\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be fancy. Even if your child is deep in the beige stage, they are still getting enough,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Smith said she wants parents to feel confident their children are consuming a balanced diet with a variety of foods, which is what they need for their growth and development.<\/p>\n Her post was part of a series where she features regular supermarket food and highlights the meals nutritional value.<\/p>\n But the particular combination of foods in her post sparked an online debate.<\/p>\n Many followers commented Smith\u2019s suggestion was normalising processed food with high sugar content.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really easy to throw criticism at people but in today\u2019s world, it\u2019s so hard to be a parent,\u201d Smith told 7NEWS.com.au.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of companies out there selling potions and powders, preying on the parents who believe their child isn\u2019t getting enough nutrients.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith helps families sort through the misinformation with her tailored mealtime programs for every stage of the feeding process.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not recommending to serve your child fish fingers every night for dinner,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe point of the post was to highlight that eating these types of foods as part of a balanced diet is OK.<\/p>\n \u201cRegular food that you find at the supermarket, or that you have in your house are enough.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything in moderation is fine \u2014 it\u2019s about a balanced approached to eating.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, Smith says enjoying a meal out as a family, even at fast food restaurants like McDonald\u2019s, can have benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cFood can teach us to share,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cEating together as a family is a social experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can create good, positive memories.\u201d<\/p>\n After some parents reacted negatively to the post, Smith later updated it to explain that: \u201cAll foods have nutritional value\u201d.<\/p>\n Smith has been helping parents feed their children for 15 years.<\/p>\n She is also as a mum to two girls Elsie, 7, and Cleo, 4.<\/p>\n \u201cI know the struggle today\u2019s parents have navigating limited time, information overwhelm, picky eaters and societal expectations,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n She said fussy eating \u2014 refusing to eat vegetables, demanding the same meal or rejecting new foods outright \u2014 is very common.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren go through phases,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir appetite and preferences change frequently.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the biggest myths is that children need to eat a full, balanced meal at every sitting.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat matters more is their overall intake over a week \u2014 not necessarily each individual day,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n Another misconception is that kids should be pressured to finish their plates.<\/p>\n But forcing children to eat can have an adverse effect.<\/p>\n \u201cThis can create negative associations with food and disrupt their natural hunger cues,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can raise our children to respect their bodies and trust their hunger.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not always easy in our diet-obsessed culture, but it is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Kyla\u2019s top tips for fussy eatersEat as a family whenever you can.Enjoy a variety of foods with your child.Keep mealtimes free from pressure.Trust everyone to decide for themselves how much they need to eat to be full.Your child learns about healthy eating from what you do, not what you say.<\/p>\n Humble ham sandwich back on the menu amid junk food advertising ban<\/p>\n 2 min read<\/p>\n![\"Download](\"https:\/\/7news.com.au\/static\/media\/right-red-arrow.92bca5db.svg\"){kind=icon}
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/902e2f7d3fb9fcca5b852397d4fa8c67def0dc69-16x9-x0y118w844h475.png\")
Dr Kyla Smith broke down the nutritional value of meal, based on the average daily needs of a four to eight-year-old. Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/79c8c4f18fd9670053bb87718b2d938151249d4f-161x229-x0y66w1707h2428.jpg\")
Dr Kyla Smith wants to educate parents, so they feel confident when feeding their children. Credit: Rae Fallon\/Dr Kyla Smith <\/p>\n