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UPFs in Early Life
All foods have a place in a fairly balanced diet. Problems appear when variety is replaced with just a few foods. Especially if those foods are UPFs. Even more so if we’re talking about young children’s diet.
Mixing isn’t Cooking
Children’s abilities are so often overlooked and dismissed. Early childhood education services are excellent spaces for children to learn cooking skills, but too often times all they do is “mixing”…
It’s More Than Just Calcium
Many children enjoy and even favour some plant-based milk alternatives over dairy for their sweeter taste. This is all fine as long as all nutritional needs are met. It’s not always the case.
Morning Tea
The well-intentioned yet unhelpful attitude that is most common at mealtimes with children: encouragement to eat. This daycare morning tea experience is a good illustration of it.
More Superfoods in Childcare
If there was a classification for superfoods, pulses and legumes would definitely be on the top of the list. They may be little seeds, but they are giants when it comes to their nutritional powers…
Reasons For Keeping Allergens On The Menu
Taking away core foods from non-allergic young children’s diets in the name of safety against reactions can come with a high price and negative consequences - for the children.
Foods Blanket-Ban: Evidence-Based or Fear-Based?
Are we acting in children’s best interest when we adopt practices such as blanket-ban of certain foods? Who are we really keeping safe?
Lactose-Free Doesn’t Have to Mean DAIRY-FREE
Many early childhood educational services (daycare, preschool) have a dairy avoidance or ban approach to allergy management. This article discusses the problems with this practice and practical alternatives to keep nutritious dairy on the menu.
How to Approach Fussy Eating with Families
Early learning professionals often ask me for suggestions on how to approach parents to talk about their children’s avoidant eating behaviour. I wrote some in this article.
Lunchbox Audits
Lunchbox patrolling in educational settings are deceivingly unhelpful and may even send the wrong messages to children and aggravate the very situation educators and teachers are trying to fix.
Snack: a Dirty Word?
Why most people have the view that snack is synonymous with treat? Or junk food?
Let’s Be Food Smart - part 1
With lockdowns and supply shortages, this article has a few suggestions to PLAN and SHOP SMART for you to make the most of the few you may have access these days.
Daycare Lunchbox: A Basic Guide
So many parents find it so burdensome to prepare a lunchbox for their children everyday. In most cases, they are literally overdoing it.
Never Too Young To Learn How To Cook
Scientific research shows that children who cook eat better, feel better and grow into a healthier life as adults.