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Eating Disorders

Anorexia in Teens

Anorexia in Teens

Donna Martin, RD May 3, 2023

Identifying and understanding the signs of Anorexia in teens (your teen) is an important first step to getting help. Parents

mother and teenager with 5 signs of an eating disorder

5 Signs of Eating Disorders in Children

Donna Martin, RD February 23, 2023

In honour of eating disorder awareness week in February, we are sharing 5 signs of eating disorders in children and

How to help a child with ARFID

Rosanne Robinson, RD January 20, 2023

Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, better known as ARFID, is a relatively new eating disorder in terms of its official classification

7 things you should know about ARFID

Rosanne Robinson, RD February 3, 2022

“Why don’t you just stop buying goldfish crackers?” So many families that have a child with a diagnosis of Avoidant

7 Steps to Protect your Kids from Diet Culture

Rosanne Robinson, RD May 6, 2021

From the moment we welcome our babies at the hospital, they are greeted by a society obsessed with “the perfect

Rosanne & Cara

Rosanne and Cara, the owners of Blueprint Nutrition, met at a 6 a.m. Body Pump class in Guelph, Ontario. They had an immediate connection and quickly realized they both had a passion for fitness and nutrition. When they launched Blueprint Nutrition, they enveloped their two passions into the company – athletes and families.

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blueprint.nutrition.kids

Rosanne Robinson RD

I bought 2 boxes of Halloween candy on the weekend

I bought 2 boxes of Halloween candy on the weekend with kid number 2. We don’t get much traffic at our house (maybe 20-30 kids?) but I always want to have enough on hand in case it’s a bumper crop year! 😉

We stood there comparing prices and quantities and eventually chose two boxes of candies that we’ve never bought before. (The red Nestle variety box is getting a bit old!) 😆

We tried a couple pieces on the way home and agreed that the oreo cadbury chocolate was superior to the toffee flavoured one and that we both love a good sour gummy! 🍬

When we got home, I put the boxes in the pantry beside our box of Welch’s gummies, and nothing has been said about them since then.

Boxes of candy in the pantry are a non-event.

No sneaking or stealing; no battles or stress; no wrappers hidden under the bed. If they want candy, they ask, and 9 times out of 10 we’ll say yes to adding it to a snack or meal.

So, you might wonder - is this how my kids are wired or is this a result of our food-parenting approach?!? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think the answer is BOTH. ⤵️

Since day one, my spouse and I have been intentional (and consistent) around how we food-parent — how we talk about food specifically and how we model the enjoyment of all foods. As the kids have grown up, we’ve adjusted our messaging to be age-appropriate and now enjoy deeper conversations about food, which are super fun for me! 🤓

But I also know that my kids aren’t as ‘food motivated’ as other children naturally are.

We know that kid’s eating behaviours are trait-like and we continue to learn more through research as to what types of food parenting practices are most critical for supporting healthy eating and growth among kids who are genetically predisposed to love eating.

The big takeaway here is that you can do all the “right things” around Halloween “candy management” and it still may not be “working” because food parenting is not a one-size-fits-every-kid thing.

If you’re stressed or worried about Halloween candy, then you might need help with your long term approach and understanding the unique factors that contribute to your child’s eating/food journey.

That’s where we come in! 👋🏼

#feedingkids

Don’t settle for crappy instructions from a $10

Don’t settle for crappy instructions from a $10 kit ... 👿

Trying to put this haunted house kit together was clearly not for me. It had the worst directions I’ve seen in years and I gave up halfway through. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Because who has time for crappy instructions?

You don’t!!!

You’re a busy parent with work to do and mouths to feed and when things feel like they are falling apart at the dinner table because all your kid will eat is grilled cheese and then one day decides he doesn’t like that anymore ... then what do you do? 😫

Relying on little tidbits of information you hear from your friends, neighbours, doctor or posts on social media about picky eating isn’t a plan. It’s a crappy set of instructions that may completely mislead you. 😵‍💫

(And here’s the other thing. Solving picky eating isn’t intuitive for most parents. Oftentimes strategies go against what you naturally are inclined to do!)

Let’s collectively agree to get rid of the crappy instructions and acknowledge that you need (and deserve!) clarity about what to do in order to reclaim peace at the dinner table.

✨If you’re ready for clarity, stepwise instructions and support for the picky eating situation in your home, comment GROUP and I’ll send to you the link with information about our fall 2024 small group coaching cohort called Chaos 2 Calm! ☺️

PS - Early bird pricing ends Thursday October 24th at 10 pm ET so secure your spot ASAP!!

#pickyeaters #pickyeaterproblems #pickyeatingtips #feedingkids #realmotherhood #parentingproblems #kwawesome #dietitianmom #canadianmom

You can’t let their decision at suppertime send

You can’t let their decision at suppertime send you spiralling 🌪️😫.

I know this is easier said than done, but if you are so emotionally attached to whether they eat what you made for dinner or not, then a few things are going to happen.

No. 1 - You will find yourself either in rage-mode or just really angry or really sad most of the time. When your emotions are so wrapped up in what they eat at dinner, it’s really hard to stay regulated to do anything else you need to do. It’s exhausting. 😩

No. 2 - If you are so emotionally invested in what they eat, then you may stop making food you like and enjoy. You rob yourself of food that nourishes you and brings you joy. And if you gravitate towards just feeding them what you know they’ll eat, then they’ll never get exposure to new foods which in turn, makes the problem worse.

🤷🏻‍♀️ So how do we emotionally detach ourselves?

One of the biggest things that helps my clients to emotionally detach is to remember that “success” in feeding kids is not just marked by them “eating” the food. Rather, it’s about enjoying a pleasant mealtime at the table together.

Writing positive affirmations about your strengths as a parent are really helpful too. 🤍

This definitely is a more nuanced conversation - I’d love to hear your thoughts. ⤵️

✨ Don’t forget!! The EXTRA early bird rate for my online group coaching program for parents of picky eaters ends tomorrow morning. Comment ‘GROUP’ and I’ll send you the link!

#pickyeaters #feedingkids #feedingmyfamily #realmotherhood #motherhoodquotes #mealplanning #kwawesome #canadianmom

What’s the temperature at your table? 🔥 Did

What’s the temperature at your table? 🔥

Did you know that pressuring kids to eat doesn’t help their picky eating?! It often makes it worse.

Pressure to eat often leads to power struggles and battles at the table. And if the table is a constant place of conflict, kids will enter supper time with higher levels of anxiety. And anxiety is like a bully at the table - it robs kids of their appetite and makes it even harder to eat. 😞

Oftentimes parents are pressuring kids to eat “healthy” foods and this direct pressure makes kids associate unpleasant feelings with that food well into the future - making them LESS likely to eat it.

We all know what HOT pressure is - e.g. bribes for bites, coaxing for bites, rewarding bites with dessert, emotional blackmailing, force feeding etc. 🥵

But do you know what WARM pressure is? 🤔

Warm pressure are things that you might be saying that you don’t think are negatively impacting your kid but very well could be. It’s saying or doing things like:

☝🏼Talking about nutrients/nutrition non-stop (you won’t make rep hockey this year if you don’t start eating more protein)
😬 Reminders to eat at the table (one parent used to remind their child to eat over 60 times during in a 20 minute meal!)
👀 Starring and hovering (would you feel comfortable eating your meal if someone was constantly looking at you with judgmental eyes?)

So what should you do instead?

Well, that depends on your child, family and goals.

Generally speaking though, we recommend dinner table talk to include any topic other than food, or, to make the comments about food neutral.

Not sure where to start?

🌹 Try the rose/thorn/rosebud game - each family member shares their rose (good part) and thorn (unpleasant part) of their day, as well as their rosebud (what they are looking forward to tomorrow).

Overall, try to make your table a place of warmth from friendly conversation instead of warm from the heat of pressure.

✨Looking for more strategies and support for your picky eater? The doors for my small group coaching program ‘Chaos 2 Calm’ are open! Comment PROGRAM and I’ll send you the details and an extra early bird rate (on until Oct 17)

When was the last time that you went into a meal w

When was the last time that you went into a meal with the opinion that your kids could surprise you? 🤔

There was a 90% chance (based on previous experience) that my kids wouldn’t eat the peppers in the fajitas that I made last night.

But had I not made this dish, then there would be no way for them to learn to like it over time.

So, I still made the meal, even though it’s not their favourite, and I plunked the cast iron pan on the table with the mix of chicken, peppers and onions.

There were wraps, grated cheese, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole there too for topping selection. There was something that everyone likes.

One kid picked the chicken pieces out for a “chicken-only” fajita while the other one took chicken and a few cooked peppers but then pulled some of the peppers out as the fajita was eaten.

That was new!

Sure, it wasn’t a “yeah - cooked peppers are now a favourite” win of sorts, but a “hey - there is some willingness to try”.

These types of mini wins are what you can get overtime by taking the shot - making the meal - time and time again. 🏀

But if you don’t take the shot … well, you know what happens. 😉

So, when was the last time you took the shot?

*Don’t forget that tips for feeding kids on IG are not always applicable for every child, family or situation. Kids with significant feeding difference may need a different approach.*

#feedingkids #familymealideas #familymeals #pickyeaters #canadianmom #dietitianmom #realmotherhood #kwawesome

“Yes! You need to keep offering ... AND … !!!!

“Yes! You need to keep offering ... AND … !!!! 👇🏼

AND #1 - AND You need to ask yourself if you’ve done the work to truly uncover all the root causes for the picky eating. “Keep offering” is fine but if your child is actually struggling with chronic constipation or has undiagnosed iron deficiency or sensory processing concerns then “keeping offering” only goes so far. (PS - Don’t do this on your own! This is our job as dietitians who specialize in helping families with selective eaters!)

AND #2 - AND You need to be offering these exposures without pressure or expectation. Pressure and expectation weigh heavily on a child and oftentimes increase anxiety at the table. Anxiety is an appetite-thief and so this will not be helpful!

AND #3 - AND You want to spark their curiosity in these ‘learning-to-like’ foods because when you can spark their curiosity, you can spark true learning!

Here are a few ways to spark curiosity using apples as an example:

🧪 Science-minded kids - do a science experiment together to see which medium (lemon juice, salt-water, sugar-water, cinnamon or nothing) helps to keep sliced apples from browning.

🌳 Outdoorsy-kids - go apple-picking together and then compare the sizes and qualities of different apples together

🎨 Crafty-kids - make apple stamps for painting; build a structure using only apples (cut into various shapes/sizes) and toothpicks; draw an apple together using a step-by-step video

👩🏻‍🍳 Kitchen-kids - make something with apples together - e.g. apple muffins, apple crisp, homemade apple juice, or an apple fruit kabob with 5+ different varieties of apples

📺Video-inclined kids - watch a video together on how apple trees grow, how apples are harvested, how applesauce or apple chips are made etc.

What questions do you have about sparking your child’s curiosity around food?

#feedingkids #pickyeaters #pickyeater #realparenthood #feedingtoddlers #canadianmom #feedinglittles #kwawesome

Which ones will you try this fall with your kiddo?

Which ones will you try this fall with your kiddo?! 🍎🍏

Exploring foods with your child at the mealtime table is great but there is a lot more you can do away from mealtimes!

The fall is a perfect time to explore locally grown foods and make some connections for your learning eaters.

But REMEMBER! It’s not about them eating it in the moment you’re exploring it! 🙅🏻‍♀️

It’s about giving them positive experiences around the food to help increase their interest and curiosity in it and decrease any fear. 👍🏼

In our work with clients, we often provide lists of activities to help families explore specific foods. We even have a full 60-page guide book to explore every veggie from A to Z!

✨Are you ready to get some support for your learning eater (picky eater?) Send us a DM or click link in bio to book your free call with one of our dietitians!

#pickyeaters #pickyeater #exploringfood #ontariofruit #goodthingsgrowinontario #dietitianmom #canadianmom #toddlermommy #feedingkids #kwawesome

3 reasons why (*most) kids shouldn’t choose what

3 reasons why (*most) kids shouldn’t choose what’s for dinner every night ….. ⤵️

*see note below about the exception …

1️⃣ If they choose (aka you always ask them “what do you want for dinner?”) then you may eventually feel resentful towards them for limiting your dinner repertoire because chances are they’ll keep requesting the same stuff over and over again. Kids often prioritize comfort and familiarity around food and eating. (TBH, many adults do too.) It’s not a bad thing. It’s just hard to help kids learn to like new foods if we’re never making them. 🤷🏻‍♀️

2️⃣ Assuming you make the same handful of things that they request, then you’re limiting their variety of foods eaten and subsequently limiting their intake of nutrients their body gets as well.

3️⃣ Your kids only know that “x” (aka a small number) of foods/meals exist in the world. You know SO much more than they do about food!! This is why it’s our job to come up with the menu (feel free to offer some choice too tho) and trust them to explore at their own rate and pace.

When was the last time that you truly cooked a recipe that you wanted and you enjoyed for supper?!
———

*I say most because there are certain circumstances when working with a child with ARFID or other feeding differences when it might be helpful to use a different approach. Remember feeding kids is nuanced and not every post or reel you see about raising adventurous eaters will apply to you or your situation.

#realmom #realmomlife #pickyeater #pickyeaters #pickyeating #canadianmom #kwawesome #suppertime

blueprintnutritionsport

Cara Kasdorf, Dietitian

🏃‍♀️ Training for a marathon or triathlon

🏃‍♀️ Training for a marathon or triathlon can be a tricky beast when you’re prone to over-exercising. It can have you doing mental gymnastics 🤸🏽‍♂️ justifying why you should exercise every day.

❌ No training plan should have you training 7 days per week. And if you’re asking if a rest day means you can still do strength training or mobility or yoga or cross training, then I would ask you what the purpose behind it is.

Sure, there are times when active recovery is part of the rest day.

But if the thought of a full rest day with no exercise scares the sh*t out of you and you’re already thinking about how you’d cut back on food, or do more mileage the next day, or any other compensatory behaviours, it might be time to get support. 💙

Training is supposed to fun and life-enhancing. If it’s stressing you out, or making you anxious, or feels like a burden 👉🏼 these are huge red flags that something needs to change.

And guess what? By improving your relationship to exercise and fuelling (so that a rest day eventually doesn’t stress you out!) 👉🏼 you’ll feel better, have more energy, recover faster and hit those PBs! 🔥

✨ If you want support to balance your training with your fuelling plan and improve your relationship with food and exercise, reach out for more info about our 1:1 nutrition programs. We have limited spots available to start in September with Cara or Alexis! Click link in bio to book a free call or simply send a DM! ✨

#disorderedeatingrecovery #endurancetraining #enduranceathlete #marathontraining #triathlete

🏃‍♀️ When your body gives you feedback, y

🏃‍♀️ When your body gives you feedback, you want to listen.

So if you’re finding that…

Your resting heart rate is sky high for days after a tough workout

You’re skipping periods or they’re all over the place, and the week before your period feels awful

You’re exhausted but also wired and can’t get a good night’s sleep

And wondering what is going on?!

It always requires looking at ALL the components of your life: including rest, stress (ALL mental and physical stress), and gaps in nutrient intake.

(This doesn’t get fixed with a quick tip on the ‘gram 😉😘)

But my top 3 nutrient related tips to get started👇🏼

✅ Don’t go long periods of time without eating (ie fasting is a big no-no)

✅ ALWAYS wrap your workouts in good nutrition

✅ Eat full-fat nutrient dense foods (skip the fat free dairy, it tastes disgusting anyway! 🙃)

✨ And if you’re ready to do the deeper work of tackling how you feel, repairing your body’s physiological functioning, improving your relationship with food and exercise, and performing and feeling your BEST - send us a DM or click link in bio to book a free clarity call and let’s chat! ✨

#trilife #marathoner #femalerunner #womenwhorun #motherrunner #disorderedeatingrecovery #fuelyourbody

👑 Carbs are QUEEN when it comes to making you f

👑 Carbs are QUEEN when it comes to making you faster, recovering quicker, and hitting those shiny new PBs!

But once runners are up to speed on increasing their carb intake, this is the number 1️⃣ mistake I see runners make 👇🏼

No strategy behind it!

Here’s what I mean 👇🏼

Meals and snacks should contain enough carbs for sure. But we also want to feel good with balanced energy levels and blood sugars throughout the day. Protein and fat help us do this. The fondation of our diet should still be balanced with the things that will make us feel good. It’s about prioritizing different nutrients at different points in training but still finding that balance.

Next, we layer on the extra carbs as we need them: naked” carbs (I.e. straight carbs with not a lot of protein or fat) right before and during runs.

Post-run: guess what? Carbs are just as important as protein. So after long runs and high intensity runs, most people need 1g carb per kg body weight (in addition to a good dose of 25-35+ grams of protein depending on your size)

✨ If you need support with developing your carb strategy during training so you can feel great, balance blood sugars, and keep your hormones happy - simply send a DM or click the link in bio to book a free call - we have 1:1 programs and an upcoming group to get you race day ready! ✨

#marathontraining #triathlontraining #endurancetraining #enduranceathlete #fuelyourbody

🏃‍♀️ Imagine a life where you’re not co

🏃‍♀️ Imagine a life where you’re not constantly spending energy, brain space, and time trying to be as small as possible.

✨Your body deserves to be respected, nourished & fuelled (yes, even on rest days and yes, regardless of your body weight, shape or size)

As a runner myself, I know it can feel super stressful to worry about both under-fuelling and over-fuelling at the same time.

It’s hard to know how much you *actually* should be eating… and you spend all your time trying to figure it out but then it turns eating and food into a something that causes a lot of stress and anxiety (making everything worse!)

✨ Do you want support to learn exactly what your body needs to fuel your biggest goals without stress, anxiety, counting and tracking every last bite?! Simply send a DM or click the link in bio to book a free clarity call and let’s chat! We currently have limited spots in our 1:1 nutrition coaching.✨

#marathontraining #marathonmom #triathlontraining #triathlete #fuelyourbody

🏃 Oh, comparison can be such a trap. Whether y

🏃 Oh, comparison can be such a trap.

Whether you’re comparing to your own high mileage weeks of 100+ km or comparing to runners on social media posting their high mileage weeks. It can feel like you’re not doing enough to justify eating more carbs, or fuelling your runs.

I’m here to tell you that’s a lie. If you’re running several days per week, your carb needs are higher than the general population. Full stop.

Remember that population health guidelines are developed for mostly sedentary people. Not for athletes.

Think of yourself as an athlete and start fuelling like one.

Unless you want your 60km weeks to feel hard. Then go ahead and keep cutting carbs and not fuelling runs 😏

✨ If you want support to fuel the heck out of your body so that you can PERFORM and THRIVE, we’re your people! We’re currently accepting clients in our 1:1 nutrition programs so send a DM or click the link in bio to book a free clarity call and let’s get rolling! ✨

#marathontraining #endurancetraining #enduranceathlete #triathlontraining #fuelyourbody #disorderedeatingrecovery

🏃‍♀️ Do you ask yourself this question wh

🏃‍♀️ Do you ask yourself this question when signing up for your next big race?

Chances are you may not. But it may be the biggest determining factor in your success. 🥇

When planning your next race, consider:
👉🏼Do you have time to meal plan and prep extra food?
👉🏼Are you prepared to eat more to keep up with energy demands?

If you don’t have time, energy, or capacity to make sure you’re giving your body what it needs - then you shouldn’t be signing up for that race.🤷🏻‍♀️

Training is stress on the body. Under-fuelling also puts stress on the body. Stress + stress does not equal success. If you want to dig yourself into a hormonal mess of a hole, then go ahead and train without considering the nutrition implications.

But if you’re ready to make sure you’re giving your body what it needs for performance, hormone health, energy, health, and more - then let’s chat! ☺️

✨ We work with performance-minded endurance athletes who want to fuel their bodies to crush their badass goals, while keeping hormones healthy and energy levels up! We have spots for new 1:1 clients - simply send us a DM or click link in bio to book a free call! ✨

#endurancetraining #marathoner #marathontraining #triathlon #triathlete #fuelyourbody

🏃‍♀️💩 Running can be hard on the body

🏃‍♀️💩 Running can be hard on the body (especially when we run for a long time and /or high intensity) so all sorts of physiological changes can lead to your sprint to the nearest port-a-potty 😩

When we’re doing hard things, we need to make sure our body is supported properly and that we’re giving it what it needs to perform and function!

There are many reasons for exercise-induced GI symptoms but dehydration can be a big one.

Havjng a hydration plan for baseline daily hydration, pre and post run hydration and intra run hydration can be THE thing that changes your gut function during long runs.

So that you can enjoy long runs again instead of feeling anxious, avoiding running with a group, and mapping out routes based on where the bathrooms are 😳

✨ If you want my tried and true hydration strategies mapped out for you so you know exactly what to do, comment HYDRATE and I’ll send you the link! ✨

#marathonrunner #marathontraining #triathlon #hydration #electrolytes

🏃‍♀️ Unintentional under-fuelling is a bi

🏃‍♀️ Unintentional under-fuelling is a biggie. And intra-day under-fuelling is one of the biggest challenges. Here’s what I mean 👇🏼

You may have a long run or brick on the weekend or even two big days of training, but weekends are also often a time where routines are not as regimented and you may skip a meal or snack.

Or you may be doing your big grocery shopping or meal prep on Sunday so there’s not much in the fridge on Saturday (when you actually need to eat more!)

Or you could be doing your workout over a mealtime so you end up skipping that meal and never really compensate for it.

Or you don’t feel hungry after your long run so you end up not eating until a few hours later.

It’s impossible to always perfectly match up your food intake to your training output so there will sometimes be a deficit.

However, if there’s a deficit every weekend, we’ve got a problem. Your training, energy, and recovery will start to be impacted (hello sitting on the couch all day because you’re exhausted!)

The first step is to look at if and why you’re under-fuelling and then implement practical solutions to fix it (for example, if you’re missing a mealtime, start adding more to pre/intra/post workout fuel; or maybe you need to do some mid-week groceries and meal prep so your fridge is well stocked).

These may seem like simple things but these habits and details matter over the course of a training cycle.

✨If you need support to create a high performance fuelling plan to make sure you’re eating the right amount for your training goals, simply send a DM or click link in bio to book a call! We currently have limited spots for new 1:1 clients in August. ✨

#marathontraining #triathlontraining #ironman #marathoner #enduranceathlete #fuelyourbody

Fuelling.youth.athletes

Youth Sport Dietitians

⭐️Including some SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES in the 3

⭐️Including some SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES in the 30-60 minutes (even 15-20 minutes) before a practice or game. Think of this as a FUEL TOP UP or a CARBOHYDRATE SUPER BOOSTER 🦸‍♀️(maybe that saying will catch on 😉).

We are looking for something that will hit their system to give your youth athlete energy asap! 🔋

⭐️If you aren’t including this top up of energy source OR if you’re including options that are higher protein, fat or fiber, it will take too long for athletes to access this beneficial fuel source and they will miss out on this performance optimizer.

Don’t worry, we have you covered for some ideas:💪
-large banana
-applesauce squeeze pouch
-graham crackers
-dates
-pretzels

*Carbohydrate needs will vary depending on factors including intensity of their activity, their age and body size, how much time they have to digest and their own tolerance levels before sport. Keep in mind, anxious tummies may have different tolerance levels 👍

Remember- many different foods can be helpful for a young athlete’s nutritional status, but eating these foods at the optimum times- pre, during and post sport- will make a world of difference in their performance and overall energy levels. 👏 👍⛹️‍♀️⛹️‍♂️

Happy Fuelling everyone! 😊

🥤I’ll start this off with my usual preface of

🥤I’ll start this off with my usual preface of “something is always better than nothing”

BUT: if you’re relying on protein shakes as your main source of recovery nutrition, you’re majorly missing out ❌

Remember that protein powder is a very processed food - and while it can play a role in our fuelling, we shouldn’t rely on it - it should be a supplement to our diet, not a staple.

To maximize the improvement from your training in the gym, focus on these 4 R’s:

💪🏼Replenish with carb rich foods (a protein shake has no carbs!). Add something like a piece of fruit, toast, or oatmeal to replenish your carbohydrate stores so you’ll feel better and have waaaay more energy for your next workout AND it helps protein do it’s work on your muscles.

💪🏼 Recover with protein rich foods. Yes protein powder checks this box, but some studies show better recovery with whole food sources of protein like eggs, Greek yogurt, or milk.

💪🏼 Rehydrate with fluids. This one is also covered with a protein shake but including some food with electrolytes like sodium and potassium can help even more with rehydration.

💪🏼 Revitalize with nutrient dense foods - protein powders really lack in this area as they don’t contain a lot of vitamins and minerals. Your body needs these to help with all the recovery, inflammation reduction, and rebuilding after a hard workout or practice or game. Include foods like fruit or veg or nuts/seeds to boost up your recovery game!

Nothing against protein powder - it can be a convenient supplement - but focus on real food first to get the full benefit from all the nutrition food has to offer!

✨ If you want to develop a simple but effective fuelling strategy for your family and teen athlete, DM us to learn more about our new Youth Athlete Performance Meal Planning strategy session! ✨

#teenathlete #youthathlete #fuelyourbody #hockeynutrition #sportnutrition

Are you even a sport-parent if you don’t have to

Are you even a sport-parent if you don’t have tortillas in your grocery cart every week?! 🛒 🤣 🙃

Hey, as a dietitian and fellow sport parent to sport parent, here is the formula you should use when planning your supper meals AND 5 meal ideas for the next 5 days! 💡

🥇Your winning dinner formula: The Athlete’s Plate

➡️ Aim to serve food at dinner so that their plate can be covered in 1/3 to 1/2 of whole grains, 1/4 protein and the rest with colour. Then add a serving of fruit on the side. ✅

Here are 5 quick and easy ideas that take ~15 minutes to make from start to finish and follow the athletes plate! 💪🏼

1️⃣ Stir-fry veggies (buy a pre-chopped frozen mix) add tofu and serve with rice (in the rice cooker of course). Add soy sauce for a sodium boost!

2️⃣ Beef stew (in the slow cooker) with potatoes and veg. Serve with whole grain bun and bagged salad.

3️⃣ Grilled tuna pesto sandwiches. Mix flaked tuna with enough pesto and a spoon of mayo until desired moisture. Spread tuna mix with cheese between 2 slices of bread and grill. Serve with veggies (and tomato soup for a sodium boost!)

4️⃣ Quesadillas! Take one can of drained black beans, mash in a bowl with about 1/2 cup salsa. Spread bean mixture on half of a tortilla and add desired toppings (shredded cheese, green onion, cilantro). Fold the other half over and either bake or fry until golden brown. Serve with bagged salad or veggies.

5️⃣ Nann bread pizza. Spread tomato sauce and your fav toppings on naan bread for a quick and easy pre-practice pizza. Leftover chicken makes a great protein rich topping. Serve with veggies or bagged salad kit.

Looking for more help with fuelling your athlete?

Look no further! Hi! 👋🏼 It’s nice to meet you! 😊

✅Follow along with us for more hot fuelling tips 🔥, and science-backed strategies for fuelling your athlete without that diet culture BS.

You’ve got this! We’re rooting for you! 📣

#teenathlete #youthathlete #canadianmom #sportmom #fuelyourbody #sportsdietitian #sportsnutrition #kwawesome

Daily, I will hear clients say....”I know it’s

Daily, I will hear clients say....”I know it’s bad but.....I ate a cookie” 🍪 or “I was doing good until... I went out to eat with friends” or “I am feeling more energy from these changes but... I’m a size larger”.

Now, this topic will not be solved in a single IG post however, I want to plant some seeds of thought for yourselves, your young athletes and anyone you may come into contact with across the day: 🪴

☀️If you constantly criticize yourself, you’ll think more negative thoughts and then why would you feel worthy of caring for yourself? 🤔
☀️Our Thoughts Aren’t Facts: Just because we have a negative thought- doesn’t mean it’s true even though it can feel that way.
☀️Try taking note of how often negative thoughts pop up or how we speak about our body or that of others. Do we provide it with kindness? ❤️ Or do we pick it apart? ❤️‍🩹
☀️Food has no moral value: It is neither good nor bad. As you’ll hear us say many times to athletes- food is fuel 😊It gives our body different types of energy and nourishment. An 🍎 may nourish our vitamin levels while a 🍪 may nourish our mind/soul and both are equally important. ✅

What can we do?
☀️Think of positive statement instead. Try ‘what went well today’ or ‘what did your body do for you today?” Consider how you would talk to your best friend and loved ones? Use that same language.
☀️Be patient- behavioral changes takes time, all good things do.
☀️Have you and your athletes consider “I Am” statements to start the day with. Ex. I am Worthy, I am Loved, I am Kind, I am Grateful, etc.

We always will have inner/self talk but we want to try and have more of it to be positive wherever possible. 🥰

I’ll leave you with this quote:
“Speak to your body in a loving way. It’s the only one you’ve got. It’s your home and it deserves your respect” - Iskra Lawrence

Happy Monday everyone, have a kind and positive week🥰

#teenathlete #fuelyourbody #kwawesome
#hockeynutrition #youthathletes

🍲 Family mealtimes have numerous health benefit

🍲 Family mealtimes have numerous health benefits - studies show that kids in families who eat meals together have a diet higher in nutritional value, and are less likely to engage in risky behaviour. Family mealtimes have also been shown to be protective against disordered eating!

So what’s a family to do when practices and games always happen over dinner time and you’re often rushing straight from school and work to drop-offs, pick-ups and everything in between?!

➡️ The good news is that studies also show that even just a parent sitting/eating with their child still has those same health benefits. It doesn’t have to be a full course sit down meal with everyone in the family present.

This means that you could:

➡️ Pack a dinner for both you and your athlete and spend 5 minutes sitting together and eating at the arena before practice, or stop to eat in a park on the way.

➡️ Even if your athlete gets home at 9 pm and eats dinner then, you can still pour yourself a cup of tea and sit with them while they’re eating.

➡️ That if they’re eating a mini-meal right after school in preparation for the evening’s activities, you can grab a snack and sit down with them.

✨ It might be only 5-10 minutes of sharing time and food together but it can make a lasting impact on their health and relationship with food.

✨ If you need help figuring out how to build a solid nutrition plan for your teen athlete, send us a DM to learn more about our NEW youth athlete Performance Meal Plan Strategy Session! ✨

#teenathlete #youthathlete #fuelyourbody #hockeylife #sportnutrition

Adding another activity (or more training hours) =

Adding another activity (or more training hours) = your kid committing to eating enough to fuel it! ‼️

You cannot say “yes” to another training day or another team (even if it’s labelled as ‘just the school basketball team’) unless your kid truly understands what that means in terms of them committing that much more to feeding themselves ENOUGH of the right foods at the RIGHT TIMES!

If you’re already worried that they’re not getting what they should be, you need to address that first.

Moral of the story here: ⤵️

✨Discussions about joining teams and training for sports NEED to coincide with conversations about how your child is going to commit to eating enough and, if age-appropriate, helping to make that food with you every week.

I’m curious if you’ve had this conversation with your athlete?!

#teenathlete #youthathlete #sportnutrition #sportsdietitian #kwawesome #youthathletes #teenathletes #hockeynutrition #hockeymomlife🏒

➡️ Sure, getting enough carbs and protein and

➡️ Sure, getting enough carbs and protein and vitamins and minerals is important. Pre and post game snacks are also important.

➡️ But the number 1️⃣ thing parents can do is work on their own food issues and be a role model for their kids by eating a balanced and varied diet, include all foods (without commenting on good/bad, junk, or having to burn it off), not commenting on food and bodies (your own or others), and simply living, moving, and enjoying food.

I (Cara) work with a number of adult athletes that have complicated relationships with food. And the number of times I’ve heard that they grew up with a parent or significant adult in their life who was constantly dieting and making negative comments about food and their body is staggering. Unfortunately, these are core memories and have become a foundational piece of their body image story that we now have to do a lot of work to change.

Yes we think nutrition is an important performance enhancing tool. But a resilient and strong relationship to food& body is even more important as an athlete 💪🏼

We’re all victims of our environment and the cultural norms that we’ve been exposed to, but we now have the opportunity to change the narrative for the next generation!

✨ If you want support with this for yourself, your family, or your child, click the link in bio to book a free clarity call. We’re to support you! ✨

#teenathlete #youthathlete #fuelyourbody #disorderedeatingrecovery #eatingdisorderrecovery

YES- what athletes eat in the 4 hours before, the

YES- what athletes eat in the 4 hours before, the 2 hours before and even in the 15-30 minutes before their game or practice is essential to supporting energy and endurance HOWEVER....

If we’re thinking of our 24 hours/day:
🔹Ideally, 8-10 of these hours are “catching some Zzzzz’s 😴 for rest and repair,
🔹We’re more apt to focus in on the 4 hours leading up to practice…..
🔹We still have at least 10 hours left or over 40% of our day. 📈
This is a BIG % of our week (please don’t make me do the math, 😆) which means a key role in athlete’s overall nutrition status.

These hours can’t be forgotten! ⏰

Some things to think about: 🤔
🔹Consistency! Eat every 2-3 hours across the day. This could look like 3 meals and at least 2-3 snacks.

🔹Get those food groups paired up and present on the plate 🍽️ :
With meals- aim for at least 3-4 food groups, with snacks- try for at least 2. 🍎 🍗 🥛 🥕
*Don’t leave a food group lonely 😊 - give it a friend!
Ex. crackers + hummus or greek yougurt + fruit for snacks.
At meals, it can look like the helpful Performance Plates model 🍽️

🔹Stay hydrated 💦: Include at least a few sips with meals/snacks, try for 1-2 gulps every 15-20 minutes across the day.

Keep in mind, being as purposeful with our fuelling across the entire day versus only in the few hours before practice means that, if some some reason your child doesn’t get the chance for their snack(s) or drink(s) before practice (things happen!), - they still have a bit of reserves that can get them through.

Consistent and frequent meals and snacks allow many more chances for athletes to obtain all the key macronutrients and micronutrients that are essential to their overall health and fuelling for sport.

From experience - I can confidently say that odds are young athletes are underfuelling - not over-fuelling- so don’t be afraid to align with fuelling every 2-3 hours. You’ll see the benefits with their sport(s) and your athlete will thank you as they’ll feel the benefits across the entire week versus only a few hours per day.

Happy Fuelling! :)

#teenathlete #fuelyourbody #sportnutrition #kwawesome #youthathletes

➡️ One of the best hacks for adding MORE nutri

➡️ One of the best hacks for adding MORE nutrition to your teen athlete’s diet?

✅ Switch to full fat dairy!🥛

This is one of the easiest swaps to get more energy and nutrients into them ➡️ boost the nutrients in things they’re already eating/drinking!

For some reason (thanks low fat diets of our youth! 🤦🏻‍♀️), we’ve been programmed to buy lower nutrient foods like almond milk, skim milk, and don’t even get me started on fat free yogurt (who actually LIKES watery yogurt?!)

Fats (like the fat in dairy products) are super important for hormone health, a great source of energy and nutrients and they help our body absorb fat soluble nutrients!

😋 Not to mention they make things taste better and stabilize hunger and energy levels throughout the day.

I know it may feel really weird buying higher fat dairy products for your family (especially if you grew up in the low-fat era of the 90s 🙋🏻‍♀️),but trust me, it’s a great swap! 💪🏼

✨If you need help making sure your teen athlete is getting all the nutrients they need, send us a DM or book a free clarity call (link in bio). ✨

#teenathlete #youthsports #youthathlete #fuelyourbody

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