Hi, I'm Amy Whiteford BSc (Hons) Food Science, PGDE (Primary), Cert Childhood Nutrition. I'm the recipe developer, photographer and voice behind Healthy Little Foodies.
Originally from Scotland, I am currently living in Sydney, Australia and loving it. Running Healthy Little Foodies is now my job, which I try to fit around the busy life of being a Mum.
I have two boys, Finn (9) and Rory (6) and I'm trying my hardest to bring them up to be Healthy Little Foodies by.....
Getting them involved...
I try to involve the boys in pretty much every part of the weekly meals, from buying the groceries to helping prepare and cook the food.
Limiting Snacks...
I like to make sure the boys are hungry when they come to the table and I do that by limiting snacks throughout the day. I never let them graze all day and have set times (within reason) for meals and snacks. Having this predictability around the timing of meals and snacks reduces the constant asking for food and stops boredom eating.
Continually serving food that has previously been refused, but never forcing...
I have been extremely lucky with my eldest as he literally eats anything but my youngest is fussier. He often refuses to eat certain vegetables or part of his meal but I try not to let that deter me from offering that food again. I'll cook it in a different way, serve it in a different way or simply keep adding it to his plate and hoping for the best! I never force him to eat anything, though, and I always praise him for trying.
My Qualifications
I have always had an interest in food and I have a BSc (Hons) degree in Food Science and Marketing as well as a Certificate in Childhood Nutrition.
My degree involved me studying food science, food microbiology, nutrition, the psychology of eating and drinking, sensory science, food law and many other food-related subjects, all of which have shaped my knowledge and understanding of food.
My studies, along with my experience working in the food industry has made me very aware of the clever marketing tricks that manufacturers and retailers use to encourage both kids and adults to buy food. These days, food is often picked depending on the attraction and temptation of the label on the front of the food packaging. For kids, this might be a cartoon character and for adults, this may be misleading claims (healthy, light, 99%fat free etc)
I also have a postgraduate in teaching, and my time spent as a primary school teacher has made me realise that children learn in different ways and no two children are the same.
Some children are easily able to grasp a math concept just by listening to a teacher explain it, other need to be taught several times, some children need concrete materials to help them understand and some learn best when they are asked to research and "teach' their findings.
Just like in the classroom, our children are very different when it comes to eating. Some children will happily eat whatever is served in front of them, others may need more exposure, some need to have more involvement (via shopping, cooking, planting, menu planning etc) and others need a sense of control (having a choice of 2 to 3 options).
Finally, in the five years, I have been running "Healthy Little Foodies" I have spoken to a vast amount of parents and have a good understanding on how difficult and stressful feeding kids can be.
I hope you enjoy my recipes and if you have any questions please do get in touch.
Amy