87. A Quick Pep Talk for Thanksgiving (It's Okay If They Only Eat the Rolls)
Happy Thanksgiving! In this episode of The Nourishing Autism Podcast, Brittyn shares the reassurance you need heading into one of the most overwhelming food days of the year.
Listen in to hear about the emotional weight holidays can carry: family comments, unpredictable routines, sensory overload, and the pressure to have a picture-perfect day. Brittyn shares practical, actionable strategies so you feel more prepared and empowered this Thanksgiving day.
P.S. The presale for Food Hopper, Brittyn's brand-new app, opened this week, and spots for lifetime access are already filling fast. Families on the waitlist can check their email for early access, and anyone else can also hop into the presale right now by:
Visiting foodhopper.co
Or texting HOP to (303) 219-3393
Don’t miss your chance to grab discounted annual pricing, lifetime spots, and two free months of the Nourishing Autism Collective with lifetime membership!
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TRANSCRIPT
Hi, I'm Brittyn, a Registered Dietitian and autism sibling. I have a passion for helping parents of neurodivergent kids navigate nutrition and wellness for their child, one small step at a time. Here we'll explore practical nutrition tips, learn from top autism experts, break down the newest research, and share inspirational stories that will empower you to utilize nutrition to help your child feel their best and thrive.
Listen in while picking kids up from school, sitting in a therapy waiting room, taking a quick walk or wherever you find yourself, looking for some inspiration and a friend to guide you along this journey. This is Nourishing Autism.
Hi everyone. Before we dive into today's episode, I have to share something that I am so excited about. Pre-sale for Food Hopper, my new app officially opened on Monday and the response has been... so overwhelming in the best way. Nearly 20% of the lifetime spots were claimed in just the first six hours. Watching families grab their spots and knowing that this tool is going to make feeding feel so much lighter for so many of you, it's exactly why I created this. If you've been on the wait list, your early access link is waiting for you in your inbox. And if you haven't joined yet, you can still hop on the wait list and get immediate presale access before we open to the public on Friday. You can head to foodhopper.co or just text HOP to (303) 219-3393.
That's (303) 219-3393. Either way works. Those links will also be in the show notes that you can check out and on that note, let's dive into today's episode. So Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I know for a lot of you listening this holiday brings up some complicated feelings. Maybe you're feeling worried about family comments or feeling stressed about the food.
Maybe you're already bracing yourself for the meltdown that might happen when your child sees a table full of unfamiliar dishes. And I just wanna say upfront, your Thanksgiving doesn't have to look like everyone else's, and that's completely okay. If your child only eats dinner rolls tomorrow. That's okay.
If they eat their safe fruits away from everybody else, because that helps them stay regulated, that's okay too. If they spend most of the day in a separate quiet room doing something on their own, that is also totally okay.
Thanksgiving is supposed to be about gratitude and togetherness.
I know that it can be hard having Thanksgiving not look exactly like you imagined it or like it did when you were a kid, and just know that it's okay. You're creating your own family's routine.
So today I wanna give you a little pep talk and a few practical tips to help you navigate tomorrow in a way that works for your family. So first, let's talk about mindset. So Thanksgiving is just one day of the year. It's one meal. It does not define your child's eating journey. It doesn't undo any of the progress that you've made, and it's not a reflection of your parenting.
Just remember in the scheme of things, this is one meal out of over a thousand meals that you are going to have over the course of the year. Your child isn't doing anything wrong by eating differently. They're navigating a day that might be genuinely hard for them. New foods, different routine, lots of people, overwhelming sensory input.
They're doing their best. I also wanna remind you- there's so much more to Thanksgiving than just the food. Yes, it's a huge part of it for many families, but for kids with sensory sensitivities or selective eating, a table full of unfamiliar foods can be really stressful. And that's so real. So just remember that's not just your child being picky.
It's not them being difficult. That's their nervous system, responding to something that feels really overstimulating. So lean into other parts of Thanksgiving, watch the parade together, play games, make a gratitude jar or a thankfulness tree if that's something that you think your child might be interested in.
Just create traditions that aren't food focused because these are the memories that your child will carry with them.
Now I also wanna talk a little bit about strategy. Here's a few tips that will help tomorrow go smoothly. Tip number one is to feed them a normal meal earlier in the day. Even if they don't eat much at Thanksgiving meal, they'll have a chance to fill up on their regular foods earlier in the day because a hungry, overwhelmed child is not a recipe for success.
So make sure that they're not coming to the table hangry, even if they don't eat anything. Tip number two is to bring safe foods and snacks. If you are going to go to someone else's house, pack foods that you know your child will eat, don't rely on hoping that there will be something that they like on the table.
Bring their safe foods, over pack. Bring all of their favorite snacks, you know what works for your child. So bring it and come overly prepared. Tip number three is to talk about it ahead of time. Now this can be if your child is old enough to game plan with you, understand what is coming next, what the day is gonna look like. But I would also encourage you to talk to your child even if you don't think that they're developmentally there yet, or maybe they're non-speaking, talk through the day with them and let them know what to expect.
Even if you think they're not hearing you, I want you to talk through who will be there, what will the day look like? What foods will be on the table, and if possible, give them some choices. What snack do they wanna bring? What toys do they wanna have with them? Giving them input on those small things can help them have a sense of control on a day that's full of new and different things that feel very out of control.
Tip number four is to have a quiet retreat space and identifying this before you even get there. So plan to have this quiet space for your child to retreat if all of the commotion gets to be too much, maybe it's a bedroom upstairs, maybe it's the car, maybe it's a corner with headphones and their favorite book.
Give them permission to take breaks. Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to mean sitting at the table for an hour straight. This tip was huge for my brother. We always identify his go-to space, and when we go to houses over and over again, he knows exactly where his quiet retreat space is and he can set up camp and know that he has a place to come and take a breather when things get to be a little bit too loud, which almost always ends up happening. So it's always great that he has that place to retreat to ahead of time. And tip number five is to set expectations with your family. If you're going to go to somebody else's house, talk with them ahead of time.
Let them know that your child may not sit at the table the entire meal, or that they might not eat much or anything from the main spread. I think having that conversation ahead of time can help avoid those really awkward situations later and could also reduce some of the comments, which you would hope that people wouldn't make.
But sometimes they are coming from a good place or sometimes they just have no idea what they're actually saying and have no idea about the reality of all of this. And sometimes it can feel really flustering as a parent when you know the realities of your child's selective eating, and maybe you have a family member who undermines it or who says something like, oh, they're just manipulating you.
Something that can certainly set your own nervous system on fire. Having these conversations ahead of time can be really helpful. And then just mentally preparing for what you will do if somebody does make a comment, which I would hope that they didn't, but having your answer ready that you can reply and hopefully educate them as well.
So here's the bottom line. Thanksgiving is about family and togetherness. It's not about the perfect meal or the perfect behavior. Focus on the connection. As much as you can. Focus on having fun as much as you can and creating a day that feels good for you and your child. You know your child best. Trust yourself.
You've got this. And if all else fails and your child only eats rolls, carbs are a great source of energy too. No judgment here.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I look forward to chatting with you next week on the next episode of the Nourishing Autism Podcast. And again, just a reminder, if you haven't had a second yet to hop into the presale for Food Hopper, absolutely hop in and take a look.
We have 50% off locked into the annual price of Food Hopper moving forward, as well as lifetime spots. You can also get two free months of the Nourishing Autism Collective, my membership, included in your lifetime membership to Food Hopper. You can head to foodhopper.co or just text HOP to (303) 219-3393 and we'll send you all the details that you need to hop into the presale.
Transcribed by Descript
About Brittyn Coleman, MS, RDN/LD
Brittyn Coleman, MS, RDN/LD, is a distinguished Registered Dietitian and Autism Nutrition Expert, known for her innovative, sensory-friendly feeding approach to nutrition for children on the autism spectrum. As the founder of the Nourishing Autism Collective, and as an autism sibling herself, Brittyn brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to her work. She empowers families with her expert guidance, helping children receive essential nutrients for optimal health and development. Her strategies are tailored to the unique dietary needs and sensory preferences of each child.
Brittyn's influence extends beyond her membership site through her active social media presence and her popular podcast, 'Nourishing Autism'. Her educational content on Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms has established her as a leading voice in autism nutrition, providing valuable resources, practical advice, and a supportive community for parents and professionals.
