Food For Kids

The Foodies

The Food for Kids Podcast is the quick, practical solution for anyone who wants to make feeding kids easier and less stressful. If you’re at your wits' end trying to juggle kids’ food alongside everything else in your busy life, this is your podcast for practical, fun, and easy-to-digest info on raising healthy, happy, confident eaters. With bitesize episodes of around 5-10 minutes twice a week, it’s perfect for the school run, your daily commute, or whenever you’re looking for practical tips and fresh ideas to make food for your kids just a little bit easier and more enjoyable. Expect a variety of topics, including family-friendly recipes, tips for picky eaters and special diets, ideas for eating more seasonal fruits and vegetables, money saving tips, school food inspiration and much more! Hosted by Joanne Roach, creator of The Foodies Books, which have sold more than 40,000 copies across U.K homes, schools and childcare settings. Joanne has been helping kids to grow, cook and eat vegetables and fruit for over 20 years and is passionate about making food affordable, practical, sustainable – and most of all – enjoyable for real working families and busy educators who don’t have the time, budget or energy to keep up with the latest trends. Each week, we’ll feature a short interviews talking about one topic or answering one question. And there will be one short solo episode with tips and ideas for practical family food. The interviews will be with dietitians, food industry experts as well as educators who are doing amazing things in schools and childcare settings. You’ll hear real-life examples of how families and schools are fostering positive relationships with food and making mealtime a fun and stress-free experience. We also keep you updated with food in the news, so you’ll always be in the know about the latest trends and findings related to kids’ nutrition. Most importantly you'll get a short bite of something uplifting and advice you can actually use. You’re probably already bombarded with information that makes you feel guilty, overwhelmed and helpless in the face of a food environment that seems to be working against you. The idea of this podcast is to focus on practical, positive, relatable and realistic ideas that you can absorb in short bursts and then put into practice in your own time. Subscribe to download the tiny bites of food inspiration, delete the ones which don’t apply to you, and see what nuggets you can add to your family or school table. Happy eating!

  1. 18H AGO

    FFK77: What supplements does my child need? Part 2, with Sara Dawson

    Today's episode is the second part of our two parter about vitamins and supplements for children. In the last episode we talked through the basic UK government guidelines for average families in average times, so that was the guidelines for vitamins A, C and D for babies and children, so if you haven’t listened to that one, it's highly recommend to go back and check that out as the advice is the broad government advice for everyone. But all families have phases where life doesn’t feel particularly normal or average and some families have additional issues to deal with all the time, so today we are going to look at a couple of different scenarios that you may have been mulling over when you were listening to the general guidelines in the last episode. There is so much confusing information about children's diets now, and lots of it is schilling product and not necessarily well evidenced so Joanne wanted to ask an actual dietitian who has to work within proper evidence based guidelines to untangle some of that noise for us. So this episode today is the second part of the interview with dietitian Sara Dawson. As in the last episode her advice is for general information purposes only, to give you some information about the UK recommendations, and does not replace the need to get personalised advice for your child from a GP or dietitian if you have any concerns. But hopefully these two episodes will give you a sensible starting point to cut through the online noise. Sara is a highly specialist allergy dietitian with over 11 years’ experience, who has worked at two NHS UK allergy centres of excellence: St Thomas’ Hospital in London and Southampton. She helped establish the first adult allergy dietitian service in Southampton and now specialises in supporting children with allergies, both within the NHS and privately through her company, YNRD Ltd. She has taught and marked on the Southampton Allergy MSc and taught allergy on the Dietetics MSc at King’s College London as well as carrying out allergy research. She has also worked in CAMHS with children and with eating disorders, and is passionate about children’s nutrition, accurate allergy diagnosis, safe avoidance and reintroduction where possible, and providing realistic nutrition advice that supports a healthy relationship with food. She also specialises in allergy and eczema, and in 2024 set up the first paediatric dietitian role within the dermatology dept at Southampton Children's Hospital. Links in this episode: Sara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saradawsondietitian/ Sara's website: https://www.ynrd.co.uk Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

    13 min

  2. 3D AGO

    FFK76: What supplements does my child need? Part 1, with Sara Dawson

    Today is the first of a two-parter about vitamins and supplements for children. There's a lot of wellness information online for parents right now between ultra processed foods and gut microbiome information and allergies and deficiencies and picky eating advice. It's hard as a parent to know whether or not you're meeting your child's needs. And for sure, there is always someone trying to tell you something. And unless you have the time and skills to dig into the nutrition recommendation, you can be left thinking that maybe you're letting your child down if you don't investigate or try out some of the things you're being told you need for them. So in this episode Joanne wanted an actual dietitian who has to work within proper evidence-based guidelines to untangle some of that noise for us. So she invited dietitian Sara Dawson to come and answer a load of the questions we see getting asked online about supplements. Of course Sara's advice is for general information purposes only, to give you some information about the UK recommendations, and does not replace the need to get personalised advice for your child from a GP or dietitian if you have any concerns. But hopefully these two episodes will give you a sensible starting point to cut through the online noise. Sara is a highly specialist allergy dietitian with over 11 years’ experience, who has worked at two NHS UK allergy centres of excellence: St Thomas’ Hospital in London and Southampton. She helped establish the first adult allergy dietitian service in Southampton and now specialises in supporting children with allergies, both within the NHS and privately through her company, YNRD Ltd. She has taught and marked on the Southampton Allergy MSc and taught allergy on the Dietetics MSc at King’s College London as well as carrying out allergy research. She has also worked in CAMHS with children and with eating disorders, and is passionate about children’s nutrition, accurate allergy diagnosis, safe avoidance and reintroduction where possible, and providing realistic nutrition advice that supports a healthy relationship with food. She also specialises in allergy and eczema, and in 2024 set up the first paediatric dietitian role within the dermatology dept at Southampton Children's Hospital. Links in this episode: Sara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saradawsondietitian/ Sara's website: https://www.ynrd.co.uk SACN report if you're interested in the research: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65ddd5f6cf7eb10015f57fb4/SACN-annual-report-2023.pdf Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

    13 min

  3. FEB 12

    FFK75: What is food chaining? with Emma Shafqat

    Over the year we have had a few episodes talking about how to encourage your child to branch out a bit with their tastes, how to help picky eaters and how to help kids relax at the table with their safe foods while exposing them to new foods over time. In this episode we are going to talk about one of the tools parents can use when their child is reluctant to try things that look or feel different from their safe foods, which is a technique called food chaining. Emma Shafqat is a qualified paediatric dietitian and runs Dietitian with a Difference. She focuses primarily on fussy eating and allergy issues. Since graduating with a first class honours degree in Dietetics and Nutrition, she has been working as a Dietitian for over 9 years. She has worked for the NHS, in special needs schools and privately, focusing on children’s health. Emma helps children and their families overcome a broad range of dietary issues. She is also a SOS Paediatric Feeding Therapist and has worked with brands like Just Chill Baby Sleep and Bloss. Links in this episode: Emma's website - https://dietitianwithadifference.co.uk/ Emma's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dietitian.withadifference/ Emma's programme - https://dietitianwithadifference.co.uk/raisingconfidenteaters/ Blog post about food chaining: https://dietitianwithadifference.co.uk/food-chaining/ Food chaining masterclass: https://dietitianwithadifference.co.uk/downloads/food-chaining-masterclass/ Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

    14 min

  4. FEB 9

    FFK74: Five February seasonal meals, easy and family friendly

    In this episode of the Food for Kids podcast, Joanne shares simple, family-friendly meal ideas using seasonal produce available in February. The focus is on easy-to-make recipes that require minimal prep time, making them perfect for busy families. Joanne discusses three main meals, a dessert, and a quick snack, all utilizing fresh ingredients that are in season. She gives suggestions on adapting recipes to suit children's tastes and some swap ideas too. Links to the recipes: Meal 1 – ​Cabbage wedges with tomato sauce - ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtSO3K61Q​​​ Meal 2 – ​Cheese and leek potato pie - ​https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/easy_cheese_leek_and_98782 ​​​ ​​Meal 3 - Veggie burgers: ​Storecupboard bean burger - ​https://lianaskitchen.co.uk/spicy-bean-burger-recipe/#mv-creation-343-jtr ​​​ Smoky roast carrot burger - ​https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/smoky_roast_carrot_00838 ​​​ Plantain and bean burger - ​ https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/plantain_and_bean_74740​​​ Dessert – ​Apple pinwheels - ​https://www.cookingwithmykids.co.uk/apple-pinwheels/ Bonus recipe - pizza pinwheels - ​https://thefastrecipe.com/cheese-and-tomato-pinwheels/​​​​​​ Snack - Carrot cake energy balls - ​https://mykidslickthebowl.com/carrot-oat-energy-bites/​​​ Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

    7 min

  5. FEB 5

    FFK73: 25 Ways to save money on food

    Today's episode is a fairly speedy run through of 25 practical ideas for saving money on family food. Chances are you'll know a lot of them, but it never hurts to refresh your memory about something you might have stopped doing if you've got in a rut and you might pick up one or two new ideas to try. so pick and choose what you want and there'll be some links in the show notes to additional information for them too. Links in this episode: Website to find meals in your cookbooks to use things up: https://www.eatyourbooks.com/ Planner with three ingredients: https://www.bigoven.com/ Meal prep site: https://www.mealpreppro.com/ Ways to prep components: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwpltZGCGd8 Freezable sandwiches: https://thebatchlady.com/recipe/freezable-sandwiches/ OLIO app for free food: https://olioapp.com/en/ Too Good To Go for last minute bargains: https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-gb Approved Food: https://approvedfood.co.uk/ Kate Hall's episode on freezing components: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk3 Kate Hall's episode on reducing food waste: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk21 Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

    17 min

  6. FEB 2

    FFK72: Foods in season in February in the UK

    In this episode, Joanne runs through a list of fruits and vegetables which are in season in the UK in February, and offers tips for getting children to try each of them. There is also a short list of imported foods that are currently in season. This will be useful if you want to increase your intake of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and want some ideas for helping to build your child's familiarity with them, whether they eat the end result or not! Links in this episode: List of foods in season in ​February - www.thefoodies.org/seasonal/​february-food-ideas/ Printables of winter seasonal foods: https://thefoodiesbooks.com/product/winter-seasonal-food-printables Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

    9 min

  7. JAN 29

    FFK71: How to talk to children about food, with Dr Anna Colton

    Today’s episode is an interview with Dr Anna Colton who is a leading clinical psychologist specialising in the psychology of food, eating, and emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents. She works with families on everything from fussy eating to eating disorders and body image concerns and recently published a book called How to Talk to Children About Food. We have had some episodes dealing with the way we talk to children directly about food, but one of the very interesting things in Anna’s book was the psychology around how we have to be aware of our own issues with food to make sure that we don’t pass them on, that intergenerational relationship with food that can easily be transmitted subconsciously. So Joanne spoke to Anna about that, and also some helpful ideas of what we can do if our child comes to us with issues of their own around food or body image. Dr Anna Colton is a leading clinical psychologist specialising in the psychology of food, eating, and emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents. She works with families, teens, and adults on everything from eating disorders to fussy eating and body image concerns. Her book, How to Talk to Children About Food, helps parents create a healthy food culture at home, heal their own relationship with food and break the intergenerational cycle of food and body image struggles. Her work is a powerful call to shift from crisis response to prevention. Links in this episode: Anna's website: https://www.dranna.co.uk/ Anna's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton Buy Anna's book How To Talk To Children About Food: https://geni.us/HTTTCAF Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

    16 min

  8. JAN 26

    FFK70: How to store root vegetables and how to use them up.

    This episode is part of a monthly series where Joanne runs through some ideas to reduce food waste and save money by storing foods well and using them up effectively. This episode is about root vegetables so there some ideas about how to store root veggies to make them last longer, and stop them going off. This includes how to store them in the kitchen, how to freeze them and how to dry them. And then there are a few good ideas on how to use up leftover carrots, parsnips and beetroot either surplus from a recipe or coming out of the garden. The episode includes our monthly Q&A with Kate Hall from The Full Freezer on how to freeze root vegetables and different ways to use them. Links in this episode: Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on baked potatoes: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/ClrFqiVoLqm/ Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on roast potatoes: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CXn6pKqIz4C/ Kate's Can I Freeze It? video on new potatoes: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgCqOwNo0qp Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on beetroot: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CcYeEwbqVh7/ Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on parsnips: https://www.instagram.com/canifreezeit/reel/CXn1SJwIvFx/ Kate’s Can I Freeze It? Video on chopped carrots: https://www.instagram.com/p/CXoB213IVm9/ Kate’s reel on never wasting potatoes: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHVgrkGImXd/ Kate's website: https://www.thefullfreezer.com Episode about adding extra veg to food with suggestions for root veg too: https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk42/ Links to recipe suggestions mentioned in the episode are in the shownotes at https://www.thefoodies.org/ffk70/ Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat

    13 min
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About

The Food for Kids Podcast is the quick, practical solution for anyone who wants to make feeding kids easier and less stressful. If you’re at your wits' end trying to juggle kids’ food alongside everything else in your busy life, this is your podcast for practical, fun, and easy-to-digest info on raising healthy, happy, confident eaters. With bitesize episodes of around 5-10 minutes twice a week, it’s perfect for the school run, your daily commute, or whenever you’re looking for practical tips and fresh ideas to make food for your kids just a little bit easier and more enjoyable. Expect a variety of topics, including family-friendly recipes, tips for picky eaters and special diets, ideas for eating more seasonal fruits and vegetables, money saving tips, school food inspiration and much more! Hosted by Joanne Roach, creator of The Foodies Books, which have sold more than 40,000 copies across U.K homes, schools and childcare settings. Joanne has been helping kids to grow, cook and eat vegetables and fruit for over 20 years and is passionate about making food affordable, practical, sustainable – and most of all – enjoyable for real working families and busy educators who don’t have the time, budget or energy to keep up with the latest trends. Each week, we’ll feature a short interviews talking about one topic or answering one question. And there will be one short solo episode with tips and ideas for practical family food. The interviews will be with dietitians, food industry experts as well as educators who are doing amazing things in schools and childcare settings. You’ll hear real-life examples of how families and schools are fostering positive relationships with food and making mealtime a fun and stress-free experience. We also keep you updated with food in the news, so you’ll always be in the know about the latest trends and findings related to kids’ nutrition. Most importantly you'll get a short bite of something uplifting and advice you can actually use. You’re probably already bombarded with information that makes you feel guilty, overwhelmed and helpless in the face of a food environment that seems to be working against you. The idea of this podcast is to focus on practical, positive, relatable and realistic ideas that you can absorb in short bursts and then put into practice in your own time. Subscribe to download the tiny bites of food inspiration, delete the ones which don’t apply to you, and see what nuggets you can add to your family or school table. Happy eating!

Information

  • Creator
    The Foodies
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 The Foodies
  • Show Website
    Food For Kids