In Naturally Nourished Kids, Registered Dietitians and moms Ali Miller and Becki Yoo provide a whole food approach that is both accessible for parents on a busy schedule, and appetizing for kids no matter how picky they are.
Miller and Yoo lay out an easy-to-follow and well-researched guide to how parents can set their children up for a lifetime of good nutritional habits by being strategic about the food they are preparing for little ones now. Whether it’s food for a weaning baby, or for a teenager, Naturally Nourished Kids is the ultimate reference and cookbook for a parents navigating the complex world of food.
I had a chance to learn more about the book and healthy eating in this interview.
What was the inspiration behind creating this book?
We are two moms on a mission to change the way children are nourished. We’ve witnessed the power that food can have on our bodies, minds, and behavior and want to ensure all kids are provided this opportunity with a foundation for success that is established with every meal they eat. We’ve worked in the field of functional medicine for over fifteen years now, and have learned some valuable lessons along the way. One big one is this: if it doesn’t taste good and it is too complicated, it’s not going to happen!
As moms, we’ve witnessed the impact that poor diet choices and blood sugar imbalance can have on behavior, irritability, and appetite. We know the importance of guided decisions and independence when setting up success for optimal eating. We understand how crucial it is to honor the uniqueness of each child and have mastered how to work with picky eaters or food jags to prevent frustration in the kitchen, alongside the wasting of time and money making meals that are ultimately rejected.
We’ve developed anti-inflammatory nourishing recipes with a variety of textures and flavors that are suitable for even the pickiest eaters while priming them to become taste adventurers, and expanding their palate for savory success. This book provides time saving tips and mom hacks to ensure that your time is not wasted, and ultimately that you are celebrated at meal time with enthusiastic approval.
As dietitians, we know the importance of nourishing the whole child for optimal brain, metabolic and immune health. We understand the role of micronutrients, traditional foods, and a whole food approach to help your child to optimize and thrive. We will provide you with our research supported approach to optimal eating with cutting-edge information you can nerd out on, paired with application of how to make it a reality.
Clinically, we’ve seen children recover from chronic health conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, growth and development delays, and even neurological conditions by applying the Naturally Nourished approach to eating. After working with thousands of moms seeking natural approaches to everything from ADHD, to mood regulation, to battling chronic colds or coughs for their littles, we are confident that it all starts with blood sugar balance, getting ample protein, and using real food as a foundation for optimal mind and body health.
In Naturally Nourished Kids: Food-as-Medicine Recipes for Balanced Minds and Bodies, we connect the dots between food, mood, and behavior while demystifying how to feed your little ones, all the way from baby-led weaning through the teenage years. With 100+ gluten-free/low-glycemic family-friendly recipes, food-as-medicine tips, and suggestions for getting your kids involved in the process, this book is the resource that will prime their palates and establish healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
We believe in a food-as-medicine approach to eating and want for you to feel confident about fighting disease and enhancing brain and mood balance with your fork! With Naturally Nourished Kids, you will become empowered by your decision-making processes related to food, whether in your kitchen or out in the real world. Our grocery shopping and restaurant guides, alongside interactive worksheets, grocery lists and tips will enable you to make this approach to eating a sustainable reality.
Why is it important to start healthy food habits early?
Healthy food habits lay the foundation to optimal metabolic and mental health with the best opportunity for lifelong wellness. Our children are a high priority as their brains and bodies are still developing and they are more susceptible to blood sugar irregularities as well as the harmful effects of toxins. Ultra Processed foods now make up more than 70% of children's diets and they are not just empty calories; they are harmful. These products drive vitamin and antioxidant deficiency, blood sugar elevation, hormone disruption, and overeating!
Stats from page 12 of Naturally Nourished Kids
- One in five children or adolescents deal with a mental or learning disorder.
- One in six children or adolescents have obesity and metabolic health disorders.
- One in five adolescents have prediabetes.
- 40 percent of school-age children and adolescents have at least one chronic health condition.
- 20 percent of children and adolescents are on at least one prescription drug.
- 9.3 percent of children and adolescents are on a drug for mental health.
How can families encourage experimentation with healthy foods, especially for kids who are neurodivergent or have sensory issues?
Getting your kids into the kitchen gives them active ownership of their nourishment while providing them valuable skills, confidence, knowledge, and adventurous tastebuds. Naturally Nourished Kids provides an age guided Kids Can Cook section with task lists that you can master with your kids from age 2 through teens.
It is also essential to have conversations with your child or teen about priorities in the diet and likes/dislikes. Once you feel confident on your child's protein, healthy fat, and low glycemic carb needs, it will be important to explain to them at their level why each macronutrient matters. We provided guided conversation queues and visuals such as a blood sugar roller coaster to assist in the process. Ask your children for feedback on meals and snacks and use parameter based guided questions to allow them autonomy and ownership.
Some examples are:
"I see you didn't eat your broccoli on your plate can you tell me about why you didn't like it?"
We discourage judgemental negative terms like "yucky" or "gross" but instead genuinely want to understand so we can troubleshoot. "Ok so it wasn't crunchy enough for you and you don't like it soggy" or "Well next time to add more flavor do you think you could help me sprinkle cheese on it?"
"What protein would you like in your lunch tomorrow? Turkey and cheese roll-ups or burger bites from dinner tonight?"
If they make the active choice they are more likely to consume the food as they feel a sense of ownership in the process.
For neurodivergent kids specifically it is even more important to get them involved and to connect with whole real foods. We see a higher need for antioxidants in this population of need and want to support them in the best way possible by avoiding processed foods that further deplete antioxidant status. Exploring textures and tracking taste adventurer wins are key! Also you may need to add bone broth to moisten or soften meals and progression may be slower however it is so important to prioritize a real food diet to aid in management and improvement of symptoms when the gut is regulated and inflammatory additives are removed from the diet.
What is one of your favorite healthy snacks for when there's a time crunch?
My favorite healthy snack at a time crunch is a smoothie like Noah's Blueberry Bone Broth Smoothie on page 52, as smoothies can pack in a boost of antioxidants, protein, and healthy fats when made well. We have an entire section of beverages in Naturally Nourished Kids. I'll often have clients drink half with breakfast and bring the other half to lunch in a stainless steel water bottle or to save for an afterschool snack.
The Turmeric Cashews on page 177 are a great grab and go salty crunchy snack and I'd recommend all of our grain-free muffins which are a great grab handheld source of nourishment.
Ali Miller is a registered dietitian (RD), certified diabetes educator (CDE), functional medicine nutritionist, mama, wife, and traditional food enthusiast. Ali has a naturopathic background and a contagious passion for using nutrients and food as the foundation of treatment protocols and programs. She is the author of Naturally Nourished (2016), The Anti-Anxiety Diet (2018), and The Anti-Anxiety Diet Cookbook (2019). Ali’s food-as-medicine message has influenced millions through the medical community and media with television, print, and her award-winning podcast, Naturally Nourished. Watch Ali in action for bite-size nutrition and functional medicine info on the Naturally Nourished YouTube channel. Ali has been the owner and head functional medicine practitioner of the Naturally Nourished Clinic since 2012. She created the Naturally Nourished Supplement line over a decade ago, featuring over forty formulas that are safe, pure, and effective. Learn more at alimillerRD.com. Connect with Ali at @alimillerRD on Instagram and Facebook.
Becki O’Brien Yoo is a registered dietitian (RD), holds a Master of Science in Human Nutrition (MS), and has been practicing functional medicine since 2017 alongside Ali in the Naturally Nourished Clinic. She is the co-host of the Naturally Nourished podcast and YouTube Channel and self-taught food photographer of Naturally Nourished and The Anti-Anxiety Diet Cookbook. Becki lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, two children, a dog, a cat, and a flock of seven very entertaining backyard chickens.
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