Pea Pointers

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Peas Pointers

We have teamed up with a pediatric registered dietitian who thinks we are doing a great job getting veggies into your kids! Melanie R. Silverman MS, RD, IBCLC, is not only a pediatric registered dietitian and board certified lactation consultant, she is also the owner of Feeding Philosophies (www.feedingphilosophies.com) and has loads of tips and tricks to help your kids eat the way they should, from infancy through their adolescent years. Melanie’s tips will now be called Peas Pointers and she plans to guest write for our blog every month. Here is her first: If you have a picky eater, I bet the one food they will eat are those prehistoric animal shaped chicken nuggets. While I tend to believe most foods can be part of a healthy diet, in my opinion, chicken nuggets are grossly over-served to kids. If you have a picky eater and you want them to eat a variety of foods, you must offer it to them. And, as hard as it may be, you cannot fall back on foods your picky eater will eat when they skip a meal or two. I have learned through the years that kids will not starve themselves. So go ahead. Roast broccoli. Grill fish. Bake sweet potatoes. Be patient. Picky eaters will try new foods. It just takes time. Peas, Melanie

About Melanie Silverman

Melanie is a pediatric registered dietitian nutritionist (RD) and a board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) working primarily in pediatric nutrition for well over 15 years. She spent seven years as a clinical dietitian at The University of Chicago Medical Center in the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, adult and pediatric burn units, and high risk pediatric follow-up clinic. She also served as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University Chicago. Melanie has presented at state and national meetings for the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), March of Dimes, Prader-Willi California Foundation, Texas Prader-Willi Association, Oklahoma Prader Willi Syndrome Association, Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR) in the United States and Canada and the Prader-Willi Syndrome USA (PWSA). She worked hard for her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Spanish from Indiana University and a Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center. A member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, California Dietetic Association, Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group, Women’s Health Group, Nutrition Entrepreneurs and an active member of the International Lactation Consultant Association.