Welcome to MelanieSilverman.com where I share my feeding philosophies… A Customized Approach to Your Child’s Nutritional Health. You can be sure that the advice I offer on how and what to feed your kids is supported by valid studies, clinical practice and most importantly, good common sense.
Many people ask me what my basic feeding philosophies are on raising nutritionally healthy children. I do not take this question lightly. I have compiled these philosophies for over ten years and from hundreds of patients from all over the country, dozens of research articles and books on pediatric nutrition and conversations with the best and brightest in nutrition. So here they are:
Children should:
1.) eat when they are hungry and stop when full
2.) eat a variety of different foods
3.) behave at the table.
From the very first time you feed your infant either breast milk or formula, you begin to shape the child’s relationship to food. Parents have high hopes for their children when they are born, but understandably, very few think critically beyond if they will breastfeed or bottle feed until an issue presents itself either 6 months or 15 years later. I believe we need to shift our thinking. Considering 1 in 3 children in the United States are overweight or obese, there are millions of children with severe food allergies and picky eating toddlers can easily reduce mothers to tears, we need to overhaul the relationship we all have with food.
I became a pediatric registered dietitian and started my private consulting business to take care of children in the most fundamental way possible…through food. Allow me to help you help your children nutritionally so they can live long, happy, and productive lives.