Why "They'll Eat if They're Hungry" Doesn't Always Work for Picky Eaters

The PedsDocTalk Podcast

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Parenting

5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“They’ll eat if they’re hungry.” This CAN be true for many kids when it comes to feeding and picky eating, but for some kids it’s not great advise. I welcome Dr. Taylor Arnold, a PhD, registered dietician, and founder Growing Intuitive Eaters and she is on a mission to foster a healthy relationship with food and teach adults how to talk to kids about food in a positive way. She joins me to discuss: Why this advice can lack a lot of nuance When to know or be concerned your child may have an underlying issue regarding feeding solids Why online guidance around feeding sometimes lacks necessary nuance To connect with Dr. Taylor Arnold follow her on Instagram @growing.intuitive.eaters, check out all her resources at https://msha.ke/growingintuitiveeaters 00:00 – Intro 01:29 – Meet Dr. Taylor Arnold 03:45 – Let’s Break It Down: Why That Phrase Fails Some Kids 06:09 – Medical and Sensory Red Flags to Watch For 08:11 – So What Should Parents Do Instead? 10:56 – Red Flags That Signal It’s Time to Act 13:32 – A Pediatrician and Parent’s Perspective on Feeling Brushed Off 15:05 – Feeding, Sleep, and Behavior: The Pediatric Trifecta 15:58 – A Final Feeding Pet Peeve: School Nutrition Assignments 20:03 – Final Takeaway: If You’re Not Being Heard, Get Louder 21:54 – Where to Find Dr. Taylor Arnold’s Free Resources 22:55 – Dr. Mona’s Closing Reflections We’d like to know who is listening! Please fill out our Listener Survey to help us improve the show and learn about you! Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This phrase is just wrong because there are so many kids who won't. They will starve themselves.
0:06.1	They will, you know, like start to lose weight, drop on their BMA percentiles. They may have
0:12.5	nutrient deficiency. They may struggle with like low blood sugar or electrolyte imbalances because they
0:18.5	just won't eat.
0:21.0	Welcome to the Piedstock Talk podcast. It's me, Dr. Mona, your favorite online pediatrician,
0:26.4	mom friend here to help you feel more confident, more equipped, and a lot less alone on this
0:31.0	parenting journey. Today we're talking about one of the most casually dropped well-meaning
0:35.2	pieces of feeding advice out there. They'll eat if they're hungry.
0:38.9	And here's the thing. It's not wrong for a lot of kids. Many children will eat when they're hungry
0:43.5	if we're offering food consistently, keeping a routine, and including safe or familiar options
0:50.5	alongside new ones. But for other kids, this advice can be unhelpful and it can also be
0:57.0	harmful. Some kids won't just wait it out until they're hungry enough. They'll restrict,
1:02.4	avoid, or even go into full-on shutdown mode. And if we're only offering new foods without anything
1:07.6	safe or familiar, that can spiral into anxiety, refusal, and power
1:11.3	struggles that leave everyone, parent and child feeling defeated. That's why I'm thrilled to be
1:15.9	joined by Dr. Taylor Arnold, a registered dietitian, founder of growing intuitive eaters,
1:21.5	seriously you should be following her if you're not already, and feeding expert, who brings
1:25.6	both clinical expertise and lived experience to the topic.
1:29.0	We're diving into the nuance of feeding kids, decoding when picky becomes more than picky,
1:34.2	and why your gut instinct as a parent should never be ignored. And if this is your first time
1:38.5	here, welcome. Hit that subscribe button and download and listen to all of the amazing content I have on the show.
1:46.7	And remember, those downloads really do help the show continue to grow. Let's get into this
	...

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