BeeKay Nutrition

12/12/2022

Raising kids & teens with a good relationship with food often requires eating when not physically hungry. Read when and why this is okay! Plus tips for making an often challenging experience easier.

Raising kids & teens with a good relationship with food often requires eating when not physically hungry. Read when and why this is okay!

08/10/2022

Hiding veggies in your food may help your kids eat them in the short term, but it won't help them learn to enjoy them or choose them on their own.

Plus this can harm your relationship when they inevitably find out what you've done 😥

Instead, serve veggies often, with yummy sauces and flavour and dips.

Offer them along with other filling foods and keep it neutral how you talk about them.

For more tips on raising adolescents with a good relationship with food follow .nutritionist

If you want more support with feeding your adolescents free of guilt and shame, schedule a Discovery Call linked in bio today!

07/18/2022

Sessions with me aren't totally about food and nutrition, because your adolescent isn't someone that only eats and drinks.
And they shouldn't be!!
Adolescence is a time to explore new interests, hobbies, and experiences.
If your adolescent is primarily concerned about what they eat or how they look, that can be a warning sign that things may need some adjustments.
If you are worried about your adolescent's eating habits and behaviors schedule a Discovery Call *linked in bio* and make sure to follow .nutritionist for more tips and resources for raising adolescents with a good relationship with food and body, free of guilt and shame 💖

07/07/2022

When I hear parents telling their adolescent to eat some fruit instead of or before having cake, I know they're concerned about their adolescent's health and just want them to eat a balanced and nutrient rich variety food.

What does your adolescent hear?

🔴 Fruit is "better" than cake
🟠 I can't be trusted around food
🟡 I need rules when I eat
🟢 I'm bad for wanting to eat more cake
🔵 I'd be better if I ate only fruit
🟣 My parent gets upset when I eat too much
🟤 etc. and more

These likely aren't the thoughts and feelings you mean to or want to bring up in your adolescent!

How can you give your adolescent the message of the importance of variety in their diet without creating negative associations with food or themselves?

✔️Consistently provide a variety of food - yes fruit AND cake!
✔️ Model enjoying BOTH those foods
✔️Talk neutrally about food and how it all nourishes us
✔️Trust your adolescent to eat the amount and type of food that feels right to them. You can't dictate portion sizes because you don't experience their body's sensations or feelings.

06/29/2022

The way we talk about food informs adolescents' relationship with food. Putting foods into categories can negatively affect this relationship, while making some changes to the way we talk about food can significantly improve how kids & teens feel about food and themselves.
Learn more here:

How we talk about food informs adolescents' relationship with food. Labeling foods into categories can negatively affect this relationship.

06/28/2022

Many of the adolescents I work with express distress over their eating habits, and want to change.

One teen I'm working with currently feels out of control around specific foods like desserts and sweets.

She's tried limiting them in the past, but each time she would eventually eat some, she'd feel OUT OF CONTROL and eat more than she really wanted.

Working together now, we're trying to incorporate these foods MORE OFTEN into her daily eating. This isn't a matter of self control but rather *restriction*.

These are foods she really likes and are a part of her family's eating patterns. By cutting herself off of them, she created a sense of scarcity and restriction. So when she would allow herself to have some, her body didn't know when she would have this again, so it went all out in eating what was available in the moment.

Now that she has unlimited permission to eat these foods, and multiple opportunities to do so, she can eat the amount that feels right in the moment.

This is an ongoing process that takes some time to build that trust around food availability.

But if your adolescent feels out of control around a food, he may need MORE access to that food.

06/09/2022

Staying hydrated can be difficult for adolescents and teens who don't enjoy drinking plain water. And if your adolescent isn't drinking, that may be a problem.

But water isn't the only drink available.

You can experiment with adding flavour to water with fruit, store-bought enhancers, carbonation, or tea, or look to other drinks, like juice, kombucha, or sports drinks (especially necessary if your adolescent is active in the heat).

We don't have to fear drinking sugar or calories! The body recognizes them and uses them the same as food calories, and compensates for that.

** drinks are generally not a replacement for food and even if having drinks with sugar or calories, adolescents need to eat food too.

06/03/2022

I was working with a teen client on adding more food to her breakfast to increase the nutrient and satiety factor of her meal.
Mom commented that having a more filling breakfast will help prevent her from eating snacks before lunch.
I pointed out that the goal isn't NOT EATING, but rather making sure each meal or snack has more variety to ensure adolescents meet their nutritional needs over the day.

But they still need to eat every 2-4 hours to do so.

Snacking isn't meant to be avoided! We want to help adolescents make choices that will be satisfying and nourishing.

That means parents' role is to encourage regular eating and help adolescents increase their variety of foods eaten at a given time.

You can do this by creating a neutral food environment where all food is morally equal and available to chose from.
Help your adolescent add more variety without judging their current choices
Encourage regular eating with modelling it yourself and not commenting when they do eat.

If you're struggling to raise adolescents with a good relationship with food and their body, schedule a Discovery Call today

05/25/2022

“Fat” is one of the essential nutrients adolescents (and all humans) need to eat regularly.
Teens often fear eating foods with fat because of the negative association society has created with “being fat”.
However, this fear is unfounded, as eating fat does not make us fat, and is in fact crucial in many important body functions.
Read more about fat- why it's necessary, how much teens need in a day, and how to help teens develop a good relationship with fat-containing foods.

"Fat" is one of the essential nutrients adolescents need to eat regularly, as it is crucial in many important body functions.

05/11/2022

At a social gathering recently I was asked why/how Tess Holiday can have anorexia and still be in a big body.
That very belief is what delayed her diagnosis and treatment.

It's weight stigma and the belief that everyone is supposed to be in the same size and shape body.

WHICH IS FALSE

People come in all sizes and shapes and this is normal!

Also, people in all body sizes and shapes suffer from the same medical conditions, but it's their access to non stigmaed health care that makes the difference.

Many times I speak with parents who are borderline concerned about their adolescent's eating behaviors, but justify that they're okay or don't need help because THEIR WEIGHT ISN'T LOW ENOUGH FOR CONCERN.

Weight does not equal health

Your adolescent may be struggling with their food intake, beliefs about food, body image, or physical activity, with no immediate affect on their weight. And yet they still need and deserve help!

If you're worried about your adolescent's eating habits and food intake, schedule a Discovery Call *linked in bio*. Gain the skills and knowledge to feel empowered raising adolescents with a good relationship with food free of guilt and shame 💖

05/06/2022

I was speaking recently with a mom who has noticed some worrisome eating habits in her adolescent.
And while mom was concerned, she also mentioned her daughter's high weight as proof that those behaviours were not as bad as it sounded.

Too often, disordered eating and eating disorders get overlooked in people with big bodies or bodies in the socially approved sizes.
And on the flip side, people with small bodies also have poor eating habits and struggle with their behaviours, that aren't addressed because they appear to be in a "healthy" body

Body size is not an indicator of your adolescent's eating habits. People in all body sizes and shapes have the same struggles with their food intake!
And regardless of size, every adolescent deserves care that addresses those behaviours and habits.

If you're worried about your adolescent's eating habits and food intake, schedule a Discovery Call *linked in bio*. Gain the skills and knowledge to feel empowered raising adolescents with a good relationship with food free of guilt and shame 💖

05/04/2022

Clothes shopping can be really difficult to navigate and full of emotions.

Support your adolescent's body image by reminding them:
1. Clothes should fit YOU rather than changing your body to fit into clothes
2. You are MORE than your body
3. Find stores that have more size options
4. Validate and empathize with the pain and negative feelings
5. Advocate for improvements in the stores you shop
6. Discourage your adolescent trying to change their body with risky behaviours of dieting or exercise.

Read more about each point on the blog
https://beekaynutrition.com/2022/05/02/clothes-shopping/