Nicole Cruz RD

Nicole Cruz RD Diet-free family nutrition. Helping you & your child have a healthy relationship with food đŸ„‘đŸ§đŸ’

Are you a part of the ‘clean plate club’?⁠⁠I’ve had SOOOO many adults tell me they feel bad leaving any food on their pl...
09/04/2026

Are you a part of the ‘clean plate club’?⁠
⁠
I’ve had SOOOO many adults tell me they feel bad leaving any food on their plate.⁠
⁠
It might be because they were always forced to finish their meal, they were made to feel bad about food waste and ‘starving children’ somewhere in the world, or they had to clean their plate to get dessert.⁠
⁠
These are the same messages we often tend to pass down to our children because we want them to
⁠
👉 Be healthy⁠
👉 Eat a variety of foods⁠
👉 Not waste food⁠
👉 Get enough to eat
⁠
⁠
But at the end of the day we’re teaching them to override their body cues and eat according to some external rule or situation.⁠
⁠
If we want them to be able to stop eating when they’ve had enough, we have to trust them to eat the amount they need now, and not coerce, bribe, or force them to eat more now.⁠
⁠
This is why we’re feeding for the future, because the way we parent with food will lay the foundation for their relationship with food for a lifetime.⁠
⁠
If you want to make sure you’re on the right track, grab my free guide: 5 Keys to Raise an Intuitive Eater. Comment here or DM me the word: KEYS!

We can hold boundaries with food without talking about foods negatively or making our kids feel bad about what they’re c...
09/02/2026

We can hold boundaries with food without talking about foods negatively or making our kids feel bad about what they’re choosing or the foods they enjoy.⁠
⁠
It’s so normal to say something like, “let’s make better choices.”⁠
⁠
Or “you need to choose something healthy.”⁠
⁠
I totally understand that we want our kids to understand about nutrition and “healthy” eating. We want them to eat a variety and not too much “junk.”⁠
⁠
But when we say these things, it can make our kids feel like they’re doing a bad job with food, or guilty for wanting or eating those foods, and it also puts foods into categories like good/ bad, healthy/unhealthy.⁠
⁠
And thinking about food in this way can create guilt and shame. But it also doesn’t actually help our kids eat in a balanced way. In fact, it often has the opposite effect.⁠
⁠
Our kids become more drawn to those foods that they feel like they’re not supposed to have, or not have “too much” of. It ends up putting them on a pedestal and then they want them even more. ⁠
⁠
Using phrases like, “better choices” or talking about good food/ bad food doesn’t set our kids up to have a healthy relationship with food and it can also create more out of balanced eating.⁠
⁠
It’s absolutely ok to say no to food, but just try these alternative phrases instead đŸ©”

If you have concerns that your child is obsessed with sweets, or only wants “junk,” make sure to check out my free train...
08/31/2026

If you have concerns that your child is obsessed with sweets, or only wants “junk,” make sure to check out my free training. ⁠
⁠
You’ll learn why they’re so drawn to these foods and what you can do to stop the preoccupation and help them eat in a balanced way without the battles or tension with food. ⁠
⁠
Comment BALANCED to watch it today đŸ©”

“Eat your growing foods.”⁠⁠“Cookies are a sometimes food.”⁠⁠“Broccoli is healthy.”⁠⁠There are so many ways we can label ...
08/28/2026

“Eat your growing foods.”⁠
⁠
“Cookies are a sometimes food.”⁠
⁠
“Broccoli is healthy.”⁠
⁠
There are so many ways we can label food, and really, none of them are helpful.⁠
⁠
Instead, try to simply call a food by its name
 apple, cookie, candy or by it’s food group
 fruit, dairy, vegetable, grain.⁠
⁠
Other than that, labels tend to inherently hold judgment.⁠
⁠
Even something that seems positive like, ‘growing food’ then makes other foods feel like they’re bad.⁠
⁠
And when food feels bad it often has the paradoxical effect, and it becomes more desirable, you know, like the forbidden fruit.⁠
⁠
OR it creates guilt and shame when eating it.⁠
⁠
On the other hand, feeling like you ‘should’ eat something, often makes you not want to eat it. It’s human nature.⁠
⁠
And this is especially true for kids who need autonomy and control when it feels like so much is controlled for them!⁠
⁠
Our words matter and can make a big impact 💛

Kids need more carbs than any other nutrient. ⁠⁠And we’re often fooled about that because of the demonization of carbs a...
08/26/2026

Kids need more carbs than any other nutrient. ⁠
⁠
And we’re often fooled about that because of the demonization of carbs and glorification of protein.⁠
⁠
This also skews our view on how much is too much or too little of either.⁠
⁠
Yes, our kids need protein and fat. But if they’re eating enough food in general, enough calories, they’re likely getting what they need.⁠
⁠
I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t care about protein, or support our kids to expand their variety and learn to try and like new foods, or to help them eat an overall balanced diet
 but usually when we’re anxious about what they’re eating, we end up resorting to behaviors and creating energy around food that isn’t helpful. ⁠
⁠
So yes, help your child learn to try and like a variety of foods in time, but carbs are also not something to worry about or limit.

Food is nuanced. ⁠⁠And why it might not be particularly harmful to just say, “yes,” it’s also not really helpful. ⁠⁠We c...
08/24/2026

Food is nuanced. ⁠
⁠
And why it might not be particularly harmful to just say, “yes,” it’s also not really helpful. ⁠
⁠
We can help our kids think about health and nutrition in ways that are going to set men up to be curious, explore food, eat a variety, listen to their body, and not create guilt or shame when eating đŸ©”

Address

Thousand Oaks, CA
91301

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18053419044

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Nicole Cruz RD posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category