Raising Well Nourished Kids
We all want to raise healthy, emotionally resilient, food-adventurous kids, but what does that actually look like and how do we do it?
This podcast is a place for deep conversations and practical guidance about what it takes to raise well nourished kids, in every sense of the word. We tackle all the big topics from setting boundaries and creating healthy eating habits to instilling a good food culture in your household and fostering body positivity.
There’s a lot of information out there, much of it contradictory and confusing. This leaves parents overwhelmed and anxious about the ‘right’ thing to do when it comes to their child’s health and wellbeing. It’s time to reimagine a way to parent in this modern world that supports health, connection and the relational wellbeing of our families and precious children.
Every week we’ll bring you a new episode that draws on our combined 40 years of knowledge and experience in the fields of child psychology, behaviour and nutrition, as well as our own personal journey’s of raising healthy, thriving teenagers, in the hopes of bringing you some much needed clarity along with simple, proven strategies to help you raise well nourished kids.
We’re here to support you to support your young people in developing healthy eating habits and positive relationships with and through food.
Raising Well Nourished Kids
62. The Truth About the Health Star Rating System and What Parents Need to Know
This week Georgia is joined once again by Belinda Smith from The Root Cause, a returning guest who is passionate about transforming children’s health and raising awareness about the role food plays in wellbeing.
Together, they dive into the Health Star Rating System, the food labelling scheme that the Australian government plans to mandate by 2027. While it might sound like a helpful tool for parents, Belinda and Georgia share why the system in its current form is deeply flawed. They explore how it fails to consider additives, preservatives, and the level of food processing, and why that matters so much for kids’ health.
Belinda brings powerful statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and her experience working with schools across the country, highlighting rising rates of chronic conditions, ADHD diagnoses, and childhood anxiety. Georgia and Belinda also unpack how ultra-processed foods end up with high star ratings, the hidden influence of food companies, and why this creates confusion for families.
This conversation is about awareness and action.
You’ll learn how to look past the stars on the front of the packet, what to focus on instead, and how to support efforts for an evidence-based system that truly reflects the science.
Links mentioned in this episode: