your child’s health as well as their long term relationship with food.One of the things that will often come up on lists of food goals, especially for parents, is to eat less processed foods. Over the last couple of years the conversation about ultra processed foods, or UPFS, has been impossible to escape. There seems to be a new press release, documentary or book every week about UPFs and how bad they are. But then you will also see dietitians and food campaigners pointing out that not all processed foods are bad. And you might have a child who is very attached to some processed foods, or a busy household where those foods are very helpful. So how on earth do we know what to believe?A lot of the wonderful children’s dietitian’s that I work with and follow have produced some great content about this and how the focus on UPFs is not only unhelpful but can be potentially harmful. One of those, Maeve Hanan, who is a dietitian we met on episode 60 talking about food freedom, recently produced an excellent article and multi part video series, going through lots of different aspects of UPFs, including what the research says, how to understand it if you’re not a scientist, how to decipher what influencers are saying about them, and what you need to know for your family shopping list. So I asked her to come on and talk to parents who are worried about this. In today’s episode we are going to cover what UPFs are and what the research says about them. Then in the second episode next time we are talking about whether and how they can fit in to a healthy overall diet pattern and how to set goals about family eating overall.Maeve Hanan is a Registered Dietitian who specialises in disordered eating and food freedom. She’s the founder of DieteticallySpeaking.com, a platform offering evidence-based information, practical tools, courses, and one-to-one support to help people build a healthier, more peaceful relationship with food. Maeve advocates for a compassionate, weight-inclusive approach to nutrition, and is passionate about cutting through the online nutrition BS by sharing clear, evidence-based and practical messages.LInks in this episode:Maeve's masterclass: https://dieteticallyspeaking.com/product/eating-with-easeMaeve's website: https://dieteticallyspeaking.com/Maeve's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dieteticallyspeakingArticle about ultra processed foods: https://dieteticallyspeaking.com/unpacking-ultra-processed-foods/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode of the Food for Kids podcast, Joanne shares simple, family-friendly meal ideas using seasonal produce available in January. The focus is on easy-to-make recipes that require minimal prep time, making them perfect for busy families. Joanne discusses three main meals, a dessert, and a quick snack, all utilizing fresh ingredients that are in season. She gives suggestions on adapting recipes to suit children's tastes and some swap ideas too.Links to the recipes:Meal 1 – Root veg crumble: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAinsleyHarriott/photos/ainsleyrecipe-vegetarianreciperoot-vegetable-and-nut-crumblethis-is-a-great-dish/459959764138333/Meal 2 – Cauli mac and cheese: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cauliflower-macaroni-cheeseProtein packed sauce alternative: https://sarahsvegankitchen.com/recipes/white-bean-cheeseMain 3 - https://www.frugalandthriving.com.au/reduce-waste-with-this-kid-friendly-clear-the-crisper-curryDessert – orange yoghurt cake: https://vegehomecooking.com/orange-yogurt-cake/Snack – rhubarb cookies: https://www.thefoodies.org/rhubarb-cookies/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In today's episode I'm talking to Ailsa McHardy of Little Nutrition about the guidelines for weaning a baby in a plant based family.In January information about plant based diets are everywhere and I wanted to ask Ailsa what the current best advice is for parents who want to raise their children with less or no animal products.Ailsa is an expert Paediatric Dietitian with 15 years of experience across NHS, academic and private settings. She is the founder of Little Nutrition, a freelance children's nutrition consultancy which supports families with weaning, fussy eating, food allergies and tummy symptoms. Ailsa has 2 little ones of her own and brings lots of real-life experience to her practice.Links in this episode:Ailsa's weaning support programme: https://www.littlenutrition.co.uk/packages/pricingAilsa's FREE Ultimate Guide To Weaning Ebook: https://littlenutrition.kit.com/1cc84d30e0Ailsa's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlenutritionwithailsa/LEAP study (re early peanut exposure for allergy prevention): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1414850The VeChi studies:Weder S, Hoffmann M, Becker K, Alexy U, Keller M. Energy, Macronutrient Intake, and Anthropometrics of Vegetarian, Vegan, and Omnivorous Children (1–3 Years) in Germany (VeChi Diet Study). Nutrients. 2019 Apr 12;11(4):832.Alexy U, Fischer M, Weder S, Längler A, Michalsen A, Sputtek A, Keller M. Nutrient Intake and Status of German Children and Adolescents Consuming Vegetarian, Vegan or Omnivore Diets: Results of the VeChi Youth Study. Nutrients. 2021;13(5):1707. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051707.Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode, Joanne runs through a list of fruits and vegetables which are in season in the UK in January, and offers tips for getting children to try each of them. There is also a short list of imported foods that are currently in season.This will be useful if you want to increase your intake of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and want some ideas for helping to build your child's familiarity with them, whether they eat the end result or not!Links in this episode:Rhubarb cookies recipe: https://www.thefoodies.org/rhubarb-cookies/List of foods in season in ​January- www.thefoodies.org/seasonal/​january-food-ideas/Printables of winter seasonal foods: https://thefoodiesbooks.com/product/winter-seasonal-food-printables Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

The podcast has been running for seven months now. So as we come to the end of the year,we wanted to bring you seven messages from those seven months that might make you feel more confident about your child's eating as we head into the new year.So coming up are seven short clips from some of our guests and I hope after you hear them you'll feel reassured that you're doing a good job. And we hope it gets you fired up to keep going on your journey to help your child develop a good relationship with food. So let's get to those seven messages.Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

A short message to wish you a happy Christmas or other happy holidays, whatever your family is doing, I hope it involves some happy eating!Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

This is the last episode before Christmas and chances are that the bit of your brain that you reserve for interesting food things is overwhelmed with holiday prep. So today's episode aims to bring you something that might help you to enjoy this holiday season a little bit more, enjoy sharing food and fun with your loved ones, and give your children a different kind of gift, the gift of a household where food is relaxed and joyful at celebration times.For today’s episode Joanne is interviewing Maeve Hanan, a dietitian who runs a company called Dietetically Speaking and helps parents to have a better relationship with food so they can break generational cycles of disordered eating and unhelpful food messages. She helps parents to feed their family in a sustainable balanced way in a way that is nutritious but will promote a healthy relationship with food for their kids as well.Maeve Hanan is a Registered Dietitian who specialises in disordered eating and food freedom. She’s the founder of DieteticallySpeaking.com, a platform offering evidence-based information, practical tools, courses, and one-to-one support to help people build a healthier, more peaceful relationship with food. Maeve advocates for a compassionate, weight-inclusive approach to nutrition, and is passionate about cutting through the online nutrition BS by sharing clear, evidence-based and practical messages (via her website, newsletter and instagram page via @dieteticallyspeaking).Links in this episode:Maeve's website: https://dieteticallyspeaking.com/Maeve's masterclass in January to help you reduce food noise and stress: : https://dieteticallyspeaking.com/product/eating-with-easeMaeve's article about navigating Christmas: https://dieteticallyspeaking.com/navigating-family-dynamics-with-food-during-christmas/Maeve's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dieteticallyspeakingMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat.

This episode is part of a monthly series where Joanne runs through some ideas to reduce food waste and save money by storing foods well and using them up effectively.This episode is about Christmas and other holiday foods so is focused on planning ahead to make sure you have space and containers to store foods before you need them, advice on safely storing leftovers after the celebration meals, and ways to use up common Christmas leftovers.Links in this episode - the links for freezer tips and individual recipe ideas are all at the full shownotes at: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk59Other episodes mentioned in this one:Episode 6 with Jenna Brown about safely using leftovers, https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk6Episode 5 about making space for celebration foods in our kitchen: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk49/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat.

Today’s episode is slightly different but very timely because I am talking to Bracha Kopstick about how to protect your older children from harmful food and diet talk during the holidays. Bracha works with tweens and teens to improve their relationship with food and their own bodies in a weight neutral way.Our families are not islands and we live in a culture of so many negative conversations about food and weight. So this episode is about how to insulate our children from the comments of other people especially at a time of year when food is the centre of so many of the get togethers.  Bracha recently put out a brilliant post and guide about exactly this so she seemed the perfect person to ask.Bracha Kopstick is a Registered Dietitian specializing in adolescent nutrition, practicing with a weight-neutral approach to health. She helps children to young-adults develop healthy eating habits and a good relationship with food and body to nourish their growth and development. Through supportive and collaborative counselling, Bracha educates adolescents to feel confident and comfortable eating well, free of shame and guilt. Links in this episode:Bracha's website: https://www.beekaynutrition.comBracha's free downloadable holiday conversation guide: https://mailchi.mp/beekaynutrition/holiday-conversation-guideBracha's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adolescent.nutritionist/Some helpful posts on this topic:https://www.instagram.com/p/DRSmT71ARKZ/ and https://www.instagram.com/p/DIRb7hUxMEQ/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

On this episode Joanne is talking to Liz Priest who is a qualified midwife and health visitor and runs a support service for parents called Infant and Wisdom. There’s so much information and judgement around about food and eating, and we get very anxious about whether we are feeding our children “right”. And if our children don’t eat exactly the way we think they’re supposed to it can make us feel incredibly vulnerable.Liz talks about how to approach weaning if you're feeling anxious, how to trust your own judgement a bit more, how to reach out for help, and lots of useful tips about how to wean without fear.Liz is the founder of Infant & Wisdom — a qualified midwife, health visitor, and mum to four amazing boys. Liz has developed this unique and holistic service by blending evidence-based experience with real-life parenting insight. Support aims to empower and address the barriers to enjoying parenthood. Parenting isn’t easy and Infant and Wisdom can enable families to feel confident, calm, and supported from bump to beyond. Liz aims to help parents thrive in parenthood, not just survive it.Links in this podcast:Liz's website: www.infantandwisdom.co.ukLiz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infantandwisdomMusic "Happy Days" by SImon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode of the Food for Kids podcast, Joanne shares simple, family-friendly meal ideas using seasonal produce available in December. The focus is on easy-to-make recipes that require minimal prep time, making them perfect for busy families. Joanne discusses three main meals, a dessert, and a quick snack, all utilizing fresh ingredients that are in season. They're all dead quick and easy to save energy for all the cooking at the end of the month.She gives suggestions on adapting recipes to suit children's tastes and some swap ideas too.Links to the recipes:Meal 1 - pasta and greens – https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a30377647/sprout-and-ham-spaghetti/ or https://hungryhealthyhappy.com/cabbage-pasta/Meal 2 - supermarket christmas veg bag soup with cheese toasties – https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/root_vegetable_soup_14910Main 3 - easy cheesy potato pie – https://www.srnutrition.co.uk/2021/10/easy-cheesy-potato-pie-recipe/Dessert – apple pancakes and icecream - https://thetoastykitchen.com/cinnamon-applesauce-pancakes/    Snack – snowman crackers - https://simplifylivelove.com/festive-5-minute-snowman-crackers-14-quick-christmas-appetizer-ideas/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

This episode is designed to give you some information to help you explore the colours of fruits and vegetables with kids and to encourage them to try to eat lots of different colours. The idea of eating a rainbow has been around for a long time and you probably know that each colour brings something different to your table and your health. But do you know which ones have which benefits? For each of the rainbow food colours, I am going to tell you what the properties are that are associated with that food colour, and the ways that we know they are helpful to our health as well as a fun fact for kids to explore those foods. Links in this episode:Fun web article with good summaries: https://simplyveg.vegpower.org.uk/eat-the-rainbow-2/ Short video for preschoolers: https://youtu.be/L1StpMfMwXY?si=wwzEtBzoIB-dVvpNBritish Heart Foundation article for adults: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/5-a-day/colourful-foodsArticle about antioxidants and free radicals: https://robhobson.co.uk/nutritious-delicious/whats-the-deal-with-free-radicals-and-antioxidants/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode, Joanne runs through a list of fruits and vegetables which are in season in the UK in December, and offers tips for getting children to try each of them. There is also a short list of imported foods that are currently in season.This will be useful if you want to increase your intake of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and want some ideas for helping to build your child's familiarity with them, whether they eat the end result or not!Links in this episode:List of foods in season in ​December- www.thefoodies.org/seasonal/​december-food-ideas/Episode 49 all about prepping veggies ahead for holiday foods - www.thefoodies.org/ffk49 Printables of winter seasonal foods: https://thefoodiesbooks.com/product/winter-seasonal-food-printables Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

At this time of year we are all thinking about getting together with family over the holidays and sometimes thinking about what our children might or might not eat. But for some families there are additional things to take into account when their family comes from a mixed cultural heritage and need to balance different food traditions too.Today’s episode is an interview with Rachel Mujanovic who is a Paediatric Clinical Lead Dietitian in the NHS, she comes from a family with Caribbean heritage, her partner’s family are from Bosnia, and they live here in the UK so they are definitely one of those families who are balancing lots of different cultural influences on their family dinner table. Alongside her NHS clinical expertise Rachel also specialises in helping families to help their children enjoy cultural foods to honour and explore their family’s place in the world.In this interview we explore not only how to build your own family's cultural foods into your child's life but also how to help them to be adventurous and explore foods from other cultures too so this is helpful for going on holiday, broadening your child's palate and helping children to understand how people live and eat all over the world as well as in the kitchens of their family and friends.Rachel has been a paediatric dietitian for nearly 10 years and is currently a Paediatric Clinical Lead Dietitian in the NHS. Fussy eating, tube feeding, Cystic Fibrosis and allergy are just a few areas that she has worked in over the years. Rachel is passionate about helping families navigate feeding their children and has a particular interest in empowering families to share and enjoy their own or other cultural foods with their children.Links in this episode:Rachel's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsdietitianrachel My World Kitchen: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/my-world-kitchen Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

This episode is part of a monthly series where Joanne runs through some ideas to reduce food waste and save money by storing foods well and using them up effectively.This episode is about apples and pears so there some ideas about how to store apples and pears to make them last longer, and stop them going off.  This includes how to store them in the kitchen, how to freeze them and how to dry them. The episode includes our monthly Q&A with Kate Hall from The Full Freezer on how to freeze apples and pears and different ways to use them.Links in this episode: Kate's "Can I Freeze It?" video on apples: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CVV4Y3MIPhQ/Kate's "Can I Freeze It?" video on apple juice: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/Cn61DzSIky5/Kate's video on never wasting apples: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHfo_Q0oNiZ/ Links to the recipe ideas are in the shownotes at: https://https://thefoodies.org/ffk52 Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

On today's episode I'm talking to Emma Fitzgerald who's a paediatric feeding therapist with 16 years of NHS experience helping children with their eating and we're talking about whether it's sometimes okay to use screens to help our children with food.When we have children, I think we all have an ideal of what we want our family meals to be like. In previous episodes with dietitians we have touched on lots of good reasons why this style of eating is a good thing to aim for if we can. That family style of eating where people can help themselves from the middle of the table really is helpful for kids to have more agency and chatting about their day and things other than the food takes the pressure off children to eat and it also enables them to communicate about stuff that's going on in their life. So when it's possible and it works, obviously that's great.  But what about when that just doesn't work for you?Emma is a paediatric feeding therapist with a Master’s in Speech and Language Therapy and 16 years of NHS experience. Previously a senior staff nurse, she draws on a strong clinical background to support children with eating, drinking and swallowing needs. She specialises in the assessment, diagnosis and management of paediatric feeding disorders, helping families navigate challenges with confidence and clarity. Her approach is evidence-based, compassionate and family-centred, aiming to make feeding safer, more enjoyable and more fulfilling for every child.Emma posted a great post on Instagram about her professional take on this and especially what she thinks about screens and food. Links in this episode:Emma's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emma_feeding_therapist/Emma's website: https://www.emma-fitzgerald.com/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today's episode is all about how to find sources of fibre for your child's body in everyday foods.We have a couple of episodes coming up about children's digestive systems with two fabulous dietitians. But because both of those interviews cover the fact that we need to make sure our children are having adequate fibre in their diet, this episode will have lots of practical ideas for how to get fibre into our kids' food. NHS article on fibre: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health/how-to-get-more-fibre-into-your-diet/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

However you celebrate over this holiday period, one thing is certain, there will be lots of food, and that food will need preparing, and depending on whether you host or are hosted, some of that might be stressful.So this episode is all about how to use this slightly grey and flat couple of weeks at the end of November to think about making your holiday season a bit easier, food wise.Joanne runs through some ideas about preparing your kitchen, some ideas about preparing some food, and a short interview with Kate Hall from the Full Freezer about using your freezer. Links in this episode are in the shownotes at https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk49/ Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode of the Food for Kids podcast, Joanne shares simple, family-friendly meal ideas using seasonal produce available in November. The focus is on easy-to-make recipes that require minimal prep time, making them perfect for busy families. Joanne discusses three main meals, a dessert, and a quick snack, all utilizing fresh ingredients that are in season. She gives suggestions on adapting recipes to suit children's tastes and some swap ideas too.Links to the recipes:Meal 1 -Sausage root veg tray bake – https://lostinfood.co.uk/sticky-sausage-tray-bakeMeal 2 -Tray bake okonomiyaki– https://myriadrecipes.com/okonomiyaki-traybakePan fried okonomiyaki - https://www.wandercooks.com/okonomiyaki-japanese-savoury-pancakes/Easy okinomiyaki sauce -  https://www.wandercooks.com/okonomiyaki-sauce/Main 3 -beef stew – https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef/jools-s-favourite-beef-stew/Vegetarian version - https://traditionalplantbasedcooking.com/vegan-beef-stewDessert – https://babylovesveg.com/2016/12/22/chocolate-pears/Snack – make octopus oranges - https://www.eatsamazing.co.uk/family-friendly-recipes/snack-ideas-recipes/how-to-make-an-orange-octopus-fun-food-tutorialMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today’s episode is a super helpful interview with Natalie Fox about how ADHD can affect children's relationship with food and how parents and carers can help.Natalie Fox is a Registered Dietitian and content creator who helps ADHDers cultivate a joyful, shame-free relationship with food and figure out how to work WITH their brains to make eating well easier and more ADHD-supportive. Natalie’s content is really good at breaking down why food related routines and aspirations come off the rails so often for ADHDers when they try to follow standard food advice. And she is also very non judgmental and realistic about ways to build up systems and tools that are more ADHD friendly. Links in this episode:Natalie's website: www.nataliefoxrd.comNatalie's Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@natalie.fox.rdNatalie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalie.fox.rdNatalie's YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@nataliefoxrdADHD Guide to Getting Fed course which is under £35 at the time of recording: https://natalie-fox.mykajabi.com/mc-guide--to-getting-fedMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode, Joanne runs through a list of fruits and vegetables which are in season in the UK in November, and offers tips for getting children to try each of them.  There is also a short list of imported foods that are currently in season.This will be useful if you want to increase your intake of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and want some ideas for helping to build your child's familiarity with them, whether they eat the end result or not!Links in this episode:List of foods in season in ​November- www.thefoodies.org/seasonal/​november-food-ideas/Episode 43 all about using up pumpkins - www.thefoodies.org/ffk43 Printables of autumn seasonal foods: https://thefoodiesbooks.com/product/autumn-seasonal-food-printables                                                                                                Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today’s episode is full of ideas for those nights when you’ve come in from an activity or one of your kids has had a meltdown and by the time you have soothed them it’s late to start cooking, or you’re just knackered and really don’t want to cook. On lots of those nights we might order in, or pick up some ready meals on the way home. And there’s nothing wrong with that some of the time. But when you're fed up of shelling out big bucks for delivery and ready meals seem to take just as long as cooking, you need some inspiration for quick dinners.This episode runs through a bunch of ideas, so you can pick and choose and get some things into your store cupboard or freezer to be ready for the next evening of overwhelm.Links in this episode: Pinwheels: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pizza-puff-pinwheels Korean pancakes with sauce: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/yachaejeonBeryl Shereshewsky's ramen roundup: https://www.beryl.nyc/index.php/2025/05/19/21-instant-noodles-from-around-the-world/Storecupboard swedish meatball sauce: https://www.tamingtwins.com/swedish-meatballs/Carbonara base recipe to adapt: https://scrummylane.com/really-good-classic-pasta-carbonara/Kate Hall's video on freezing jacket potatoes: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/ClrFqiVoLqm/ Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

This episode is going out in the week before Halloween and Joanne interviews Emma Martyn from Little Gannets about how to use children’s enthusiasm about Halloween to explore food.Emma talks about why we restricting children’s eating of their Halloween sweets in an overt way gives them negative messages about food, and that we should think of Halloween as just one part of the year and think of the whole celebration and everything it can add to a childhood. She gives some tips to make trick or treating a bit less sweet indulgent but talks about how children need to learn to listen to their own bodies. Emma also runs through some great ideas for other ways to use food at Halloween to engage children and play and have fun with food.Emma is a certified nutrition coach who works with schools and daycare settings on their menus and nutrition education, as well as running weaning workshops and baby brunches for families. Because Emma also offers party food catering for children, I thought she'd be the perfect person to ask about celebration food and how handle those times where everyone including children are prone to overindulging a bit.Links in this episode:Emma's website: https://www.littlegannets.co.uk/Emma's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlegannetsuk/Emma's reel of Halloween food messy play: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQD5WwsiO1VEmma's spooky toast recipes: https://www.littlegannets.co.uk/recipes/halloween-toastsOctober episode with some Halloween snack ideas: www.thefoodies.org/ffk40/ Episode about using up pumpkin flesh: www.thefoodies.org/ffk43Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

This episode is part of a monthly series where Joanne runs through some ideas to reduce food waste and save money by storing foods well and using them up effectively.This episode is about pumpkins and winter squash so there some ideas about how to store pumpkins and squash to make them last longer, and stop them going off.  This includes how to store them in the kitchen, how to freeze them and how to dry them. There is also some information about making use of the seeds in squashes too.And then there are a few good ideas on how to use up leftover pumpkin flesh from Halloween and butternut squash left from a recipe or coming out of the garden.The episode includes our monthly Q&A with Kate Hall from The Full Freezer on how to freeze pumpkins and squash and different ways to use them.Links in this episode:Kate's video on freezing pumpkin: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CGrWyvkn1Lt/Kate's video on freezing pumpkin seeds: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/Cj_MA56olx9/Kate's video on freezing butternut squash: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CLwAKKxHIK7/Carrot and squash soup: https://www.easypeasyfoodie.com/carrot-and-butternut-squash-soup/#recipeThai red curry with pumpkin or squash: https://rainbowplantlife.com/thai-butternut-squash-chickpea-curry/Thai curry soup with pumpkin or squash: https://cookieandkate.com/thai-curried-butternut-squash-soup/Episode about adding extra veg to food with suggestions for grated and pureed squash: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk42/Pumpkin cake: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/halloween-pumpkin-cakePumpkin cookies: https://www.evesleep.co.uk/blogs/the-well-slept-club/pumpkin-recipes-ukPumpkin cheesecake: https://www.amummytoo.co.uk/no-bake-pumpkin-cheesecake-recipeMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today's episode is a high speed run through a bunch of ideas for including more fruit and veg in to everyday meals without lots of faff. This is taken from a guide Joanne published ten years ago which included 101 different ways to help kids love fruit and veg, and the ideas in this episode are all going to be easy additions to everyday cooking. This episode is focusing on fruit and veg because that’s Joanne's area of work and because there is a lot of focus at the moment on how to increase fibre in children’s diets and a lot of these ideas will be high in fibre. Some listeners will have children who are ok with fruit and veg and have more issues with things like meat intake, textures of things or sauces and combination foods, and there will be episodes coming up about those issues too, but this one is going to focus on fruit and veg additions and upping the fibre intake.Hopefully everyone listening will be able to pick up one idea that might be helpful.LInks to recipes for some of the ideas covered are in the shownotes at https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk42/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today's episode is the second of our series on the theme of helpful information if your child asks to bring someone home for tea who has different dietary requirements than your own family. Back in episode 11 we talked about some tips for hosting a child who is coeliac and today we're talking about having a child for tea who is vegan or plant-based if your family is not. For this I spoke to Paula Hallam from Plant-Based Kids UK. Paula is a leading children’s dietitian, mum to two teen girls, author and plant based nutrition expert. She is passionate about helping families navigate the (often confusing) world of feeding children without feeling overwhelmed. Her mission is to help parents raise happy, healthy plant-powered kids, without spending hours in the kitchen! Paula has 25 years experience as a children’s dietitian, working in the NHS for 18 years in a variety of paediatric roles, including the world famous Great Ormond Street Hospital (twice!), food allergy research, consulting to health charities and providing expert nutrition advice to baby food brands.Links in this episodePaula's website - https://plantbased-kids.com/Paula's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/plantbasedkids.ukMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode of the Food for Kids podcast, Joanne shares simple, family-friendly meal ideas using seasonal produce available in October including a couple of Halloween themed kids’ favourites. The focus is on easy-to-make recipes that require minimal prep time, making them perfect for busy families. Joanne discusses three main meals, a dessert, and a quick snack, all utilizing fresh ingredients that are in season. She gives suggestions on adapting recipes to suit children's tastes and some swap ideas too.Links to the recipes:Main 1 – Spooky pizzas – Ghost: https://aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com/boo-licious/ (made with dough but you can cut a large oval pita or a naan.Main 1 – Spooky pizzas – Pumpkin: https://wholefully.com/mini-halloween-pizza/ a good example of a pumpkin face made with pepperoni.Main 2 – one pot butternut mac and cheese - https://happykidskitchen.com/one-pot-butternut-squash-mac-and-cheeseMain 3 – beef and broccoli stir fry https://www.simplyrecipes.com/ground-beef-and-broccoli-stir-fry-recipe-8601830Dessert – pumpkin muffins - https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/pumpkin-muffinsBonus recipe – pumpkin seeds - https://www.thefoodies.org/what-to-do-with-pumpkin-seeds/Snack – apple teeth jam and almonds  https://ohsheglows.com/3-ingredient-halloween-apple-bites/Snack – apple teeth nut butter and marshmallows - https://lazyhomecook.com/monster-mouth-apple-treat-halloween/Snack - bonus apple worms - https://www.eatsamazing.co.uk/family-friendly-recipes/snack-ideas-recipes/wormy-apples-fun-snack-for-kidsMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today’s episode is a short and fun one and is a quick roundup of some fun games you can play with your child away from the table in order to build familiarity with foods and help to increase their confidence about the fact that there is no pressure to eat when they explore foods.For all of these activities there is an opportunity for children (and adults) to taste a food, but there is an alternative of exploring the food without tasting it for children who might be more nervous. Joanne runs through some fun games that you can do together and gives alternatives for your children to do in the games if they are not likely to want to taste foods. Even if they never taste a food in a game, they will get to explore the foods, see their parents or siblings tasting or exploring them and reinforce that sense of security that we are trying to give them that they don’t have to eat a food until they are ready and want to, exploring without tasting is valuable too and they are not letting anyone down.Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today’s episode is a fun one, Joanne talks to Florence Rebattet from En Cuisine Cooking School about how to teach kids to cook if you’re not very confident yourself. Flo has been running her cooking school in London for over ten years, and teached teaches children from aged 3 right through to 18 how to cook from scratch with classes, holiday cooking camps and courses. We have both worked with a lot of parents who are very anxious about getting their kids in to the kitchen and Flo has lots of practical and small ideas if you want to start cooking with your child but don’t know where to start. Flo is the founder of En Cuisine Cooking School, established in 2014 in London. Her school teaches children aged 3 to 18 how to cook from scratch, encouraging creativity and healthy eating habits. After the birth of her son, Flo left her career as a human resources manager to follow her passion for food, retraining as a chef. Inspired by the challenges many parents face when cooking with their children, she created En Cuisine to provide a supportive, hands-on environment. Her mission is to inspire the next generation to embrace fresh ingredients, confidence in the kitchen, and a lifelong love of cooking.Links in this episode:Flo's school website: https://www.encuisinecookingschool.comFlo's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/encuisinecookingschoolMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In this episode, Joanne runs through a list of fruits and vegetables which are in season in the UK in October, and offers tips for getting children to try each of them. There is also a short list of imported foods that are currently in season.This will be useful if you want to increase your intake of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and want some ideas for helping to build your child's familiarity with them, whether they eat the end result or not!List of foods in season in ​October- www.thefoodies.org/seasonal/​october-food-ideas/Printables of summer seasonal foods: https://thefoodiesbooks.com/product/autumn-seasonal-food-printables ​Blog post for young children to play with pumpkin flesh and seeds and learn how to save, eat and share the seeds: https://www.thefoodies.org/what-to-do-with-pumpkin-seeds/ Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

Today's episode is not so much an episode about children's food specifically, as just about making family food easier in general and it's going to be a list of 12 types of food that you might not know that you can freeze.So hopefully one or more of these ideas might be helpful, whether it's to help you buy a bigger, more economical pack of something and then split it up to save some money. Also, you can do a lot of cooking or prep effort all in one go and then save energy on a busy weeknight or to just generally save on waste, especially when our children are going through faddy phases or when family life gets really busy and the meals that we had planned don't work out when we thought. Joanne runs through 12 different foods and some of them are groups of foods so it's a slightly longer episode and we have two short segments with our resident freezer geek, Kate Hall from The Full Freezer.Links in this episode:Episode with Jenna Brown about safe freezing of leftovers: https://www.thefoodies.org/ff6/Reel with Jenna about freezing rice: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLDOvdiN4K0/Kate's website - https://www.thefullfreezer.com/Kate's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thefullfreezerKate's Can I Freeze It? page for individual ingredients Full list of freezer links on the shownotes page.Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In today's episode Joanne talks through some of the rules and precautions you need to think through if you want to try foraging with kids. This last Thursday episode of the month is normally reserved for talking about how to store, freeze and use up a group of foods, and this month's food is blackberries. Because we already covered berries in detail back in June, Joanne does cover how to store and use up blackberries and talks to Kate Hall about freezing them. But that short section leaves some time to discuss one of the things that comes up when parents think about picking blackberries and that's the general topic of whether it's ok to forage with kids in general. Joanne runs through some of the common rules and etiquette of foraging and some ideas for exploring wild plants with kids, including some ideas that don't require eating anything!There are lots of links to foraging sites, videos of plants, and recipes for blackberries and other plants. DISCLAIMER: Of course when it comes to anything out in nature, there is an inherent balance of risk and listeners need to take good advice from various sources and decide the right balance of risk for themselves, you have to be certain that you know what you are eating or you should not eat it or let your child eat it. Some wild plants are poisonous and you should make sure you are properly informed. For that reason, below are links to lots of different resources of foraging advice in the UK but The Food For Kids Podcast is not advising you to forage with children and eat the things you find and does not take any responsibility for the foraging you decide to do, this is just a jumping off point for you to think about and go and find out more, and the links given are just sugestions as starting points, not endorsements. Joanne gives suggestions for ways to explore wild plants with children without eating anything you gather so if in doubt, you can explore without eating. All foraging with your children is at your own risk.Links:Website with full section on foraging with kids: https://www.thegrizzlyforager.co.uk/for-kids/Great article about foraging with kids: https://growinghealthykids.co.uk/teach-your-kids-to-forage/Great website on wild play: https://gowildgowest.co.uk PIcking blackberries blog: https://www.thefoodies.org/how-to-pick-blackberries-with-kids/ Blackberry ice pops: https://www.thefoodies.org/blackberry-yoghurt-ice-pops/ Blackberry apple cake: https://jesseatsandtravels.com/apple-and-blackberry-cake/#recipe  Blackberry apple crumble cake: https://family-friends-food.com/blackberry-apple-crumble-cake/ Kate's videos on freezing blackberries: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/Cpn2Oh7oDAK/ Article about foraging cleavers with kids: https://www.thegrizzlyforager.co.uk/cleavers/ Video about foraging for cleavers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtavLPq8OmYCleaver and cucumber drink: https://www.foreadventure.co.uk/adventure/sticky-weed-refreshing-and-revitalising-cleavers-water-with-lemon-and-cucumber/ Article about foraging wild garlic: https://www.countryfile.com/how-to/food-recipes/wild-garlic-guide-where-to-find-how-to-cook-it-and-recipe-ideas Video about how to identify wild garlic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OaVXERcJIY Video on foraging wild garlic safely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-a5YyduErE Video on foraging for dandelions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe6kvIpKZTg Dandelion fritters recipe: https://natureintoaction.com/2022/04/27/making-dandelion-fritters-with-kids/ Dandelion "honey" recipe: https://veganonboard.com/vegan-dandelion-honey/  Article on harvesting nettles with kids: https://nourishingmeals.com/2010/02/harvesting-nettles-children Video of picking nettles with kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QYf6uUIz-E Recipe for nettle soup: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/nettle-soup Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

This episode forms a two-parter with episode 33 about how to talk about food, and this one is about how to take pressure away from the dinner table in general and includes an interview with Kirsty Porter from Nutrition4Kids, who we last heard from back in episode 12 where she talked about sensory issues with foods. After the interview piece Joanne runs through some other small and practical things you can do to make the dinner table feel more comfortable for kids.Links in the episode:My £7.49 familiarity workshop - https://thefoodiesbooks.com/food-familiarity-course/Kirsty's website: https://nutrition4kidsni.com/Kirsty's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutrition4kidsniMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In today’s episode Joanne talks about how to talk about food with your child if you are trying to take the pressure off them and especially if you have a fussy or anxious eater.She goes over why it’s important to be careful about how we talk about food at the table, and then gives some suggestions for ways that we can talk when exploring food with our child, that isn’t linked to their being pressured to eat.Don’t forget that there are many stages to eating and tasting is just the final one.As always, if you think your child might need some additional help with their eating if they're showing a lot of anxiety around food or if they have a very small or diminishing range of safe foods, then please do talk to a professional about it, you can find qualified professionals via the British Dietetic Association website.Links in this episode:Episode 9 - Is it my fault my child is a fussy eater? https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk9/Episode 4 - Is this fussy eating normal? with Emma Shafqat - https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk4/My 90 minute workshop on building children's comfort with food away from table - for £7.49 https://thefoodiesbooks.com/food-familiarity-course/Food adjectives list: https://www.thefoodies.org/adjectives-freebie/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

In today's episode Joanne is looking at reducing packaging waste in kids’ meals, so that’s mostly snack foods and lunchbox foods, and it’s something we all want to do, but it can be quite hard when there are so many things to balance.Joanne runs through some of the arguments for trying to reduce packaged foods, and gives some practical suggestions for one item at a time.Joanne then has a conversation with Suzanne Moore about ways to pack fresh items or decant items from bigger packages at home. The founder of Nom Nom Kids, Suzanne creates reusable products that children will love eating from and parents will enjoy filling and cleaning. The business was born out of a desire to reduce packaging waste in her own family, save money and feed healthy snacks on the go.Links in this episode:​Nom Nom Kids website - https://nomnomkids.co.ukSuzanne's Instagram: https://instagram.com/nomnomkidsSuzanne's ​Facebook: https://​facebook.com/nomnomkidsTiktok with live sales demos: https://www.tiktok.com/@nomnomkids Article about the lunch waste study: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/14/lunch-on-go-habit-generates-11bn-items-packaging-waste-year-ukMusic "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat