CINCINNATI — Having a picky eater at home is no fun for anyone- which is why one Cincinnati mom is trying to change that, one picky eater at a time.
What You Need To Know
- Grace Shea is a pediatric nutritionist and also a mom to two young boys
- Shea started her business, First Bites Nutrition, to help other moms with feeding their kids
- Recently, Shea developed a new program called Healthy Little Eaters to focus on helping parents with picky eaters
- Shea says the 12-month program will focus on long-term changes to help create a healthy eater
Grace Shea always has a little helper in the kitchen. Her 3-year-old son Hudson always insists on helping at mealtime.
Shea, a pediatric dietitian, started her own business, First Bites Nutrition, and most recently developed a new program to help families with picky eaters called Healthy Little Eaters. She said getting the kids in the kitchen at a young age can be a big help.
“Involving kids in the kitchen is a great way to have their diet be more expansive and have them eating different types of fruits and vegetables because they’re more inclined to eat what they’re involved with,” Shea said.
But, she says no family is perfect. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most youth do not meet the fruit and vegetable recommendations.
“Real life here, we eat peanut butter and jelly,” Shea said.
But she knows it can be tough raising a child that only eats certain types of food. She said focusing on the roles the parent and child have in feeding is key.
“Understanding your role in feeding which helps him really learn to love all different types of foods,” she said.
Through the 12-month program, she is hopeful to make the kitchen a joyful place for families again.
“Working with these moms and parents and really seeing the transformation of the kids and the parents too,” she said. “Just seeing them start to enjoy eating together, family time together, seeing the stress melt away.”
If you’re interested in learning more or want to sign up for the Healthy Little Eaters program, visit Shea’s website.
