Food School
From picky to peaceful in 8 weeks…. encourage your child to explore new foods so you can have pleasant family mealtimes and finally end picky eating battles.
Does this sound familiar?
- You’ve tried all the tricks: asking them to take a bite, explore or play with a food, making a game out of eating… you’ve done it all a million times. Nothing works. Your child still refuses to eat what’s served.
- You’re still making multiple meals or the same three bland dishes over and over – the ones your picky eater likes. He controls the family meal plan.
- Your child would rather starve, than eat the family meals.
- Eating out or going to a friend’s house for meals is hard. You pack “safe” food for your child wherever they go.
- You’re worried your picky eater is not getting the nutrition she needs.
You were hoping your child would outgrow the picky eating, but you’re tired of waiting.
I get it. I’ve been there.
My daughter was a picky eater.
It wasn’t always easy. She is a small girl, so my doctor told me to feed her whatever she wanted…
which I know is the wrong advice.
Now she’s 12, and for the past few years, she has been a very adventurous eater- despite some days wondering if it would ever be possible! She’ll try anything. And if she doesn’t like it, she knows that’s ok.
I want to help you get there too!
Food School is an 8-week group coaching program designed to…
- Ensure your picky eater is getting the nutrients she needs to be healthy.
- Teach new methods to encourage your children to eat a greater variety of foods – using new strategies beyond the Division of Responsibility.
- Feel confident that your child can go to a friend’s house without being judged for being a picky eater. And to be able to eat what the other kids are eating!
- Change your approach around the table to make mealtimes safe and pleasant for everyone – no matter what is eaten.
You’ve all but given up after searching for a solution for years ….well, you’ve found it!
Introducing: Food School for parents of older picky eaters (age 6-13)
This is my proprietary process that I used to help my own kid and many others learn to taste new foods.
Sneak Peek into the Food School Process:
Week 1: Goal setting & Assessment
Kick-off and welcome! Meet your fellow food school students. Parents and kids will create goals for our time together.
Parents will complete an assessment and food records, so I can get to know your child and family.
Week 2: Mealtime rules
We will set the stage for pre-meal and mealtime routines at your house. This includes timing of meals, “rules” at the table for both parents and children and a pre-meal routine that will help your child come to the table relaxed and ready to eat.
Week 3: Why is my child picky?
Learn about the red flags for sensory over or under responsivity, oral motor struggles, low iron, and other underlying issues causing picky eating.
You will be supported with activities to treat these problems or referred to an appropriate healthcare provider.
Week 4: Food Explorer Model
The Food Explorer Model is the Sequential Oral Sensory food therapy model for ages 6+, created by Dr. Kay Toomey.
We will create a food explorer plan for your child to desensitize them to new foods.
Week 5: Food Science at meals
Share how those food scientists are doing at home! We will learn how to work the Food Explorer model into day-to-day mealtimes.
And this week will provide extra “hot seat” Q&A time and troubleshooting.
Week 6: Kids in the Kitchen
Any exposure to food (even if not eaten) will help desensitize your child and work towards being comfortable with new foods.
How to get your kiddo involved in food planning, selection and cooking for your family.
Week 7: Food Chaining Model
Food Chaining is a method of feeding therapy that introduces new foods, building off of foods your child already likes. With my assistance, you will create one food chain to try out at home this week!
Week 8: Moving forward
Where to go from here?
You will leave with a plan to continue food school or food chaining in your home, depending on which method of these two methods we have tried has worked best for your child.
Bonuses!
Join us and get:
Diet analysis:
I will enter your child’s food intake over 24 hours (I know every day is pretty much the same at this point!).
You will see where your child may be falling short. And how we could fix that to make sure your child is getting the nutrients they need while we work on expanding their food intake.
Personalized assignment review:
Share your Food Chaining and Food Explorer plans and progress in the community, and I will review them and provide feedback.
Kid-friendly 1 week meal plan:
You’ll receive a whole week’s worth of family-friendly recipes, including three meals and three snacks + a grocery list. I won’t guarantee your child will eat everything on this plan, but let them choose and help cook a new recipe or two!
Here’s how Food School works. For eight weeks, you will have access to the following:
Live Training
These videos contain content & fun activities to help you try new strategies that will encourage your child to try new foods.
Live Q&A
At the end of the eight live training calls, you will have access to me live to help you troubleshoot and create a plan.
Continued Support
Need help between the Q&A calls? You have unlimited access to me via our private Facebook Community.
Community
Learn from and support the other parents going through this with you! It can be lonely - but you’re not alone, and I guarantee will learn from other parents' questions and advice on both the live Q&A calls and in the online private community.
Registration is Now Closed
The next round of Food School will run Jan/Feb 2024.
Your health benefits may cover RD services, including the cost of this program! Call your health benefits company to confirm, or email me [email protected] with questions. I can create an individualized payment plan that works with your benefits plan.
Guarantee
I want to ensure you have a plan and method that works for your child. I will go above and beyond with support for this first founders round to ensure the plan works!
If you don’t feel confident that you have everything you need to help your child try new foods by the end of the 8 weeks after fully implementing everything you learned — that means watching every training, asking questions when you’re stuck and sending in your completed worksheets, we will refund your fee (unless you have been reimbursed by insurance of course!)
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from other programs?
Most picky eating programs are for toddlers. This makes sense, as picky eating is a normal developmental phase. But you’ve moved passed the tricks that work for toddlers. Your 12-year-old doesn’t want to feed their stuffed animal purees…..
Another difference with Food School is that we work with the whole family. What you learn in Food School takes place within your own home. This can be more effective than working in-office with a therapist, which sometimes just doesn’t translate to progress at home. We will address why your child is a picky eater, which is often ignored and why other strategies don’t work.
You will receive in-depth learning and activities that will positively impact your entire family.
How much time will this take?
Each live training/ Q&A will take 45-90 minutes, depending on the questions we get.
The activities can be worked into your regular day-to-day schedules. If you’re tight for time, we can craft a plan where your child learns to try new foods at current snack or meal times, which won’t take additional time out of your already busy day.
I know you’re busy! But once you control this picky eating thing, think of all the time you will SAVE by ending short-order-cook syndrome and fighting with your kids.
Is 8 hours of time over eight weeks worth that?! Hell YES!
Can I claim this under extended health benefits?
For most of my clients, the answer is yes. Many have $500 per person per year in dietitian services to use. I can split the receipts up to include multiple family members participating in the program, and you can submit them for reimbursement.
Call your benefits provider to check that they cover services provided by a dietitian in Alberta, Canada.
The cost of in-person group feeding therapies (if you can find one) is a significantly higher investment of time and money.
Even if you don’t have benefits – what is it worth to you to get rid of short-order cook syndrome, end dinner time battles, and raise your kids to have a healthy relationship with food? Priceless!
Will I get 1:1 support?
Yes, this isn’t a do-it-yourself online course.
You won’t be just a number. There will be a max of 10 families per round, so I can provide you all with lots of love and attention!
I will be in our private group community daily (minus most weekends) to check in on you. And see you live weekly on our calls to help troubleshoot.
You have my expert help and the support of a small group of other parents going through the same struggles as you are.
Is Food School right for my child?
Food School is designed for children around ages 6-13 who are extremely picky eaters. You can check out my “End Picky Eating” program if you have a younger child.
It can even work for children with autism (who are verbal), pediatric feeding disorder, sensory processing disorder and oral motor challenges. If your child has any of these diagnoses, they may also be working with additional healthcare providers, and this program is a great add-on.
As for the parents: it’s not just your child that has to be a good fit. YOU have to be willing to have realistic expectations, put in the work to try new things and believe in your child.
Food School is NOT for you if you’re unwilling to make changes. I may ask you to do things differently! It may make you nervous, and it requires putting some trust in your child.
Or if your child has anxiety, OCD or ARFID that affects their eating, these are mental health struggles that require treatment by a psychologist. Just to note – many AFRID diagnoses are not correct and are actually Pediatric Feeding Disorder, which I CAN help with!
If you’re still unsure, feel free to email [email protected], and I can help you decide if Food School is a good fit.
What can I expect by the end of this program?
Since your child has been a picky eater for years, it will not likely be a quick change. However, one benefit of older picky eaters is they often have some self-motivation (they want to be able to go to camp or eat at a friend’s house!)
I can’t guarantee that your child will eat 15 foods by the end of the program. But I can guarantee that you will:
- Feel confident that your child is getting the nutrition they need.
- Have reduced stress around the table about what your kid eats.
- Feel fully supported with expert guidance and community with other parents during the program.
- Have the tools and processes required to continue to work on expanding your child’s diet.
When are the coaching calls, and what if I can’t make them?
Live Trainings are not scheduled for the next round yet.
You can always watch the replays if you can’t make the live calls. You’re welcome to send me your questions beforehand, and I can address them on the calls.
Hi! I’m Jen, and I can help you do all of this!
I’m a mom of three kids, a Registered Dietitian with a BSc and MSc in nutrition and have operated First Step Nutrition for 15 years.
I’ve authored two books, appeared in local & national media and have taken extra training in the Division of Responsibility and Food Chaining and Sequential Oral Sensory feeding methods. I’m also co-creator of the International Picky Eating Network, where I coach interdisciplinary health professionals worldwide on best practices in working with picky eaters.
I’ve helped hundreds of clients with feeding their families. And this is why I created the “Food School” program. To help parents like you achieve these results as well!
My ultimate goal is to help make mealtimes a positive place for everyone and set your child up to have a life-long positive relationship with food.
No more experimenting with contradictory advice from Google, your doctor, and friends! Have my expert guidance and the plan and tools needed to help teach your child how to try new foods.
Food School is for you if you’re ready to:
- End the dinner time battles. No more tears or yelling! What if your child is ate the same meal as the rest of the family? It’s possible!
- Bring parenting partners on the same page with a consistent plan vs separate approaches that cause conflict between parents and kids. I encourage both partners (or whoever primarily feeds your child, from nanny to grandma) to join us!
- Help raise your kids with a healthier relationship with food than your parents perhaps taught you. Childhood sets the foundation for how your kids will deal with food for the rest of their life and can help to prevent disordered eating.
- End the isolation. You may feel alone in this struggle, but I will connect you with other parents who have extremely picky eaters too.
Food School is not for you if…
- You’re not willing to make any changes. I may ask you to do things differently! It may make you nervous, and it requires putting some trust in your child.
- Your child has anxiety, OCD or ARFID that affects their eating. These are mental health struggles that require treatment by a psychologist.
Just to note – many AFRID diagnoses are not correct and are actually Pediatric Feeding Disorder, which I CAN help with! If you’re not sure if this describes your child, ask me ([email protected])
Hello Loving Mom/Dad!
Thanks for reading this far; I’m so glad you’re here!
I know the craziness that can come with feeling exhausted and dealing with a kid whose picky eating has been disrupting your life for years.
And that is why I’m here to help every step of the way. Food School provides you with the tools and support to teach your child to try new foods so they can get the right nutrients and decrease mealtime stress.
Can’t wait to see you inside Food School! XO