Podcasts by Comfort Food
The podcast about the joys (and meltdowns!) of feeding our families and ourselves. Every week we examine how diet culture, body image issues and our own hectic lives get in the way of putting a dinner on the table that we can all feel good about. And we offer practical, road-tested tips to help you make peace with your own eating (or your kid's picky eating!) and find more joy in your family's food life. Hosted by best friends and writers Amy Palanjian (creator of the popular blog Yummy Toddler Food) and Virginia Sole-Smith (author of The Eating Instinct).
Further podcasts by Amy Palanjian & Virginia Sole-Smith
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87. In Which We Take A Hiatus (And Talk Back To School Mental Load) from 2020-09-10T09:00
We're starting this episode with a sad announcement: We're taking another hiatus. (Thanks to COVID, remote schooling, 2020 in general...) But before we go, we're downloading all of our thoughts ...
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86. Violet and Beatrix: An Ode to Pesto Pasta from 2020-09-03T09:00
We've decided to embrace the lack of childcare and bring the kids on the podcast! This week, almost-7-year-old Violet and 2-year-old Beatrix join Virginia to talk about their favorite foods, lea...
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85. What To Do When Kids Talk About Dieting from 2020-08-27T10:50:01
This week, we're talking about some recent food/parenting fails in our own homes — as well as getting into what to do when kids talk about "needing to diet." (Gah!)
Resources for this ep...
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84. Linden and Cantaloupe Heaven from 2020-08-20T09:00
We've decided to embrace the lack of childcare and bring the kids on the podcast! This week, 8 year yold Linden joins Amy to talk about her favorite foods, least favorite foods, and all her best...
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83. All the Anxiety, Sad Eating and Food Overwhelm from 2020-08-13T09:00
We are just OVER food right now. So this week, join us to commiserate about how often children need to be fed, but why they don't like the snacks you bought, how boring it is to keep making dinn...
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82. Amy and Virginia, Reunited! (And it feels so good) from 2020-07-30T09:00
Our quarantine schedules and the stars have finally aligned and we're back to (mostly) recording together! This week we're just catching up on all things in our #pandemicparenting and food lives...
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81. What Amy Ate For Dinner Last Week (Because Kitchen Burnout Is So Real Right Now) from 2020-07-23T09:00
80. What If Doctors Stopped Weighing You (and Your Kids)? from 2020-07-02T09:00
For this week's mini, Virginia is chatting about the process of reporting her new feature for Scientific American: Listen
79. Why Amy Doesn't Ban Goldfish Crackers Anymore from 2020-06-25T09:00
78. Diversifying the Stories We Tell About Food (Mini Episode with Virginia) from 2020-06-18T09:00
For this week's mini episode, Virginia shares some of our favorite Black voices in the food world, especially in the "feeding kids" space, which is not nearly diverse enough. Here's the list if ...
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77. A Life (And Weaning) Update From Amy from 2020-06-11T09:00
76. On Loving The Body You Have (Rebroadcast) from 2020-05-28T09:00
We're on pandemic hiatus, but rebroadcasting some of our favorite episodes — that seem super useful right now!
75. Dinner Is In Your Pantry, with Nicki Sizemore of From Scratch Fast (Rebroadcast) from 2020-05-21T09:00
We're on pandemic hiatus, but rebroadcasting some of our favorite episodes — that seem super useful right now!
Dinner. It...
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74. The Mental Load of Staying Home (Rebroadcast) from 2020-05-14T09:00
We're on pandemic hiatus, but rebroadcasting some of our favorite episodes — that seem super useful right now!
73. When the Kids Just Don't Eat (Rebroadcast) from 2020-05-07T09:00
We're on pandemic hiatus, but rebroadcasting some of our favorite episodes — that seem super useful right now!
There are lots of meals (especially dinner!) that...
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72. Surviving. No Pressure To Be Thriving. from 2020-04-30T09:00
This week, we've got another report on how we're working, parenting and feeding our families and ourselves while in the isolation trenches. We're talking about ideas for making the same old kid ...
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71. Grocery Tips and Easy Meals for Isolation Life from 2020-04-23T09:00
We're talking through the logistics of stretching between grocery store trips, cooking from your pantry, and figuring out how to feel good about what you're eating when family meals look a lot d...
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70. Why You Can't Eff Up Your Kids (Even Now!) with Lindsay Powers from 2020-04-16T09:00
We recorded this one pre-pandemic, but it couldn't be more timely. Lindsay Powers, founder of the #NoShameParenting movement, mom of two, and author of <...
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69. The Mental Load of Staying Home from 2020-04-09T09:00
Managing home school schedules, balancing work from home with a total lack of childcare, grocery store stress — parents are navigating a million new mental load challenges right now, and moms, n...
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68. Pandemic Food Fears: Picky Eating, Food Safety, Food Access and More from 2020-04-02T09:00
Greetings from our bunkers! We put together this very special episode to talk through all of your anxieties about feeding your family—and feeding yourself—during these long weeks of isolation li...
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67. How To Make Veggies Kids Will Actually Like from 2020-03-26T09:00
NOTE: This episode was recorded before the United States coronavirus outbreak, so you won't hear any discussion of our current state of affairs. We hope it provides some muc...
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66. Mom Body Love At Every Size, With Jen McClellan of Plus Mommy from 2020-03-05T10:00
Mom body image is, for better or worse, a fairly universal struggle. But if you’re a mom in a larger body, there can be a lot of added layers to navigate. Today w...
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65. When Food Restriction Sneaks In from 2020-03-05T10:00
Even if you think you're not "dieting," much less trying to restrict your kids' eating habits, we've found that a restriction mindset (especially around certain f...
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64. The Truth About Emotional Eating from 2020-02-27T10:00
As you might guess from our podcast name, we’re firm believers in the comforting power of food. But diet culture gives “emotional eating” a bad rap, and convinces...
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63. Balancing the Mental Load and Me Time with Rachel Bertsche from 2020-02-20T10:00
Losing yourself in parenthood is such a common struggle, especially for moms, because the sheer logistics of caring, feeding, and scheduling our kids lives can be...
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62. How Do You Balance Social Responsibility and Intuitive Eating? from 2020-02-13T10:00
61. Body Peace For Moms with Crystal Karges, RDN from 2020-02-06T10:00
This week we're chatting with Crystal Karges, a registered dietitian nutritionist, maternal health specialist, certified intuitive eati...
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60. Can You Do Intuitive Eating and Lose Weight? (With Jessica Jones, RDN of Food Heaven) from 2020-01-30T10:00
Is it possible to practice intuitive eating and have a healthier relationship with food, while also wanting to lose or maintain your weight? We’re getting into th...
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59. How To Anti-Diet with Christy Harrison, RDN from 2020-01-23T10:00
This week, we’re welcoming back fan favorite Christy Harrison, RDN, host of the wildly popular Food Psych Podcast, to t...
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58. The Trouble With Food Rewards (with Leslie Schilling, RDN) from 2020-01-16T10:00
M&Ms for going potty; a lollipop at the end of soccer practice; dessert for eating dinner; a pizza party prize from the PTA — these are just a few of the ways tha...
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57. Meal Prep for Busy Parents with Talia Koren of Workweek Lunch from 2020-01-09T10:00
Even if you’re a somewhat reluctant meal prepper, there is one meal of the week that you probably often wish you had planned ahead for: Weekday lunches! Most of u...
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56. Family Meals with Ashley Smith of Veggies&Virtue from 2020-01-02T10:00
This week we’re talking to Ashley Smith, RDN, of Veggies and Virtue, where she provides parents with age-appropriate ...
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55. Family Meals and Food Traditions with Leah Koenig, author of The Jewish Cookbook from 2019-12-19T10:00
This week, we're chatting with Leah Koenig, author of The Jewish Cookbook and several other books and articles about Jewish cuisine around the world about why one country's comfort food...
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54. Listener Qs on Sharing The Mealtime Load and Fixing Kiddo Sleep from 2019-12-12T10:00
If you’re like most households, there is one person (and we’re guessing it’s you!) who notices when we run out of milk, thinks ahead to restock the kids’ favorite...
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53. Why Nutrition Doesn't Matter As Much As We Think (with Jennifer Berry of Thrive By Spectrum Pediatrics) from 2019-12-05T10:00
Eggs, sugar, red meat — we know nutrition is important, but what we’re supposed to know about nutrition seems to change, a lot. And it can be hard to keep your kn...
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52. Family Meals with Mary Ellen Phipps (Milk and Honey Nutrition) from 2019-11-21T10:00
This week we're chatting with Mary Ellen Phipps of Milk & Honey Nutrition about how growing up with Type 1 Diabetes has informed her approach to...
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51. 10 Ways To Love Your Mom Body Right Now from 2019-11-14T10:00
We know that motherhood (and just... life) can dramatically change how you feel about your body, whether you’re newly postpartum or several years in. Today we’re ...
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50. Beyond Body Positivity with Lexie Kite of Beauty Redefined from 2019-11-07T10:00
You know that thing where you find yourself thinking about how your body looks, when you'd rather just be living in your body? This week, on a very special 50th EPISODE, we're ...
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49. How To Stop Freaking Out About Halloween Candy (Rebroadcast) from 2019-10-30T09:00
We're downloading a day early because it's almost Halloween! And all too often, parents biggest fear about Halloween is... what to do with all the candy. But Halloween is also a fantastic opport...
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48. FAQs about Intuitive Eating With Kids Part 2 (With Elizabeth Davenport, RDN) from 2019-10-24T09:00
We talk a lot about intuitive eating and the Division of Responsibility or "responsive feeding" approach we like to take with family meals — but we know these big ideas can be tricky to put into...
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47. FAQs about Intuitive Eating for Kids, Part 1 (With Emily Fonnesback) from 2019-10-17T09:00
We talk a lot about intuitive eating and the Division of Responsibility or "responsive feeding" approach we like to take with family meals — but we know these big ideas can be tricky to put into...
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46. Is it OK for Kids to Drink Chocolate Milk? from 2019-10-10T09:00
Several major health organizations have just released new recommendations that kids drink only water and plain milk until age 5. But is it realistic to expect you...
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45. A Week of 20-Minute Family Dinners from 2019-10-03T09:00
Virginia has hit a wall with family dinner - so much prep! so much crying! so little eating! - and we're betting she's not alone. If you're struggling to get a meal onto the table at the end of ...
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44. Why Kids Don’t Need to Diet (With Anna Lutz, RD of Sunnyside Nutrition) from 2019-09-26T09:00
We all want our kids to love their bodies. But we’re also given plenty of reasons to worry about our kids’ body weight, size and shape, especially if they fall on...
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43. Mealtime Mental Load Struggles (with Darcy Lockman, author of All The Rage) from 2019-09-19T09:00
Why do most men do so little at home — and especially in the kitchen? Why are women (still!) doing so much? Darcy Lockman,...
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42. What We're All Really Spending on Groceries from 2019-09-12T09:00
Do you worry whether you're spending the "right" amount of money on the food you buy for your family? We sure do... so we got some hard numbers on how much Americans spend on groceries and they ...
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41. Fitting in Fitness as a Mom (and Raising Body Positive Kids with Rebecca Scritchfield) from 2019-09-05T09:00
We realized we had A LOT more to say about moms and fitness (and why you don't need to get your "pre-baby body" back!). So we're talking in more detail about how we find our exercise motivation ...
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40. Intuitive Eating Secrets from a Mom of 5 (with Melissa Griffiths of Bless This Mess) from 2019-08-29T09:00
It can be daunting to raise one or two healthy, happy eaters... so how about five?! This week, we chat with Melissa Griffiths of ...
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39: What Growth Chart Percentiles Mean for Your Kid's Health from 2019-08-22T09:00
Whether you have a kiddo in a high weight percentile, or barely on the growth chart, chances are you’ve had at least one pediatrician visit where you left stressed out about growth curves. Today...
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38: What To Do About Snacking (And Why Your Kid Doesn't Want to Eat Meals) from 2019-08-15T09:00
Why do so many of our kids only want to eat "snacks?" Why can't you leave your house without a purse full of them? We're untangling some of the confusion about snacks: Why kids need them, how th...
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37. How The Heck To Start Milk Weaning (plus Summer Veggie Ideas With Nicki Sizemore of From Scratch Fast) from 2019-05-23T09:00
Welcome to the final episode of season 2! Whether you breastfeed or bottle feed, weaning your baby or toddler from their first milk over to a cup can be a fraught process. We’re exploring why ou...
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36. Why Moms Should Say Eff It To Dieting with Caroline Dooner from 2019-05-16T09:00
This week, we're taking a break from our usual family-focused fare to chat with Caroline Dooner, author of The F*ck It Diet, a radical new book ...
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35. Feeding Your Family and Getting Out Of Your Own Way from 2019-05-09T09:00
In a lot of kitchens, dads need to be doing more to even out the mental load and division of emotional labor. Period. The end. Except...it's also true that moms make the project of feeding our f...
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34. Please Don't Screw Up Our Kids, Part 2! A Conversation About Food, Weight&Body Image with Rebecca Scritchfield of Body Kindness from 2019-05-02T09:00
This week, we're teaming up with Rebecca Scritchfield's Body Kindness Podcast for a very special cross-over episode. Rebecca is a registe...
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33. Family Dinners IRL: A Conversation with Jenny Rosenstrach of Dinner, A Love Story. from 2019-04-25T09:00
There's the American ideal of Perfect Family Dinners... and then there's what actually happens. Jenny Rosenstrach, author of three cookbooks and founding editor of the blog Listen
32: The Kids-In-Restaurants Survival Guide from 2019-04-18T09:00
Eating out can be one of the easiest ways to give yourself a break from the daily chore of feeding your family, but what to do when it just feels like a looming disaster? We talk through some co...
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31: The Mental Load of Meal Planning from 2019-04-11T09:00
In which Virginia realizes that her reluctance to meal planning is really a one woman protest against yet more emotional labor — that essential work of caring and keeping our families that so di...
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30: Backpocket Family Dinner Ideas with Nicki Sizemore of From Scratch Fast from 2019-04-04T09:00
Dinner. It has to happen every night, no matter whether you meal planned, or went to the store, or are now staring down some hard 5pm truths about the state of your fridge. We asked Nicki Sizemo...
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29: Intuitive Eating 101 with Evelyn Tribole from 2019-03-28T09:00
You may have heard the phrase “intuitive eating” (we sure say it a lot!) but maybe you aren’t sure what it means. And maybe you’ve heard it’s a good weight loss strategy. Today we’re talking wit...
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28: When The Kids Just Don't Eat (With Jennifer Berry of Thrive by Spectrum) from 2019-03-21T09:00
There are lots of meals (especially dinner!) that kids just don't eat. And this can be frustrating and even alarming for parents—but most often, it's completely normal. We're chatting with Listen
27: What Does Healthy Really Mean? With Maryann Jacobsen, RD from 2019-03-14T09:00
“Healthy” is a word that gets used and overused on recipes, food packaging, and in diet and wellness marketing. It’s also a word that many of us strive for—but wh...
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26: Crazy But Normal Toddler Mealtime Behavior from 2019-03-07T10:00
We're welcoming Amy back from maternity leave with an episode focused on her expertise — feeding toddlers! This episode covers what to do with little ones' food obsessions, fick...
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25. Tips for Picky Eaters (Crossover Episode with Didn't I Just Feed You?) from 2019-01-24T14:24:13
Comfort Food is about to go on a short hiatus while Amy has that baby. So for this week's very special episode, we're rebroadcasting a fun interview she did with Stacie Billis and Meghan Splawn ...
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24. Can You Be Addicted to Sugar? (With Lisa DuBreuil) from 2019-01-17T10:00
Join the parent conversation at any birthday party and you might come away thinking that sugar is more addictive than crack. But how much of this is fact — and how much is fueled by our culture’...
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23. When Family Dinners Don't Happen from 2019-01-10T10:00
There’s a lot of pressure to make family dinners work—and a lot of guilt-inducing headlines preaching that we can avoid everything from drug abuse to failing grades by making them a priority. Bu...
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22. New Year, No Diet (with Christy Harrison, RD, author of ANTI-DIET) from 2019-01-03T10:00
It’s January! Which means we’re getting bombarded with “new year, new body” messages. But what if you just… didn’t start a diet this year? What if you did an anti...
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21. Holiday Hosting Sanity Strategies from 2018-12-20T10:00
Tis the season... for a house full of guests, a fridge full of food, kids hopped up on present stress and even Virginia is making menu plans because holiday hosting is no joke. If you're stressi...
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20. Holiday Baking with Kids (Feat. Samantha Barnes of Radish Kids!) from 2018-12-13T10:00
Baking (or cooking, or just inhabiting the kitchen) with your children sounds so great in theory...but the reality is often sticky counters, broken egg shells, and bored littles wondering when y...
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19. The Feeding Philosophy That May Save Family Dinner (with Katja Rowell, MD) from 2018-12-06T10:00
You've heard us mention Division of Responsibility a million times by now. And you may...
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18. Behind The Scenes of THE EATING INSTINCT (Virginia's new book!) from 2018-11-29T10:00
Virginia's new book, The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in Ame...
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17. Baby-Led Weaning vs. Purees — Do We Have to Pick a Side? from 2018-11-15T10:00
Baby led weaning and purees are both perfectly acceptable ways to introduce a baby to solid foods. But this topic gets crazy heated among moms! We’ll talk through...
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16. The Great Meal Planning Debate (with KJ Dell'Antonia, author of HOW TO BE A HAPPIER PARENT) from 2018-11-06T20:47:18
Amy loves to meal plan (and posts amazing menus every week @yummyfamilyfood!). Virginia is… more of a me...
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15. Team Dinner (How Shared Parenting Makes Family Meals Easier) from 2018-11-01T09:00
Our biggest gripe about family dinners? When all of the cooking/chopping/planning/prepping/cleaning falls to just one family member—because all too often, it’s al...
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14. Why Does Starting Solids Get So Controversial? from 2018-10-25T09:00
Virginia's baby Beatrix just turned one! And she's sharing their journey from spoon-feeding mushy banana to self-feeding all the foods. We also discuss why the decision of when to start solids w...
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13. How to Stop Freaking Out About Halloween Candy and Sugar Highs from 2018-10-18T09:00
The spooky season is upon us! And all too often, parents' biggest fear about Halloween is... what to do with all the candy. We know it can be a lot (especially if you've got multiple parties, pa...
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12. Why Being Body Positive Matters To Your Kids from 2018-10-11T09:00
It can be super hard to feel good about your mom body because we live in a culture that wants us to have all the babies... but then look like we never had a baby. So a lot of us end up ...
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11. 5 Reasons Why Family Dinners Are the Worst (But Could Be the Best) from 2018-10-04T09:00
Every darn day we have to feed our families dinner. And on way too many of those days, it's harder than it should be. We’ve pinpointed 5 of the most common problems that come up during family di...
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10. The Protein Myth: Do We Really Need to Eat As Much As We Think? from 2018-09-27T09:00
These days, "healthy eating" seems to mean "eat all of the protein, with some protein powder sprinkled on top." This can be super stressful for parents who worry their kids aren't big fans of me...
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9. Mama, Is Your Wellness Plan Really a Diet? (Here's Why It Matters) from 2018-09-20T09:00
With so many wellness plans, detox bootcamps, food challenges and diet “rounds” available now, it can be hard to suss out whether something will really help you i...
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8. Enjoying Family Meals with Food Intolerances and Food Allergies from 2018-09-13T09:00
These days, most of us have a friend or family member who can’t eat a specific food, or who is choosing not to for one reason or another, so today we’re talking about what that can mean for fami...
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7. Back To School Lunch Struggles from 2018-09-06T09:00
Maybe you’re packing your first preschool lunchbox. Or logging on to top up your elementary schooler’s lunch account. Or trying to figure out what your toddler at...
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6. Eating While Pregnant from 2018-08-23T09:00
Holy pregnancy hunger! Amy is expecting baby number three (and eating all of the pretzels), so this episode is all about how eating changes when you're pregnant because of cravings, aversions an...
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5. The Problem With Portion Control from 2018-08-16T09:00
You know how nobody has ever eaten exactly one half cup of ice cream and felt satisfied in their life? Yeah. That. Diet culture and government guidelines are full of rules about the so-...
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4. The Truth About Sugar Highs and Your Kids from 2018-08-09T09:00
A new study on kids and sugar consumption has triggered a flurry of handwringing — and mom shaming. But are American toddlers really living on Snickers' bars alone? And is banning sugar from you...
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3. Feed Yourself First! from 2018-07-26T18:50:33
You know how you can be up for hours in the morning, your kids will be on their second breakfast or third snack and somehow, you still haven't had a bite? (And you've had to warm up your coffee ...
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2. How Much Do We Care About Kids and Vegetables? from 2018-07-26T18:39:10
Little kids are notorious for not wanting to eat things that are green (or often yellow or red...). So in episode 2 of Comfort Food, we ask: How much pressure is too much pressure when it comes ...
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1. Why Are We All So Obsessed With What We Eat? from 2018-07-25T15:13:20
Welcome to Comfort Food: The podcast about the joys (and meltdowns!) of feeding our families and ourselves. In Episode 1, we tackle a giant issue: How can we stop obsessing about what we...
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