#60: Nutrition sans diet culture: what can I teach my kids?
In this episode we discuss…
Anna and Elizabeth’s backgrounds and how they came to their work at Sunny Side Up Nutrition
a listener question about how or whether to teach her kids about nutrition and “healthy eating”
challenges that can come with becoming an intuitive eater later in life
how children learn about “healthy eating” through modeling and experience
the goal of helping kids preserve their natural intuitive eating abilities
the importance of thinking about developmental stage when discussing nutrition — ex. the ability to grasp abstract concepts
what Elizabeth and Anna teach their own kids of varied ages about nutrition and food
wanting kids to grow up to trust their internal cues and be able to put together a meal
why it’s not the best time to intervene if you’re feeling anxiety or fear about what’s on your child’s plate
the value of food exploration and food exposure in nutrition education
examples of nutrition education gone wrong in schools
examples of how to respond to messages about nutrition your children have heard elsewhere
why what you say at home speaks louder than the messages your kids get elsewhere
Anna and Elizabeth’s answers to the million dollar question
We spoke with the wonderful team behind Sunny Side Up Nutrition to answer a question from a listener wondering how or what she can teach her kids about nutrition without diet culture sneaking in. Anna and Elizabeth talked us through the value of modeling behaviors, considering developmental stage in the conversations you have about food, what kind of nutrition education is happening in schools, and what really supports kids in maintaining their intuitive eating abilities and growing up into competent eaters.
Anna Lutz, MPH, RD, LDN, CEDRD-S is a Registered Dietitian and co-creator of Sunny Side Up Nutrition, a website and blog about family feeding, nutrition and simple cooking. She provides nutrition therapy and clinical supervision with Lutz, Alexander & Associates Nutrition Therapy and specializes in eating disorders and pediatric/family nutrition. Anna received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Duke University and Master of Public Health in Nutrition from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian (CEDRD) and an Approved Supervisor both through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). Anna previously worked on the eating disorders treatment teams at Children’s National Medical Center and Duke University Student Health. Anna is a national speaker and delivers workshops and presentations on eating disorders, weight inclusive healthcare, and childhood feeding. She is the mom of three very different eaters, ages 13, 10 and 4.
Elizabeth Davenport, MPH, RDN, LD is a Registered Dietitian and co-creator of Sunny Side Up Nutrition, a website and blog about family feeding, nutrition and simple cooking. Elizabeth is also the co-owner of Pinney Davenport Nutrition in Washington, DC where she provides nutrition counseling with a specialty in eating disorders and child and family nutrition. She received her BA in English from the Ohio State University. Shortly after undergraduate school, Elizabeth decided to put her love of cooking and baking to use and she embarked on a career as a professional baker and sometimes line cook. After tiring of years in the restaurant business, Elizabeth went back to school to get her Master of Public Health in Nutrition from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before going into private practice, Elizabeth worked at Children's National Medical Center where she worked in the outpatient nutrition clinics. Elizabeth is the mom of two daughters ages 12 and 16 who, like Anna's three children, are very different eaters.
Connect with Sunny Side Up Nutrition on their website, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Resources mentioned or recommended:
“A School Nutrition Lesson — the Edible Parts of a Plant” (blog post on nutrition education in schools)
a lesson on making homemade butter from cream