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

Nicole Cruz RD

Diet-free family nutrition. Helping you & your child have a healthy relationship with food 🥑🧁🍒

08/28/2026

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

08/26/2026

Kids need more carbs than any other nutrient. ⁠
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And we’re often fooled about that because of the demonization of carbs and glorification of protein.⁠
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This also skews our view on how much is too much or too little of either.⁠
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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.⁠
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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. ⁠
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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.

08/24/2026

Food is nuanced. ⁠
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And why it might not be particularly harmful to just say, “yes,” it’s also not really helpful. ⁠
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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 🩵

08/21/2026

We have to change our definition of what “healthy” really means.⁠
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👉️ Access to food⁠
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👉️ Stress reduction⁠
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👉️ Enjoyment⁠
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…Are all “healthy”⁠
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If you have concerns about the actual nutrition provided at school, that’s completely fine and understandable.⁠
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But what we don’t want to do is make blanket statements about school lunches that have the potential to pass judgment to our kids. These lunches can offer valuable nutrition to kids, encourage trying new things, or simply be convenient.⁠
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If you truly have concerns, it’s important to do your own research to understand what’s included and what the parameters for school lunches are, and then talk to someone (like your district) who can actually share more information and potentially make changes.⁠
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We don’t want to create judgment, make any child feel bad, or shame a parent for relying on these meals.⁠
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Because guilt, shame, and stress related to food is NOT “healthy”.

08/19/2026

Have you ever noticed this?⁠
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So many adults struggle to listen to their body… they feel like they just eat to eat, or feel like they have to finish their plate, or that they can’t pass up food - “If it’s there, I’ll eat it.”⁠
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And what we really want is to be able to say, “No thank you. I’m not hungry.” Or to stop when we’ve had enough. ⁠
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But when our kids do that, when they stop eating or don’t want to eat their meal, we say things like:⁠
“Eat your dinner if you want dessert” or “Take two more bites and then you can be done.”⁠
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So instead of letting them self-regulate and listen to their body cues, we’re actually telling them to override or ignore those internal signals. ⁠
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And in turn, we’re creating the exact thing that so many of us struggle with. ⁠
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I know it can be hard to watch your kid not eat, or to not touch their vegetables and then ask for dessert. I’m not suggesting that we give free reign and just don’t care about what or how much they’re eating. ⁠
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But HOW we support our kids with food, how we hold boundaries and talk about food, will either set them up to listen to their body and eat the amount they need, or it will interfere with it.⁠
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If this is something you want for your child, to help them connect to their body, trust themselves with food, AND to eat in a balanced way, follow along for more 🩵

08/17/2026

Kids’ bodies are supposed to grow and change. That’s normal and expected, and it’s not a sign that something is wrong.

But when we notice our child’s body changing, sometimes it feels concerning. Like… is this normal? Is it healthy? Is it too much?

And that makes sense, because most of us grew up being taught that bodies are something to keep an eye on, or manage, or fix.

So sometimes, when our kids are gaining weight or their body is changing, we want to ‘help’ them. We might make a comment about their body, steer them toward ‘healthier’ choices, or try to manage how much they’re eating.

And our kids pick up on these things. They notice if food starts to change, or when we start commenting on their body, or even when the way we look at them feels different.

And they start to absorb that there’s something about their body that needs to be fixed or managed. That something about their body isn’t ok or isn’t normal. These are the seeds of food and body shame that so many of us still carry as adults.

And often, a growing, changing body is just a child growing the way they’re supposed to.

At the same time, sometimes we are picking up on something that feels off with food or how they’re eating.

But responding still doesn’t mean commenting on their body or trying to manage what or how much they’re eating.

Instead, we need to look at the dynamics around food, and whether we’re supporting our child in a way that helps them stay connected to their hunger and fullness, eat the amount that’s right for them, and eat in a balanced way.

Because kids don’t eat out of balance for no reason. There’s always a reason.

That’s what I show you in my free training: how to help your child listen to their body eat in a balanced way - without creating guilt or shame.

Comment BALANCED and I’ll send it over 🩵

Address

Thousand Oaks, CA
91301

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+18053419044

Website

http://www.nicolecruzrd.com/

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