Juliana Nagy, RDN and LD of Nourishing Life LLC, counsels patients on topics that include diabetes, weight gain or loss, prenatal and maternal nutrition and digestive disorders. She has two children, one in high school, one in middle school.
Nagy says her children are proud that she's a registered dietitian, but at their current ages, her job doesn't interfere with their food choices.
"When they were little I could always add vegetables to their soup, order green beans instead of French fries or give them fresh fruits instead of fruit juices," she said. "But as they've grown up, things have changed and they changed fast. I can tell you, no matter what your title, your profession, or even your religion, nothing can make middle schoolers or high schoolers eat something they don't want."
Her middle-schooler has two comfort zones: a "total caveman, Paleo meal" or a fruit and simple carb only meal. That's without really planning what he's going to eat: he just selects what he wants and totally bypasses the rest of the meal."
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Her high-schooler waffles between meat lover and vegetarian, though the variety of vegetables she likes is limited. To make sure both kids get adequate nutrition, Nagy said she makes sure to keep lots of healthy options in the house and not worry too much if her kids' diets only balance out over several days, or even weeks.
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