Changing Bodies, Picky Eating, and Making Food More Neutral for Kids with Leah Hackney | #92

Click here to access a written transcript of this episode.

For parents and caregivers, it can be tough to figure out how best to handle food and body image when it comes to kids. Luckily, Leah Hackney, a pediatric registered dietitian and the woman behind the popular @kids.nutritionist Instagram account, has some ideas. Listen in to hear Leah chat with me about why growth charts aren't everything, how to adopt more neutral language around food, and strategies to help with picky eating.

We discussed:

• Leah's work as a pediatric dietitian.
• Misconceptions around growth charts and their limitations
• How a lot of kids have the ability to self-regulate around food.
• How kids' bodies change throughout childhood and adolescence.
• Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility
• Causes of picky eating and strategies for dealing with it.
• The importance of keeping all foods neutral for kids.
• Helping kids learn more about their hunger and fullness cues.
• How to deal with comments from others about your child's diet or body.
• Moving away from impossible standards for feeding and raising kids.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Leah provided examples of growth charts—Boys BMI, Girls BMI, Boys Stature and Weight for Age, Girls Stature and Weight For Age—and also wanted to note that (1) the charts unnecessarily use gendered colors, and (2) pediatric health professionals do use BMI to track growth (in case that's triggering), but the goal is not to get a child to average BMI, it's to track where they are
• Leah's picky eating course
• Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility in Feeding

Featured in This Episode

Leah Hackney (she/her) is a Pediatric Registered Dietitian in both the U.S. and Canada. Leah's virtual private practice is centered around helping families with infant feeding, picky eating, and raising kids to have a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. You can keep up with Leah on Instagram.

Did you benefit from this episode? You can show your appreciation by supporting Leah's work and cause she cares about.  Check out Leah's Overcoming Picky Eating course if you have picky eaters at home, and consider donating to the WaterStone Foundation, an organization that helps make eating disorder treatment more accessible.