Media and Writing - Feeding Bytes

Looking for a US or UK nutrition expert to feature in your story?

Need an evidence-based article/blog post or healthy recipe for your website or magazine?

A nutrition consultant for your upcoming book?

I would love to help!

As a pediatric dietitian, I have co-written two books on starting solids and contributed articles and quotes to many websites and magazines, including Parents.com, KIWI, Food and Nutrition Magazine, EatRight.com and others.

To learn more how I can help, get in touch with me on +44 7545611284 or by pressing the button below.

And while you are here, feel free to browse through the list of some of my recent books, articles, quotes and learn about my recent projects in the US and UK.

Get in touch with me

I asked Natalia to be my co-writer on two cookbooks, and it was the best choice I could have made. Not only is she incredibly knowledgeable about feeding and nutrition, but she is also dedicated, an excellent communicator, and truly invested in making the books as good as they could be. If I had a nutrition question she wasn’t completely certain about, she dove into the research taking as much time as necessary to steer me in the right direction. I would recommend her in a heartbeat.

Jenna Helwig

Food Director, Parents.com

Can I have another snack? The One-upMUMship of Kid Food Instagram “The biggest misconception I see being promoted on social media is that children are supposed to be eating perfectly pre-portioned balanced little meals from cute plates,’ Natalia Stasenko, a Registered Paediatric Dietitian and Responsive Feeding specialist, tells me.”

Huffington Post The Best Healthy Baby Food Tips, According to Experts “I cannot emphasize enough the importance of exposing babies to a variety of textures from the get-go, instead of offering smooth purees for too long,” registered dietitian Natalia Stasenko said. “Make sure to transition to mashed and finger foods within weeks of starting solids, because babies are primed for learning and will happily challenge themselves at this age.”

PureWow.com There are three types of picky eater. Which one is yours? “The long-term focus, says Stasenko, “should be on fostering a good relationship with food instead of micromanaging every bite.”

Wall Street Journal Falling sales squeeze baby food pouches “I have seen many babies who have trouble progressing to finger foods because the parents relied on pouches for too long,” said Natalia Stasenko, a pediatric dietitian. “It’s probably fine to use pouches from time to time. But we now see that their use is by far too excessive.”

Bustle.com Why do some people hate mayonnaise? What looks like a fun topic is actually a thorough investigation into sensory issues with food that can continue into adulthood and how little understanding and support people who struggle with certain textures get in our world. Thrilled to be included as one of the experts interviewed on the topic. “What is missing from the current understanding of how and why eating problems persist in adulthood is empathy towards those who struggle and strategies to help them cope with potentially anxiety-triggering eating scenarios,” Natalia Stasenko of Feeding Bytes tells Bustle. Feeding research and policy tends to be aimed at “fixing” the problem, says Stasenko — but that might not be the best way to go about addressing it. “It is becoming clear now that some adults have a very limited dietary variety and it is not their fault,” she notes. “Instead of feeling shame and guilt around their eating, they need understanding, tools for coping with anxiety and gentle and kind strategies to explore foods in a way and at a speed that works best for them.”

Healthline.com Can Solid Food Help Your Baby Get to Sleep? Featured as one of the experts weighing on the result of a recent research study. “The role of [feeding] solids is not purely nutrition or calories. It is also about developing eating skills,” Stasenko said. “Eating is a very complex process involving numerous muscles and all senses. Babies need to be able to fully participate in feeding in order to start developing their eating skills.”

Parents.com Your Biggest Baby-Led Weaning Questions, Answered. Very important advice on starting solids using the BLW approach. Did you get all your questions answered?

Baby Led Feeding: A Natural Way to Raise Happy Independent Eaters. I loved working on another baby cookbook with Jenna Helwig, the food editor at parents.com and I think it is an amazing resource for parents who need easy and creative recipes+credible research based advice on starting solids.

I collaborated with Jenna Helwig, food editor at parents.com, to co-write “Real Baby Food“, a cookbook and a nutritional guide for the parents of babies and toddlers.

I broke down the most recent research findings to provide parents with clear guidelines on when and how it is best to start solids, how to feed a baby with food allergies, vegetarian and vegan kids, when and how to introduce gluten into a baby’s diet and more.

Get in touch with me

Some of earlier articles, quotes and projects

he Nourished Child Podcast It was an honor to be interviewed by one of my favorite pediatric RDs, Jill Castle, on her popular podcast The Nourished Child. We chatted about all things starting solids with babies and I shared why the mixed approach to solids (purees+finger foods) may be the best way for many parents to share the love for food and eating with their babies.

Feedspot.com Very excited to be included in the Top 100 Kids Food Blogs and Websites for Kids by FeedSpot

Parents.com 15 Ways to Help Your Baby Love Food as Much as You Do. In this article by Sally Kuzemchak from Real Mom Nutrition I shared my tips together with a whole team of my favorite feeding experts including Dina Rose of It’s Not About Nutrition, Jill from The Nourished Child and Ellyn Satter of Ellyn Satter Institute.

Foodlets.com My 4 year old says he is hungry all the time: 6 Solutions from nutrition experts who are moms. Happy to be included in this article together with Sally from RealMomNutrition.com and Dina from ItsNotAboutNutrition.com, trying to help parents to solve the grazing dilemma: To feed or Not to feed?

Parents.com Should overweight kids get second helpings. Overweight and obesity in children is a very sensitive topic. While researchers are looking for the best long-term solutions to help families, it is important to understand that dieting or caloric restriction does not work for children (or adults). I was interviewed by Parents.com to provide better strategies, aimed at creating a structure for feeding and encouraging mindful eating, instead of restricting portion sizes or second servings.

KidList Activities for Kids. Where to find healthy, kid-friendly recipes

I was featured on Kidlist: Activities for Kids, alongside amazing websites like Super Healthy Kids, Damn Delicious, Budget Bytes and Family and Kids section of Food Network. Thank you so much Rachel Matuch for making me part of this great team!

NetDoctor.co.uk The Comprehensive Guide on Feeding Your Baby.

I was thrilled to be invited to collaborate on this article alongside another UK dietitian, Natasha Murrey. The result is a complete and easy to follow guide on the when, why and how’s of starting solids for your baby, thoroughly organized by Naomi Mead, a nutritional therapist.

Speaking at a WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) conference in Richmond, VA.

I was invited as a speaker to discuss feeding problems in toddlers, their diagnosis, assessment, and management with over a hundred Registered Dietitians attending a regional WIC conference in Richmond VA. Many of the dietitians and nutritionists attending the conference deal with feeding issues in toddlers on a daily basis so we had a very productive conversation about how to best support the families participating in the WIC program.

Continuing Education training for Registered Dietitians.

If you are an RD looking to learn more about feeding problems in children, here is some good news: I created an online class offered on DietitianCentral platform where you can learn about the difference between picky eating and more severe feeding problems, identify the components of nutritional assessment and management plan as well as find out how to collaborate with other feeding professionals in order to provide optimal care for your pediatric feeding cases.

Parents.com 5 Foods to Start Baby-Led Weaning The creator of Yummy Toddler Food Amy Palanjian interviewed me for this parents.com article – a must read for any parent considering Baby Led Weaning for their baby. There are many finger food options you may consider but these five are on my list of favorites because they are both easy and nutritious!

Parenting.com Holiday weight gain. It is not just for adults. I was honored and very excited to be interviewed by Stephanie Thomas from parenting.com on this tricky topic. Just like you, I was tired of seeing articles on how to “healthify” holidays by eating less sugar, fat or less in general. The article is far from the typical healthy eating advice you see everywhere around the holiday season. Instead, it focuses on the structure and neutralizing the power certain foods have over us. ” ..the biggest food dangers (of the holiday season) are in the “form of disorganization in meals and snacks as well as feeling out of control around certain foods that are typically served during holidays.”

The Scoop on Food (Parents.com) Is your baby refusing the spoon? Here is what to do. It can be frustrating (and scary) when your once ravenous baby suddenly shuns spoon-feeding. But it’s completely normal. Here’s why it happens and how to adjust.

The Scoop on Food (Parents.com) 5 Strategies to help your child learn to like new foods. October 2015 While I do not think we should be *getting* our kids to try new foods, we can certainly *help* them by creating the environment that helps them expand their eating repertoire. Instead of being sneaky, teach your child the skills to feel comfortable around new foods. Learning to like new foods is hard work and he needs your support and trust, not pressure and frustration.

Parents.com How to go Paleo with your family. October 2015 If you are considering adopting a Paleo diet for the whole family, there are a few important things to keep in mind to make sure your kids get the nutrition they need. Kids’ nutritional needs are different from those of grown ups and it is wise to consult a dietitian before planning meals Paleo way for your little ones.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 4 infant supplements to ask your pediatrician about. Does your baby need a supplement when you are starting solids? A carefully chosen supplement may help close nutritional gaps but not all children qualify.

Parents.com Extreme Picky Eating and Anxiety: A New Study Finds a Surprising Link A recent research study found that kids with very selective eating habits are also prone to anxiety. Does it mean that all picky eaters needs help handling their emotions? Not necessarily. In this article, I recommend concrete steps for parents of picky eaters who need help.

The Scoop on Food (Parents.com) Why it’s ok if your kid eats pasta all the time. Starchy foods are most kids’ all-time favorites. Instead of limiting them in the hope to get children to explore other dinnertime offerings, use the “power of pasta” to introduce more variety in meals. Chances are you’ll see your child learn to enjoy a more balanced diet without mealtime drama.

The Stone Soup 7 Signs parents need help with feeding Feeding problems are not always obvious because we are so used to focusing on what the child is eating rather than on how they are eating it. By recognizing the signs of problems, you can avoid long-term complications of an ineffective feeding strategy and help your child grow into a happy eater.

KIWI magazine When Healthy Eating Goes Too Far In a well-intentioned effort to raise nutrition-minded eaters, some parents are going overboard, pressuring kids and robbing them of the joy they should receive from food—which is what helps them become healthy eaters in the first place. Experts outline the dangers—and offer advice for restoring balance to family mealtime.

Parents.com 10 Superfoods for kids

Slate Is almond milk better for kids than cow’s milk? What about soy milk?

Parents.com The Downsides of Baby Food Pouches (And How to Use Them Right)

YummyMummyClub.ca 47 Resources for Help Feeding Your Picky Eater

Parents.com Should babies skip purees? 5 things I learnt about baby-led weaning.

Huffington Post 5 ways to get kids to eat more vegetables

Parents.com Smart ways to introduce your baby to nuts.

Parents.com The best healthy breakfasts to eat during pregnancy

YummyMummyClub.ca How this well-meaning habit is enabling your picky eater.

Parents.com Are you making this common toddler feeding mistake? April 2015

DNAinfo Five ways to get your kids to eat healthy March 2015

Parents.com Trying to get your child to eat vegetables? Here is why you should not. March 2015