If you’ve got a little one starting school this year, you’re likely in the process of gearing them up for a LOT of transitions. New schedules, new routines, new teachers, new friends and more. One of those transitions will no doubt include your child eating a packed lunch. Whether you have an easy-eater or more selective eater, this is a big transition for both parent and child. Since life is easier with a checklist, here are 10 Steps to School Lunch Packing Success! STEP 1 – Consider what type of food you will pack most often. This is so important! You want to figure out what types of food, s ..read more

Coming up with new supper ideas for any family feeding little humans can be a laborious task! However, coming up with supper ideas for picky eaters is hands-down the TOUGHEST job! It’s not as simple as finding a recipe on a blog that you like and making it. There are a whole bunch of other factors that parents have to consider such as: Will they be remotely interested in trying it? Will I end up making another separate meal if no one eats it? Are they just going to ask for a snack 30 seconds later if they don’t eat it?    What ‘safe or preferred foods’ can I serve with it? Why comi ..read more

You may be a parent (or an athlete yourself), wondering about sports drinks for young athletes.  Sure, sports drinks are marketed to young athletes and promoted at games, tournaments, and practices, but are they actually necessary? First off, let’s chat about what sports drinks ARE (and what they’re not). We will also review what the difference between sports drinks and electrolyte drinks are and which type is best for young athletes. Purpose of sports drinks for young athletes In general, athletes who are exercising intensively for a longer period of time (more than 60 minutes) may requi ..read more

If you have a learning eater (aka picky eater) at home, there’s likely been at least ONE time that you’ve found yourself in a situation where your kid won’t eat dinner then asks for a snack! They may even ask for a snack before the meal is over. Cue the facepalm emoji. Why refusal of supper stings! When kids refuse to eat their dinner, it stings more than any other food refusal. Oftentimes, this is because caregivers tend to put more time, energy and effort into making the supper meal. When high effort combines with fatigue after a long day of work, the “I’m not eating that” comment becomes ve ..read more

Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, better known as ARFID, is a relatively new eating disorder in terms of its official classification and widespread understanding and acceptance. Because of this, it can be difficult to navigate for families. You may be feeling like those around you don’t understand the challenges you or your child are going through. If you want to learn more about how to help a child with ARFID or let others know more about the journey for someone with ARFID, then you’re in the right place. Here are 4 stops to make in your journey on the way to making sense of this dia ..read more

If you’ve ever asked yourself “what can I feed my sick child?” keep reading for all the details! Every fall and winter the “cough and cold” season revs up for kids. It’s that time of year when you ask yourself why you even pay for daycare when your child isn’t there half of the time! Even more so this year, kids of all ages are getting hit extra hard by respiratory viruses in the first winter that many of us have had without mainstream pandemic precautions (e.g. masking, social distancing). The combination of getting hit at the same time (or sequentially) by the flu, COVID-19 and RSV (Respirat ..read more

“Why don’t you just stop buying goldfish crackers?” So many families that have a child with a diagnosis of Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), have heard this comment, or something similar, from friends, neighbours and strangers a million times over.   I want to give humanity the benefit of the doubt that when we […] The post 7 things you should know about ARFID appeared first on Blueprint Nutrition ..read more

Winter is here, and with it come all the challenges (and joys!) of running outdoors. Windchill and cooler temps can make training feel harder, and trudging through ice and snow add to that effect. In order to make the most of the season, here are our top nutrition and hydration tips for winter training. Tip […] The post Nutrition & Hydration tips for Winter Training appeared first on Blueprint Nutrition ..read more

This is a summary of 4 nutrition strategies to help runners PR next season. The post 4 Things Runners can do now to PR next season appeared first on Blueprint Nutrition ..read more

In my humble opinion, one of the most misunderstood pediatric assessment tools are your kid’s growth charts. All those lines, the percentiles, the different charts – what do they REALLY mean? I think parents have a lot of questions about growth in general – not just the growth chart tool itself. Some of the questions […] The post Kid’s growth charts: here’s what you need to know appeared first on Blueprint Nutrition ..read more