The Intentional Table

Nicole Cruz, MS, RDN
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Parenting

Feeding kids isn’t just about what’s on the plate - it’s about raising them to feel confident, capable, and at peace with food and their bodies. The Intentional Table Podcast is here to help you break the cycles of guilt, shame,  and mealtime stress so you can raise kids who eat well and feel good about it. Hosted by Nicole Cruz, a registered dietitian and mom of three who has coached thousands of parents, this podcast gives you the tools, structure, and mindset shifts to create a positive, empowered eating environment at home. With guidance, compassion, and strategies that really work, you’ll feel more confident and less stressed while supporting your kids through 'picky' eating, 'overeating', struggles with sweets, and everything in between.

  1. 5d ago

    Should I Let My Kid Get the Large Ice Cream?

    We’ve all had that moment, when our kid asks for the large ice cream, another piece of cake, candy from the snack bar. And in those two seconds, you can freeze, and internally spiral. Should I say yes? Is it too much? They don’t  need all that sugar. Will they feel restricted if I say no? 🤯 And the truth is, there isn’t a perfect right or wrong answer. But I do want you to feel confident and know how to respond in any individual moment. In this episode, we talk about: Why there isn't one right answer to the large ice cream, and why "it doesn't matter" isn't it eitherWhat to notice in your own body and thoughts before you answerHow to look at the why behind your yes or no, including when worry about sugar or your child's body is driving the decisionA simple check to tell if you're in a good place to hold a boundary, or say “no”Why a no that comes from fear or restriction is often the time to let go and say yesHow to hold a boundary in a neutral way and give a simple, honest reason when they ask whyIf you've ever frozen at the ice cream counter and wondered if you just made the wrong call, this episode will help you trust yourself with the next one. Want to connect? Send us a text! CONNECT with Nicole: FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food - Instagram: @nicolecruzRD SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW: If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review. Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight! Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

  2. Oct 29

    Should You Monitor the Halloween Candy?

    There’s so much advice out there about Halloween candy. Get rid of it, trade it in for a toy, let them eat every last piece. It’s hard to know what to do when everyone says something different. At the end of the day, you get to decide what’s best for your family. But I do have some recommendations for Halloween night and the days after, so candy can feel like less of a big deal and we get a break from monitoring every piece. In this episode, we talk about: What to feed your child before you trick or treat or go to a partyWhy I don’t put a number on how much candy they can eatSorting the candy together, and what else to put out (including a trash can)What to do with the candy over the next few weeksWhat to do if watching your kid eat candy is hard for youAt the end of the day, remember that the more relaxed we are about candy, the more relaxed our kids will be.  Want to connect? Send us a text! CONNECT with Nicole: FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food - Instagram: @nicolecruzRD SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW: If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review. Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight! Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

  3. Oct 22

    Your Kid's Body Isn't a Problem to Fix with Aaron Flores

    It can feel so scary to think about how the world might treat our kids' based on their body. And it's so normal to want to protect them. But at the same time, what if trying to protect them will end up backfiring, in more ways than one? Aaron Flores is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Body Trust Specialist who specializes in eating disorders and body image. He's also a dad of twins and a friend of mine, so this conversation was especially fun to record. In this episode, we talk about: Why wanting to protect our kids makes sense, and why weight stigma is realHow being sent to a dietitian at 15 impacted him and his relationship with foodWhy trying to control our kids' bodies tends to backfireWhat Aaron says about bodies being machines we need to fuelWhy he tells his clients to aim for C-level work with foodWhat body trust actually means, and why it isn't the same as loving your bodyIf you're worried about how the world will treat your child's body, or you're still working on your own relationship with food, this episode is for you. ✅ Website and Substack: aaronfloresrdn.com ✅ Instagram: @aaronfloresrdn ✅ Book: Reclaiming Body Trust Want to connect? Send us a text! CONNECT with Nicole: FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food - Instagram: @nicolecruzRD SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW: If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review. Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight! Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

  4. Oct 15

    The One Word I Teach Every Parent

    When your kid asks, "Is pizza unhealthy?" Or you want to tell them, "No more cookies," but you're not sure how to hold the boundary or talk about food without making it seem bad or restrictive. We can feel stuck in that moment, stumbling over our words, or questioning if we said the "right" thing.  And while different scenarios might call for different language, there's one word I always come back to. I share it with every parent, as the basis for how we can talk about food, think about food, and hold boundaries around food. In this episode, we talk about: Why variety is my favorite word for feeding kids, and how it's different from balanceWhat to say when your child asks, "Is this healthy?"How to explain nutrition without making any food the villainA simple way to hold a boundary ("no cookies today") without a power struggleSimple scripts and examples for talking to your child about nutritionI'm breaking it all down and showing you how this one word is the number one word to rely on! For more language and how to teach your child about nutrition, grab my class 👇 ✅ How to Talk to Your Child About Nutrition... without creating guilt, shame, or bigger eating issues Want to connect? Send us a text! CONNECT with Nicole: FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food - Instagram: @nicolecruzRD SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW: If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review. Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight! Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

  5. Oct 8

    Act Like You Don't Care What Your Kid Eats

    You made a meal the whole family would eat. So you thought. You even put something on the table you know your kid likes. And they take one look and say, "Gross, I'm not eating that." It's so frustrating, especially when you're really trying. And it's so easy to end up saying "just try one bite" or giving your partner the side eye across the table. But instead, I want to give you one simple thing to do in that moment. In this episode, we talk about: What to do in the moment when your kid refuses the meal you worked hard onHow to respond when your kid is excited they ate their vegetablesWhy our reactions, even the shrug and the sigh, can feel like pressure to kidsWhy praise can backfire too, and what to say insteadA fun challenge for your next mealIf you've ever caught yourself watching every bite your kid takes, this episode will give you something else to do with your attention. ✅ Episode 4: All Food Is Not Equal Want to connect? Send us a text! CONNECT with Nicole: FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food - Instagram: @nicolecruzRD SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW: If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review. Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight! Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

  6. Oct 1

    What's Actually Making Kids More Anxious with Kristen McNeely

    Worry and anxiety often feel like something is wrong. Like there's something we need to fix. But what if it's a normal human response to have these emotions? And what if we can teach our kids that they're completely capable of getting through them? On this week's episode, we have Kristen McNeely, a marriage and family therapist who specializes in helping kids and families work through anxiety, without ever sending kids to therapy. She works with parents to actually decrease the time it takes to see results, and believes that kids should be more focused on playing and just being kids. Kristen and I talk about: Why kids seem more anxious right now, and the reasons that go beyond screensThe biological reason anxiety shows up in the body, and why it's not your child being dramaticThe difference between validating your child's fear and accidentally making it worseA tool Kristen uses with her own son to help him feel braver, with food and beyondThe exact language to use when your child is scared or overwhelmedWhy anxiety is one of the most treatable things a child can experience, even when it doesn't feel that wayIf your child runs a little anxious, or a lot anxious, or you're just looking for another tool to help them feel braver at the table and beyond, this episode is for you. RESOURCES MENTIONED: ✅ Instagram: @childhood.empowered ✅ Website: kristenmcneally.com ✅ School Capable: schoolcapable.com Want to connect? Send us a text! CONNECT with Nicole: FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food - Instagram: @nicolecruzRD SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW: If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review. Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight! Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

  7. Sep 24

    Weight and Health Aren't Synonyms with Dr. Lisa Folden

    Most of us grew up believing that being smaller means being healthier. That if the number on the scale went up, something was going wrong. And if it went down, we were doing something right. It's such a deep belief that we rarely stop to question it. But what if weight and health were never actually the same thing? Dr. Lisa Folden is a licensed physical therapist and body image coach who works with people living in larger bodies and folks in recovery from disordered eating. She came to this work through her own story, after years of believing (and teaching) that weight and health were one and the same, until she started pulling that belief apart and couldn't unsee what was underneath it. This conversation goes a lot of places. We get into our own bodies as parents, and we get into what happens when it's our kids' bodies that are changing and we start to panic. In this episode, we talk about: Why weight and health aren't the same thing, and the markers that actually tell us something about our healthThe one kind of weight change that's a true medical red flag (and it's not gaining)Why kids' bodies are supposed to change, especially through puberty, and what happens when we try to stop itWhat to do when a growing body makes movement harder, without making it about getting smallerHow dieting early in life sets kids up for the very thing we're trying to protect them fromWhat "joyful movement" really means, even on the days you don't love the workoutIf you've ever looked at your own changing body, or your child's, and felt that flicker of worry that something must be wrong, this episode is for you. RESOURCES MENTIONED: ✅ Instagram: @healthyphit ✅ Website: healthyphit.com ✅ Body Respect Journal (available on Amazon) Want to connect? Send us a text! CONNECT with Nicole: FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food - Instagram: @nicolecruzRD SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW: If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review. Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight! Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

  8. Sep 17

    I Don't Tell My Kids Broccoli Is Healthy

    We can probably all agree that broccoli is healthy. It has vitamins, minerals, fiber. So when your kid asks if it's healthy and you say yes, that seems harmless enough. And it mostly is. But most of us never stop to ask what we actually mean when we call a food "healthy." And once you do, the whole idea gets a lot harder to pin down than it seems. I break down the four reasons why I don't label food as "healthy" with my own kids, and why the way we talk about food matters if we want our kids to eat in a balanced way. In this episode, I talk about: Why labeling one food "healthy" inherently labels other foods "unhealthy"Why "healthy" is so much harder to pin down than it seemsHow the very same food can be exactly what our body needs in one moment, and not in anotherWhat these labels can do to the way our kids feel about food, and about themselvesWhat to focus on instead of healthy and unhealthyIf you want your child to have a healthy relationship with food and feel good about all types of foods, listen in! Want to connect? Send us a text! CONNECT with Nicole: FREE Training: Raise a Balanced Eater AND Protect Their Relationship With Food - Instagram: @nicolecruzRD SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW: If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review. Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight! Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

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About

Feeding kids isn’t just about what’s on the plate - it’s about raising them to feel confident, capable, and at peace with food and their bodies. The Intentional Table Podcast is here to help you break the cycles of guilt, shame,  and mealtime stress so you can raise kids who eat well and feel good about it. Hosted by Nicole Cruz, a registered dietitian and mom of three who has coached thousands of parents, this podcast gives you the tools, structure, and mindset shifts to create a positive, empowered eating environment at home. With guidance, compassion, and strategies that really work, you’ll feel more confident and less stressed while supporting your kids through 'picky' eating, 'overeating', struggles with sweets, and everything in between.

Information

  • Creator
    Nicole Cruz, MS, RDN
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Intentional Table
  • Show Website
    The Intentional Table

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