Dietitian Dr Kyla Smith says fish fingers, bread and ketchup is ‘nutritional' and enough for children to get what they need
The Perth-based paediatric dietitian regularly shares posts detailing the nutritional content of food in a bid to educate parents.
'It doesn't have to be fancy. Even if your child is deep in the beige stage, they are still getting enough,' she wrote.
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.
Her post was part of a series where she features regular supermarket food and highlights the meals nutritional value.
But the particular combination of foods in her post sparked an online debate.
Many followers commented Smith's suggestion was normalising processed food with high sugar content.
'It's really easy to throw criticism at people but in today's world, it's so hard to be a parent,' Smith told 7NEWS.com.au.
'There are a lot of companies out there selling potions and powders, preying on the parents who believe their child isn't getting enough nutrients.'
Smith helps families sort through the misinformation with her tailored mealtime programs for every stage of the feeding process.
'I'm not recommending to serve your child fish fingers every night for dinner,' Smith said.
'The point of the post was to highlight that eating these types of foods as part of a balanced diet is OK.
'Regular food that you find at the supermarket, or that you have in your house are enough.
'Everything in moderation is fine — it's about a balanced approached to eating.'
In fact, Smith says enjoying a meal out as a family, even at fast food restaurants like McDonald's, can have benefits.
'Food can teach us to share,' she said.
'Eating together as a family is a social experience.
'It can create good, positive memories.'
After some parents reacted negatively to the post, Smith later updated it to explain that: 'All foods have nutritional value'.
Smith has been helping parents feed their children for 15 years.
She is also as a mum to two girls Elsie, 7, and Cleo, 4.
'I know the struggle today's parents have navigating limited time, information overwhelm, picky eaters and societal expectations,' Smith said.
She said fussy eating — refusing to eat vegetables, demanding the same meal or rejecting new foods outright — is very common.
'Children go through phases,' she said.
'Their appetite and preferences change frequently.'
One of the biggest myths is that children need to eat a full, balanced meal at every sitting.
'What matters more is their overall intake over a week — not necessarily each individual day,' Smith said.
Another misconception is that kids should be pressured to finish their plates.
But forcing children to eat can have an adverse effect.
'This can create negative associations with food and disrupt their natural hunger cues,' Smith said.
'We can raise our children to respect their bodies and trust their hunger.
'It's not always easy in our diet-obsessed culture, but it is possible.'
Dr Kyla's top tips for fussy eaters
Eat 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.
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