Dr Julie - PhD

Dr Julie - PhD NZ's leading baby & toddler nutrition expert. A multi-time published author, speaker and creator of Dr Julie's Kitchen an innovative and ground up food brand.

💚👶NZs Top Baby & Toddler Nutrition Expert
👩‍🏫 Women's Hormone Specialist
👩‍🍳 Dr Julie's Kitchen
🎙DJs Coffee Chats - Dark Horse Coffee
🏋‍♀️🏃‍♀️ Go Good (Code = DRJULIE)
📚 Badger Publishing NZ In 2015 I completed my PhD in children's independent mobility - it took four years of some of the hardest work I have ever done and I gave birth to my two older boys during these four years. Little did I know

this was just the start of an incredible journey. When I am not in the kitchen or hidden away writing I am wrangling my three boys (drinking coffee is a given). Published books:

2017 - The Nourished Baby
2018 - The Nourished Toddler
2019 - Baby & Toddler Cookbook
2020 - My First Vegetables (children's book)
2021 - Feed the Tribe (cookbook)
2022 - The Nourished Bump & DJK Fruit Spread Cookbook

Plus five other ebooks:
2016 - Healthy Easy Dinners for Busy Mums
2017 - Breastfeeding Guide
2018 - Slow Cooked
2020- Get Started
2023 - Sugar Reduction Guide

See website for all goodness and also check out Dr Julie's Kitchen

xx Dr J

14/06/2026

Porridge has a bit of a health halo... but oats alone aren't always enough to keep us fuelled through a busy morning.

That's why I created my High Protein Porridge Bowl 💙

✨ Higher in protein ✨ Added healthy fats ✨ More fibre ✨ Ready in minutes

All the comfort and warmth of a bowl of porridge, but designed to help keep you fuller and more satisfied for longer.

Perfect for busy mornings, school runs, work days and winter weather ❄️

Only out for a limited time as part of our DJK Winter Range!

Who else is a porridge person once the temperature drops? 🙋‍♀️

14/06/2026

The hardest feeding advice I have to give parents?

Keep offering it.

Not forever. Not with pressure. Not with bribery.

Just calmly, consistently and repeatedly.

Because one of the strongest findings in toddler feeding research is that children often need many exposures to a food before accepting it.

The challenge is that repeated exposure doesn't feel very exciting.

A reward can work today. A bribe can work today. A different meal can work today.

But repeated exposure works for the long game.
It helps children build familiarity, confidence and acceptance over time.

So if your child rejected the broccoli, fish, lentils or casserole this week?

Take a breath.

The goal isn't getting them to eat it today.

The goal is making sure they see it again tomorrow 💙

09/06/2026

I don't really understand Olympic lifting.

But I do understand fluffy jackets, warm garages and being close to your favourite human.

That's enough for me 🐶💕

03/06/2026

If I could teach parents just 4 things about feeding toddlers, it would be these:

💙 Exposure
💙 Boundaries
💙 Consistency
💙 Disappointment

And honestly? Disappointment might be the most important of them all.

Many parents work incredibly hard to avoid their child being disappointed. A different meal. A different snack. A different option.

But learning to cope with disappointment is a life skill.

Most children need many exposures to foods before they learn to enjoy them. They don't need pressure, bribery or a different meal every night.

Children are capable of navigating family meals, learning flexibility and developing confidence around food when we create opportunities for them to do so.

After more than 10 years working with families, these are still the principles I come back to again and again.

I'll be diving much deeper into all of this in my Toddler Food Virtual Event tonight 💙

(Not too late to grab your ticket 🎟️)

Because feeding toddlers isn't about winning one dinner. It's about building habits that last.

30/05/2026

Unpopular opinion 💙

Bribes, rewards and pressure can sometimes create more food battles than they solve.

When children learn that eating vegetables earns dessert, stickers or rewards, the message can unintentionally become: 👉 "the vegetables are the thing I have to get through" 👉 "the reward is the food I actually want"

Instead, one of the most powerful strategies we have is repeated exposure.

Offering foods consistently, without pressure, helps children build familiarity and confidence over time.

Children are incredibly capable of becoming agents of their own eating when we create opportunities for them to explore, learn and practise those skills.

This doesn't mean every meal will be easy (because toddlers 😅), but it does mean we can focus on long-term habits rather than short-term wins.

I'll be diving much deeper into this in my Toddler Food Virtual Event next Thursday night 💙

Because feeding toddlers isn't about getting them to eat one perfect dinner.

It's about building a positive relationship with food that lasts for years to come🙏

26/05/2026

Over the last 10 years I’ve spoken to:

💙 halls filled with hundreds of parents
💙 intimate coffee groups in living rooms
💙 and virtual events from the comfort of your own sofa (hello COVID!)

And honestly? The message has always stayed the same.

Feeding children does not need to feel perfect to matter.

Tomorrow morning I’m running my Starting Solids Virtual Event — a relaxed, practical session focused on:

✨ where to start
✨ reducing overwhelm
✨ responsive feeding
✨ building positive food habits
✨ and helping food feel calmer long term

Whether you’re right at the beginning with your first baby or navigating food struggles later on, these principles truly stick for years to come.

Pop on your comfies, bring a cup of tea and join me from your couch 💙

Replay included for those who can’t make it LIVE ✨

26/05/2026

Starting solids… or struggling with your child’s food journey? 🥣

3 tried-and-true strategies I have seen work time and time again over the last 10 years:

1️⃣ Repeated exposure matters more than pressure.
- Children often need MANY exposures to foods before accepting them. Not bribery. Not forcing. Not “just one bite”. Calm, repeated exposure over time.

2️⃣ Start as you intend to carry on.
- If possible, avoid falling into the habit of offering 2, 3, 4 or 5 different meals. Babies are capable of learning family meals and flexible eating patterns from the beginning.

3️⃣ Whole foods over “baby food” products.
- Babies do not need baby rice and highly processed toddler snacks to learn to eat. Real food is enough. Soft veggies, protein, good fats, family meals — simple wins.

Starting solids is about so much more than the first few months of food. It helps shape confidence, exposure, family food culture and long-term habits 💙

My Starting Solids Virtual Event is tomorrow and Toddler Food next Thursday if you’d love practical, realistic guidance (without the overwhelm 🫠)

Recorded replay included ✨

24/05/2026

After a launch night that didn't go quite to plan...we still made it and your guide is here!

This guide turned into exactly what I hoped it would be:
✨ realistic winter nourishment
✨ easy family meal ideas
✨ budget-friendly support
✨ low-pressure routines
✨ comfort without perfection

PLUS because Thursday night’s LIVE had some tech hiccups, I’ve added an EXTRA bonus private virtual event TONIGHT so we can properly reset together heading into the week 💙

We’ll chat through the guide, talk simple winter rhythms and even meal prep the High Protein Chocolate Chip Muffins together LIVE 🍫

AND because I appreciate you all so much…

The pre-order price is still live for TONIGHT ONLY 👀

This is your sign to make winter feel a little easier 🩷

Link to the event comes with the guide!

19/05/2026

When I was first separated, and no one knew yet, I remember saying to my therapist:

“I feel like I’m at the bottom of a long, dark well. No one can hear me, there’s no help coming, no rope… and I have 3 sons to somehow get out too.”

I told her I had no idea how to do it.

Everything I had worked for felt ripped away, including years of study (a PhD with 2 kids) building my career, publishing multiple books, and the life I thought I would have.

She asked me:

“What would you say to your boys if they were in the same position?”

And without thinking, I said:

“You just have to start. One small movement at a time.”

That’s what training became for me.

Not just exercise, but a way of learning how to rebuild from the rubble. How to show up for myself again. One painful, slow, clunky rep at a time.

I actually still don’t love sharing training videos. But I do it because I know what it feels like to believe something is impossible.

And if one woman watches this and decides to start, in whatever area of her life feels hard right now, then it’s worth it 🥹❤️‍🩹

This is also a big part of what I’ll be talking about in my upcoming Winter Reset Guide and virtual event. Not perfection, just rebuilding through small, consistent steps 🙏

17/05/2026

There’s so much noise in nutrition, especially for women.

And honestly? A lot of the advice people are still holding onto is outdated, over-simplified, or completely disconnected from real life.

A few things I wish more women understood:

🤍 Fat does not “make you fat.” Healthy fats are incredibly important for hormones, satiety, energy, brain health, and helping you actually feel satisfied after meals.

🤍 Constant restriction isn’t the only path to health or weight loss. For many women, especially those already stressed and exhausted, chronic under-eating can make things harder, not easier.

🤍 You don’t “need” grains to be healthy. Some people thrive with them, some feel better with less. Nutrition is rarely one-size-fits-all.

Nutrition should support your life, not make it feel harder 🩷

A lot of this is exactly what I’ll be diving deeper into in my upcoming Winter Reset Guide 👀

Pre-order for just $10 until this Thursday and get access to the free virtual event to set you through it all with ease 🙏

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