Common questions about Kinesiology and kids’ food are: Can you help my fussy toddler eat more food? Can I test for intolerances or food sensitivities? Does Kinesiology help with fussy eaters? Can it help my child who consistently complains of a belly ache? Constipation, can you help? The short answer to all of these is yes. However, the difference in their approaches to addressing the underlying issues can be completely different.

Before addressing any issues with children, diets and eating, I want to start with a gentle reminder that with everything parenting, diet, and food-related, always look at what you can add to your child’s lifestyle instead of getting caught up on all the don’ts, shouldn’ts, or wrongs. Nurturing a positive relationship with food is essential for developing a positive well-being. Food should be enjoyable, nourishing, appreciated, and free from fear, guilt, and shame. As busy parents, we often get caught up in an internal emotional battle around our children’s nutrition and dinner time. Stressing over what we think we should or shouldn’t eat, time to prepare, variety and the overall effort versus benefit is often exhausting. Flip it and focus on all the simple things you can quickly and gradually add to benefit them.

Physically, we absorb what we eat with the help of suitable digestive enzymes. Energetically, we absorb the environmental energy and emotional load simultaneously. The jaw (TMJ) is the memory vault of energetic, emotional history. The muscles used to chew belong to the digestive system meridian and hold the memory of our ancestors and their connection to food and nourishment.  

So it shouldn’t be a shock to hear that we absorb stress when we eat under stress, too. When we eat in front of the television, we absorb the drama we watch. We also digest that when we share thanks and gratitude for our meal. As the parents in the household, we are the ones who hold the dominant emotions around the food we eat. We are the frequency keepers. This is present whether you talk about it or not. If your relationship with food is less than optimal, it is often experienced that your child will reflect the same emotions or the polar opposite back at you. 

The good news is that there are lots of kinesiology tools that can help when it comes to food, from supporting and releasing the core emotions that result in adaptive behaviours. Imbalances within the body’s response to food, digestion, absolution and elimination are all addressed via the meridian system. Some balances address retained reflexes expressing suppressed vagal nerve activation, sucking reflexes (Thumb sucking and dummies) and adrenal responses, jaw releases, cranial-sacral releases and digestive meridian balances. Once the body’s physical and energetic bodies are balanced and restored, digestive issues, food intolerance sensitivities, and weight issues will often resolve themselves.  

Below is a detailed list of easy ‘adds’ I use with my kid’s meals. They are simple suggestions that you may like to try yourself. See what works for you regarding time, money and your family. Each tip is designed to inspire change, focus on what we add nutritionally and in no way the need to remove. Food needs to be fun, relaxed, and enticing; there should be no wrongs or rights; our awareness of food should make us feel good, strong, and healthy.  

• Bone broth, Gelatin, and Marine Collagen are often added to savoury meals. Just make sure the ingredients are organic and grass-fed.
• With a sprinkle of medicinal-grade mushroom powder, we use the elixir brand in Australia and love them.
• Hemp seeds, hemp protein, and hemp oil are so good that they are easy to hide in kids’ meals. Start with a small about and build up. I used to love just a splash of good-quality hempseed oil on the pasta before adding any source. 
• Sauerkraut in the savoury source. I started with a very small and finely chopped cabbage in the tomato source whenever I could. 
• Liposomal vitamin C is rubbed into the skin with coconut oil to prevent stickiness. 
• Cinnamon sprinkled on anything sweet to help balance blood sugar levels and hopefully prevent any downward spirals. 

• Reading food labels for chemicals over calories is often challenging. Removing MSG is often challenging as it comes under many different names, including MSG, Flavour enhancer, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Textured Vegetable Protein, Yeast Extract, Rosemary Extract, Glutamate, Calcium Glutamate, and Yeast Nutrient. The first step is not necessarily changing what you are eating but becoming aware of the ingredients and, if you do choose to consume it, noticing how you feel afterwards. 

A really simple way to gain back control over your food is to use muscle testing for what is right for you and your kids. Below is a simple video to get you started. Make sure if the video below makes sense and feels good for you to book in a full kinesiology session or purchase the full ‘Thriving at Home’ course.