Episode Details

This episode is sponsored by Plantifique. Emily and I both turned 40 years old this summer, so quality skincare has been on the mind. Plantifique is a female-founded, Korean-developed skincare brand built on one idea: feed your skin barrier, don’t fight it. You can head to plantifique.com/tidydad and use code TIDYDAD20 for 20% off an order + a FREE gift.

What should our kids be eating? Should we be adding more protein? Should every meal be perfectly balanced? Should we sneak vegetables into foods they already love?

And is there even such thing as a should?

Today I’m joined by Jennifer Anderson, nutritionist, mom, and the creator behind Kids Eat in Color, to talk about her new book, Feed Them Well.

Jennifer shares one of the most important lessons she’s learned: stop “shoulding” yourself when it comes to food. Because all that pressure, anxiety, fear, and guilt can make feeding ourselves and our kids feel a whole lot more difficult than it needs to be.

We talk about Jennifer’s simple formula for building a balanced meal: protein + fat, carbohydrate, and color, and why she thinks of protein + fat foods as “sanity foods” that can help keep kids full and fueled.

If feeding your family has started to feel like one more thing you’re supposed to be doing perfectly, this conversation is your reminder: you don’t have to.

More from Jennifer Anderson:

📚 Order Feed Them Well: A Guide to Raising Healthy, Confident Eaters for Life

📸 Follow along with Jennifer on IG: Kids Eat in Color

More from Tidy Dad:

📚 Order Tidy Up Your Life (available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook)

🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times on Substack

📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad