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Jill Castle, MS, RDN | Pediatric Dietitian

@i.am.pedird

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I help parents nourish & nurture healthy kids at every size, calmly & confidently | 35 yr Pediatric Dietitian | Mom of 4️⃣ | 6x Author | Work w/ me!

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When you’re worried about how your child eats, it’s natural to focus on the food. But sleep, screens, daily routines, and how your child feels about themselves are all part of the picture, too.

That’s why we look at the whole child.

Inside Kids Thrive, I’ll help you understand how these pieces connect and where changes at home can support your child’s health and happiness.

Together, we’ll work on:
 💛 Bringing more structure and less pressure to meals. 💛 Making sleep, movement, and screen boundaries work for your family. 💛 Supporting your child’s relationship with food and their body.

You’ll have my direct guidance in weekly live group sessions, other parents to learn alongside, and achievable steps to try between calls.

Eight weeks to put these ideas into practice - with support as you go.

We begin on Monday, October 19 at 12 p.m. ET. Recordings are included.

Enrollment closes October 15. I’d love to have you join us. Tap the link in my bio. 💛

#kidsthrive #wholechild #wholechildapproach #pediatricnutrition by @i.am.pedird

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2 days ago

“Toxic” is a big claim. But what does the evidence actually show in infants?

Seed oils have been used in infant formula for decades, and @corriewhisner says there’s no study they’ve seen showing a negative impact in infants.

Tune in to episode number 271 on the Nourished Child podcast to listen to the full conversation about seed oils and so much more!

#infantnutrition #seedoils #toddlernutrition #raisingahealthychild by @i.am.pedird

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19 days ago

"Health is an inside job."
Pediatric dietitian Jill Castle @i.am.pedird on what parents are actually worried about when they say they're worried about their child's weight: will they be accepted, will they be treated fairly, will they have a best friend. In addition to this wisdom, in today's Food People, Parent Picks, Jill shares with us the rest of her pantry staples, table rules, and practical advice for a busy family kitchen. Read the whole piece at the 🔗 Link in Bio #linkinbio https://onepotato.substack.com/p/jills-fave-things
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#OnePotato #guestfaves #PediatricDietitian #FeedingKids #NourishedChild #HealthyEatingForKids by @i.am.pedird

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21 days ago

Jill Castle @i.am.pedird is the founder & expert behind The Nourished Child, and author of Kids Thrive at Every Size. She trained in hospital nutrition, raised four kids, took nine years out of practice to feed them full time, and went back to work with a completely different understanding of the job. She calls those years at home her secret sauce. This week's Order Up! is about what they taught her that a textbook couldn't. Her warmth and wisdom will get you through any questions or struggles you're having feeding your own family. We promise, you'll want to read this one! 🔗 Link in Bio #linkinbio https://onepotato.substack.com/p/jill-castle-interview
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#chefinterviews #substacknewsletter #PediatricDietitian #FeedingKids #NourishedChild #HealthyEatingForKids by @i.am.pedird

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24 days ago

When a food becomes forbidden, it rarely becomes less interesting to a child. More often, it becomes more powerful.

If your child sees friends freely enjoying a food they aren’t allowed to have, the restriction doesn’t necessarily stop them from eating it. It may simply push the eating outside your home - where you can no longer see it, support them or help them learn how to manage it.

In episode 270 of The Nourished Child Podcast, I’m unpacking “Oreogate,” the viral lunchbox feud that offers a genuinely useful lesson about food restriction, forbidden foods and what actually helps children develop a healthy relationship with eating.

Listen to episode 270 wherever you get your podcasts!

#TheNourishedChild #FeedingKids #FoodRestriction #ChildNutrition #raisinghealthykids by @i.am.pedird

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a month ago

Here’s something most parents don’t know: frozen vegetables are flash frozen within hours of harvest, which locks in the nutrients right at their peak. Fresh produce, on the other hand, can lose nutrients every day it sits in your fridge or travels to the store.

That doesn’t mean fresh is bad. It means frozen isn’t the downgrade you’ve been told it is. If frozen makes your week easier, it’s not a compromise on nutrition.

Full conversation with Jennie Norka of the American Frozen Food Institute @americanfrozenfoodinstitute is up now. Comment PODCAST and I’ll send you the full episode!

#FrozenFood #PediatricDietitian #FeedingKids #NourishedChild #HealthyEatingForKids by @i.am.pedird

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2 months ago

This is 60. 🎉💕😳😍💃 by @i.am.pedird

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2 months ago

If your child's weight has you worried, you are not alone.

Most parents try to fix this the way we were taught: watch the scale, cut the sweets, push more exercise. Most of the time, it backfires.

Swipe through for the five mistakes I see most often in 35 years as a pediatric dietitian, and what to do instead.

Here is the truth: your child does not need a diet. They need steady meals, emotional safety, and a home where their body is never treated as the problem.

If you want help building that at your table, comment CHAT to schedule a free discovery with me. by @i.am.pedird

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2 months ago

Real talk: the lunchbox vision (packed the night before, cute note included) usually survives about… one week. 😅 By week two, I was slicing apples at 7am in a mild panic - and I say that as a pediatric dietitian and mom of four who’s done this more times than I can count.

If your house feels a little off right now - kids not hungry at breakfast, starving by 3pm, negotiating everything - that’s not failure. That’s biology catching up to a new schedule. Give it 2-3 weeks.

In the new episode of the Nourished Child Podcast, I’m walking through the whole reset: why summer shifts appetite, the exact lunch framework I used with my own kids (it’s way simpler than you think), and how to set up after-school snacks and dinner timing so the second half of the day isn’t a fight.

🎧 New episode #268 is live wherever you get your podcasts - link in bio.

What part of the back-to-school reset is hardest in your house right now? 👇

#NourishedChild #BackToSchool #PediatricDietitian by @i.am.pedird

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2 months ago

Your pediatrician said your child's weight is creeping up.

Your stomach dropped. Now what?

Take a breath. This is not an emergency, and it's not a reason to start controlling food more tightly.

Here's what I tell the families I work with: weight is one number, and it doesn't tell you much on its own. What matters more is looking at three areas of health together.

Physical health: Is your child sleeping well? Can they run and play without pain or limitation?

Physiological health: What's happening inside their body, like blood sugar and cholesterol? This is where labs from your pediatrician can help.

Psychological health: Are they confident? Happy? Connected to friends and family?

A number on a growth chart can't tell you any of that.

If your doctor's comment left you unsettled, you're not alone, and you don't have to figure out the next step by yourself.

I help families build a plan around the habits that actually move the needle: sleep, food, feeding, eating, movement, screens, self love, and family culture. No diets, no rules that backfire.

Ready to talk it through? Comment CHAT and I’ll send a calendar link for a free discovery call. by @i.am.pedird

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3 months ago

You’ve probably seen it in your feed: “seed oils are toxic.” “Omega-6 fats cause inflammation.” “Never cook with vegetable oil.” But is any of that actually true?

On this episode of The Nourished Child podcast , I sit down with Dr. Martha Belury - a registered dietitian and OSU professor who has spent 30+ years studying fatty acid metabolism - to talk about what omega-6 fats actually do in the body, and why the “inflammation” so many of us worry about isn’t what we think it is.

We get into:

🔹 Why omega-6 fats are essential nutrients your child’s body can’t make on its own

🔹 The real difference between acute and chronic inflammation (and why people confuse the two)

🔹 What decades of research actually says about vegetable oils and heart health

🔹 How to think critically about the nutrition claims flooding your feed

This isn’t a conversation about which oil to buy - it’s about learning to think clearly when the information around you is loud and conflicting and you just want to feed your kids well.

🎧 Episode 267 of the Nourished Child podcast available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.

#seedoils #pediatricdietitian #parentingtips #inflammation by @i.am.pedird

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3 months ago

Is more protein always better for kids? Spoiler: no. 🔥

Marketing loves to push protein as the answer to every kid’s diet. But most kids get everything they need from a balanced plate - no powders, no bars, no extra scoops.

Here’s the catch: when we chase extra protein, it can crowd out other important foods - fruits, veggies, fiber - and lead to more than we bargained for, including unnecessary weight gain.

So how do you know your child is getting enough? Skip the grams and the gadgets.

Try this instead: a palm-sized portion of protein at each meal. That’s it. Nature already did the math.

Curious about the exact numbers for your kid’s age and size? I put together a simple guide to clear up the confusion - you’ll find the Protein Guide in the Nourished Child shop!

Are you surprised by how little protein kids actually need? Tell me below 👇

#ParentingTips #KidsNutrition #HealthyKids #FeedThemWell #NutritionScience by @i.am.pedird

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3 months ago