From the Start Nutrition, Pediatric & Family Dietitian in New Jersey

12/26/2025

Holiday food rules feel out of control? Here are 4 dietitian-approved ✅ ways to help your family enjoy the season without food battles, guilt, or power struggles.

📌 Save this post so you can revisit it before the next party or family gathering.

1️⃣ Ditch the labels
Stop calling foods “good” or “bad.” When foods are labeled this way, kids start to see themselves as “good” or “bad” for what they eat, which fuels shame instead of trust.

2️⃣ Enjoy without guilt
You and your child are allowed to enjoy holiday treats. Removing guilt and “shoulds” around food actually supports more attuned eating and reduces sneaking or secret eating.

3️⃣ Skip the restriction
Strict food rules often backfire, leading to obsessing over treats, overeating when they’re available, and more power struggles. Focus on balance: pair fun foods with meals and snacks that offer staying power (protein, fats, fiber) instead of banning sweets.

4️⃣ Serve lots of options
Offer a variety of familiar foods, fun holiday treats, and nutrient-dense options at the same time. This structure helps kids learn to self-regulate, explore new foods, and still meet their nutrition needs.

🎄 This season, aim for connection over perfection: enjoy the cookie, model a relaxed attitude around food, and protect your child’s long-term relationship with eating.

Follow for realistic family nutrition tips, feeding therapy-informed strategies, and free resources to make mealtimes easier! Happy holidays! 💙

12/25/2025

Wishing You a Merry Christmas 🎄, Happy Holidays ❄️, and a Happy, Healthy New Year! ✨

As we reflect on the past year, we are so grateful for the families, clients, and colleagues who trust From the Start Nutrition for evidence-based, compassionate nutrition care.

If supporting your child’s feeding needs, improving your family’s relationship with food, or prioritizing your own nutrition is part of your New Year goals, our dietitians would love to help you get started in 2026.

📅 Book your nutrition appointments for the New Year!
👉🏼 https://pp.berrystreet.co/?practice=ftsn

Here’s to a year ahead filled with growth, nourishment, and confidence—at the table and beyond.

12/24/2025

Feeling nervous heading into a holiday gathering with a picky eater? 😬
You’re not alone—and you *can* get ahead of the comments and the stress.

A little preparation goes a long way in helping **both you and your child** feel calm, confident, and supported at the table ❤️

Try these simple shifts before and during holiday meals 👇
✨ Prepare your child ahead of time so there are fewer surprises
🍞 Always include at least one familiar, “safe” food
🗣️ Use confident, neutral scripts when family comments pop up
❤️ Focus on comfort and curiosity—not pressure
🎄 Center connection and togetherness over a “perfect” plate

These tools help reduce anxiety, protect your child’s trust with food, and make gatherings feel more manageable—for everyone.

Wishing you happy holidays 🎄☃️ and a healthy, confident new year ahead ✨
You deserve calm and peaceful mealtimes in 2026!

👉🏼 Follow, like, and share for child feeding support
From the Start Nutrition is a pediatric and family nutrition practice providing evidence-based, non-diet nutrition counseling for children, teens, and parents. Services are led by Registered Dietitians and include virtual nutrition counseling nationwide, with limited in-person appointments available in New Jersey.

12/24/2025

Double tap 💙💙 if you know the feeling 😂😅

Being a new mom is a beautiful journey filled with precious moments, love, and endless diaper changes! 😂 All while recovering from childbirth.

The thought of tackling your to-do list while taking care of your newborn might seem doable at first, but the reality is quite different.

The truth is that newborn care requires your undivided attention, and your to-do list can wait because nothing is more important than bonding with your little one.❤️

It’s important for new moms to have grace for themselves and just embrace the reality… and enjoy those newborn cuddles because they grow up so fast! 🥰

That’s why I am a littlllleeee slow on social media these days. I’m enjoying my 4th (and last) newborn phase :-)

But I’m still around so feel free to DM me or check out the links in my bio!

I’m also working on something exciting on the back-end, so, stay tuned!

What advice do you have for new moms? Drop it in the comments below ⬇️

12/23/2025

👉🏼 Parents ask this all the time—and the short answer is: yes!

✨“Is it okay to add butter and salt to my child’s vegetables?”✨

🧈🧂Adding a little butter or olive oil plus a pinch of salt can make vegetables taste better, which means kids are more likely to eat (and enjoy) them 🎉

This simple strategy can help with picky eating and encourage kids to try more veggies.

💡Here’s why flavoring vegetables can be a smart choice:
• Kids eat with their taste buds. A touch of flavor makes vegetables less bitter and more appealing.
• Healthy fats matter. Butter and olive oil help kids absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K.

✨ Pro hack: mix butter + olive oil (1:1 ratio) for the flavor of butter plus the heart-healthy fats from olive oil.

For kids who need extra calories (underweight, growth concerns, or high energy needs), you can double up on fats with both butter and olive oil. Just keep the salt to a light sprinkle.

👉🏼 Keep veggie portions small, rotate different vegetables, and focus on exposure and enjoyment over perfection. Every positive bite builds confidence and expands variety.

💬 What’s one vegetable your child actually likes and how do your prepare it? Share it in the comments—you might inspire another parent!

❤️ You don’t need to serve vegetables plain to make them “healthy.” A touch of flavor may be the bridge to more veggie wins at your table.

➡️ Want expert help with picky eating, mealtime stress, or growth concerns? Book a 1:1 with our Pediatric Dietitians. Telehealth available. In-network with major insurance. Visit https://www.fromthestartnutrition.com

12/21/2025

❤️🎄 to a reel from last holiday season! For those of you who haven't done so already, it's not too late this holiday season to give yourself the gift of ditching diet culture!

What are your health goals for this month? For 2023?

Share your goals and get personal feedback during my free Facebook Live on on ✨7 Tips to Survive the Holidays Using Intuitive Eating ✨ on Thursday, 12/8, at 1:30 pm ET.

To claim your spot in my free Facebook live event:
‣ Join my Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/intuitiveeatersclub/
‣ Please bookmark the Facebook Group page - this is where the Facebook Live will take place!
‣ Prior to the event, I will share a FREE BONUS worksheet to the Facebook Group!
‣ Mark your calendar so you don’t forget!
‣ Share this Facebook Live event with your friends and colleagues!

12/19/2025

Are you interested in learning more about Intuitive Eating?

When I finally embarked on my own journey with Intuitive Eating after having my third child, it changed my life in ways that I could have not imagined.

I used to obsess over food ➡️ and now I don’t

I used to feel guilt after eating ➡️ and now I feel joy

I used to tie my self-worth to my weight ➡️ and now I no longer weight myself and my self-worth is tied to my values and the things that matter in my life 💕

And now I help others do the same!

I’m Beth Conlon, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor.

I help individuals and families overcome eating disorders and disordered eating so that they can live the life of food freedom that they deserve.

In addition, I specialize in helping people with chronic health conditions improve their nutrition while overcoming disordered eating habits using Intuitive Eating principles.

✅You DESERVE to achieve good health and nutrition.

✅ You DESERVE to feel good about the food-related choices you make.

✅ You DESERVE to feel good in your own body, no matter your shape or your size.

Everyone needs support - whether it’s personal, professional, or a combination of both. Getting the help you need is a step that takes courage and strength. And I am here for you every step of the way!

Join my Intuitive Eaters Club! We start January 2023.

✨✨✨Join at the Link in My Bio or Send Me a Message✨✨✨

12/18/2025

❌ Myth: Restrict what your child eats so they don’t become overweight.

✅ Fact: Restriction backfires. Supported by several decades of research, we now know that restriction has a reverse effect - resulting in INCREASED intake of less nutritious foods, becoming obsessed over restricted foods, and increasing risk of and

Letting go of restriction doesn’t it’s a free-for-all. You need to move away from restriction towards setting boundaries (with love 💕). Children thrive with structure and boundaries. In fact, monitoring and setting limits has positive associations with child eating behaviors and health.

If you want to raise a child:
✅ who can independently choose balanced foods for meals and snacks
✅ who knows how, when, and where to eat to feel satisfied
✅ who knows that all foods can fit into a healthy, balanced diet
✅ who has a healthy and positive relationship with food and body

Then follow me for more tips and free resources on raising happy, healthy eaters!

12/17/2025

Listen 👂 People need to eat.

✅Yes, even if they have cardiometabolic concerns.
✅Yes, health is possible at every size ✅Yes, even if you insist on being sustainable weight loss still requires a person to eat enough calories (and 1,000 calories is certainly not enough!)

The facts are that most restrictive weight loss diets don’t work (otherwise obesity would not still be an epidemic) and restriction will likely fuel disordered eating or trigger an eating disorder in individuals.

When in doubt, refer your patients to a

12/16/2025

Looking for some indoor fun, or classroom or therapy activities? Check out these 3 Fun & Easy Christmas Food Activities for Kids (with Free PDF Download!):

Discover 3 fun and easy Christmas food activities for kids! From veggie tree platters to DIY cocoa bars, these hands-on ideas promote joyful food exploration. Free PDF included.

12/15/2025

Anyone else simplifying whatever they can this week? When life is busy, the slow cooker saves me. This shredded beef is a family favorite and I often hear from clients that picky eaters will eat it! Easy, flexible, and low stress - perfect for the hectic holidays!

This family-friendly slow cooker shredded beef recipe is easy, tender, and perfect for tacos, sandwiches, or rice bowls. Great for meal prep or leftovers!