Mom, What's For Dinner?

Jen Belanger MS RD LDN and Izzy Wilson

A podcast for parents who need help navigating the muddy waters of feeding their kids. From starting solids to picky eating and body image concerns, join me for real life, down to earth conversations about how to nourish our kids. I may be a pediatric dietitian, but I'm also a mom, dealing with the same day-to-day craziness and joy of motherhood as my listeners. You’ll learn, you’ll laugh, and you’ll be inspired!

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Top 10 Mom, What's For Dinner? Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Mom, What's For Dinner? episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Mom, What's For Dinner? for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Mom, What's For Dinner? episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Plating Meals for a Picky Eater [What and How Much to Put on the Plate]

Mom, What's For Dinner?

09/24/24 • 25 min

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"Help! My child only eats chicken nuggets and pasta, what do I put on their plate at dinner?” If this sounds like an issue you face in your home, then this episode is for you! We don't only want to put foods kids are known to like and accept on their plate. Learn how to make mealtimes pleasant for everyone, and ensure your kiddo eats something. This is an episode you don't want to miss!

Disclaimer: Any information that I discuss on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Please always talk with your doctor before making any serious changes to your or your child's diet. Through this podcast, I am not conducting nutrition counseling or treatment.

Popular Workout Supplements Among Teens

Mom, What's For Dinner?

10/01/24 • 25 min

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If you've got a teen athlete or avid gym goer, they may be asking you to buy protein powders, preworkout, or creatine. These supplements are growing in popularity among teens, but are they really necessary? In today's episode we dive deep into some of most popular workout supplements among teens and give you the low down on safety and how to use them.

How to Talk To Kids About Weight

Mom, What's For Dinner?

10/22/24 • 24 min

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Today we are tackling the difficult topic of how to have a discussion with your child about weight. Even if your household is body neutral (which is awesome!), kids are bound to hear comments about weight and bodies at school, sports, and social settings. We'll equip you with all the tools you will need to tackle the questions that come from your kids about this topic. We talk about how to have the conversation using the Health At Every Size principles and the best ways to ensure your child doesn’t internalize weight stigma.

Cooking Healthy Meals On A Budget

Mom, What's For Dinner?

11/05/24 • 23 min

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The price of groceries is astronomical and we are all feeling it! Whenever I leave the grocery store I feel that burning hole in my pocket. This week we are coming at you with some quick and easy tips for cooking healthy on a budget. We're big foodies here so we have done all the work for you when it comes to combining budget friendly with delicious!

Nutrients Crucial for Brain Development

Mom, What's For Dinner?

11/12/24 • 28 min

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Brain development happens very rapidly in the first 3 years of life. From pregnancy to preschool age, join us to learn about important nutrients to make sure your child is getting during this vital time in brain development. We also list off some of the best brain powering foods to fuel those little brains so they can reach their full potential.

Resources:

Nutrition for brain development: https://healthychildren.org/english/news/pages/aap-aims-to-ensure-kids-get-nutrients-for-brain-development-policy.aspx?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw65-zBhBkEiwAjrqRMF7TjTRNaYraD5B2f4Jz1j5u70kalsH8aCTkFjOxMGsueDVPKp2GzhoCDeAQAvD_BwE

The first five: https://files.firstthingsfirst.org/why-early-childhood-matters/the-first-five-years#:~:text=The%20First%20Five%20Years&text=From%20birth%20to%20age%205,any%20other%20time%20in%20life.

The role of nutrition in brain development: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4981537/

Zinc deficiency and brain development: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3137936/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20deficiencies%20in%20iron,brain%20(5%2C%206).

The role of Iron in brain development:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7400887/

Choline during fetal development: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2441939/#:~:text=Choline%20is%20critical%20during%20fetal,de%20novo%20synthesis%20as%20well.

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-Consumer/

Prenatal folate and choline: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8778665/#:~:text=Children's%20early%20cognitive%20performance%20on,24%2C25%2C26%5D.

Iodine: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-Consumer/

Effects of Omega 3 on Brain development: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9641984/#:~:text=Omega%2D3%20PUFAs%2C%20often%20present,affect%20brain%20functions%20%5B24%5D.

Vitamin D: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17143049/#:~:text=Summary%3A%20Vitamin%20D%20emerges%20as,specific%20applications%20in%20clinical%20nutrition

Stop Short Order Cooking to Help End Picky Eating

Mom, What's For Dinner?

11/19/24 • 23 min

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Do you find yourself cooking multiple meals in a single night because everyone in your family wants something different? Stir fry for the parents, hot dog for kid 1, mac n cheese for kid 2? This episode is for you! By the end of this episode you'll have learned how to make one meal per night that everyone can sit down and enjoy together.

To learn more about Jen’s picky eating program click here: https://jenbelangernutrition.com/pickyeating/

Baby Led Weaning: Part 1

Mom, What's For Dinner?

11/14/23 • 28 min

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Here's a little insight into Jen's day-to-day: she's in the thick of BLW right now! Jen started offering her 6 month old strips of steak, soft cooked apple wedge, and even peanut butter, right away! BLW is a method of introducing solids to your baby that is completely, as it sounds, baby led. Many parents remain terrified to try it due to fear of choking, but on this episode we'll set the record straight on safety as well as all the ins and outs you need to be successful with BLW. We have SO much to say on this that we broke the episode into 2 parts! On Jen, Is This Healthy, we'll dive into Popcorners chips.
PS...I do not earn any commissions on products I recommend.
Links:
Baby Self Feeding Spoons and Beginner Bowls : NumNum® (numnumbaby.us)

Baby Led Weaning: What You Need to Know: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/baby-led-weaning/
Book: 101 Before One: Family meals from the start by Julia Laux and others

Choking: baby led weaning vs traditional weaning: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29205569/#:~:text=Results%3A%20In%20total%2C%2013.6%25,puree%20use%20and%20ever%20choking

Health At Every Size

Mom, What's For Dinner?

09/12/23 • 35 min

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This is one of my favorite episodes so far! This week we are discussing Health at Every Size (HAES), a way to approach health that is weight-inclusive and looks at parameters beyond the number on the scale. It breaks my heart that kids are subject to weight stigma at a very young age, and we need to talk about HAES more! We'll dive into the research and key points behind HAES. Then we will be discussing one of my most asked Jen, is This Healthy? questions from my clients; juice!
Additional Resources:
The Health at Every Size® (HAES®) Principles - ASDAH

HAES Health Sheets: https://haeshealthsheets.com/

Weight Bias: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5100338/

Set point theory: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/set-point-theory/

Mom Series! Cleanses, Detoxes, and Scams Oh My!

Mom, What's For Dinner?

10/03/23 • 43 min

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It's Mom Series Episode 2! We are talking all about cleanses and detoxes [and scams]. In this episode we cut through all the noise about those expensive, trendy powders and pills and tell you the truth about if you truly need a detox or a cleanse! Then we are going to talk about one of Izzy’s favorite grab and go snacks on Jen, Is This Healthy? Go-go squeeze applesauce!

Seasonal Winter Produce and Recipe Inspiration

Mom, What's For Dinner?

12/31/24 • 32 min

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Happy New Year! This week Jen and Izzy and giving you a list of all of the seasonal produce that is in season during the winter months. We also share some recipe inspiration using season produce to get you inspired to cook meals at home this new year. We are so excited about this episode and what's to come on the podcast this year!
Additional resources:

Find Jen’s cookbook Fueling Families here: https://jenbelangernutrition.com/product/fueling-families/

Find Jen’s Fall Meal Plan Here: https://jenbelangernutrition.com/product/the-fueling-families-complete-7-day-meal-plan/

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