About the Episode:
Summer's relaxed, grab-and-go eating is about to collide with the structure of a new school year. For a lot of parents, that transition brings a fresh wave of food-related stress. In this episode, Dr. Whitney sits down with registered dietitian and mom of three Shira Sussi (founder of Shira Sussi Nutrition) to talk about how families can move into the school year without the mealtime anxiety. They cover everything from starting solids with baby to breaking the "picky eater" spiral to building lunchbox and dinner routines that actually hold up past week two.
About Our Guest
Shira Sussi, MS, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian who spent about a decade in clinical practice — working across obstetrics, pregnancy, postpartum, and pediatric nutrition — before starting her own practice to build more flexibility around raising her family. She's a mom of two (soon to be three) and specializes in "early life nutrition," from conception through pregnancy, postpartum, infant feeding, and school-age kids.
About the Episode
They talk about:
- How "Instagram parenting culture" fuels guilt and makes normal, nuanced parenting feel like failure
- Why picky eating is a normal developmental stage (and even has an evolutionary purpose) — not a sign you did something wrong
- How stress, transitions, and new routines (not just "picky-ness") can affect a kid's appetite once school starts
- The Division of Responsibility feeding approach, and finding a middle ground between total food freedom and rigid control
- Practical lunchbox strategies: giving kids a curated set of options instead of open-ended choice, and keeping language neutral around "junk" vs. "healthy" foods
- Why repeating the same lunch or dinner rotation (taco Tuesday, pasta night, etc.) is a feature, not a failure — it builds predictability and saves parents' mental energy
- Getting kids involved in grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking — and why it leads to more adventurous eating over time
- Reframing "exposure" to new foods beyond just what's on the plate (touching, smelling, prepping, and shopping for food all count)
- Why relaxed, connection-focused family meals matter more long-term than whether a kid eats their vegetables on a given night
Want to Start Raising Body-Confident Kids Today?
๐ Order the Books
Raising Body-Confident Kids
If you've ever caught yourself saying something to your kid about their body that sounded exactly like what your mother said to you, this book is for you. Raising Body-Confident Kids is a research-backed, judgment-free guide for parents who want to break the cycle of diet culture and body shame without swinging into toxic positivity or giving up all structure around food and movement. It answers the real questions parents are actually asking about Ozempic, about picky eaters, about what to say when your kid is being bullied for their body, and about social media influences. This is a practical, values-based game plan you can actually use, even if your own relationship with your body is still a work in progress.
My One-of-a-Kind Body
My One-of-a-Kind Body gives kids the language and understanding they need to care for their bodies with respect without fear, shame, or appearance-based messaging. Through inclusive illustrations and evidence-based health education, the book teaches body literacy, boundaries, and self-trust in a way kids can actually grasp.
