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The Intentional Table
Feeding kids isn’t just about what’s on the plate - it’s about raising them to feel confident, capable, and at peace with food and their bodies.
The Intentional Table Podcast is here to help you break the cycles of guilt, shame, and mealtime stress so you can raise kids who eat well and feel good about it.
Hosted by Nicole Cruz, a registered dietitian and mom of three who has coached thousands of parents, this podcast gives you the tools, structure, and mindset shifts to create a positive, empowered eating environment at home.
With guidance, compassion, and strategies that really work, you’ll feel more confident and less stressed while supporting your kids through 'picky' eating, 'overeating', struggles with sweets, and everything in between.
The Intentional Table
Is Letting Kids Eat Whatever They Want During the Holidays Diet Culture in Disguise?
The holidays are full of sweets, parties, and what some might describe as chaos. It can be an overwhelming time of year, especially for parents, as we try to buy and wrap gifts, attend all the festivities, travel, have family visits... and still maintain our normal parental responsibilities.
And while navigating it all, the diet culture messaging is arguably at a high this time of year.
From the “be good now so you can indulge later” messaging to cheat days and guilt-free marketing, diet culture subtly (and not-so-subtly) can creep in to how we handling food with our kids.
In this episode we're going to identify if and when this mindset is creeping in and how it might influence the way we handle meals and snacks with our kids.
You’ll learn:
- Why some parents feel relaxed while others feel stressed around holiday food - and how diet culture might be influencing both.
- The difference between a temporary “holiday free pass” and true ease with food.
- How kids respond to structure - or lack of it - around food during the holidays.
- Practical ways to maintain a sense of intentionality without pressure, guilt, or the need to “fix it later.”
- Stories from parents, like Marie, showing how mindset shifts can help kids feel safe and confident around sweets and other foods.
If you want to enjoy the holidays without tension, guilt, or stress, while supporting your kids in developing a healthy relationship with food, this episode is for you.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
- Making Sense of Sweets program
- Previous episode: Food Is Not a Free-for-All (Episode 3)
Want to connect? Send us a text!
Join the WAITLIST for NOURISH TOGETHER HERE!
CONNECT with Nicole:
- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call
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Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!