About this episode

Katie Ferraro and guest Vanessa Rissetto discuss how to foster a healthy food relationship for babies while addressing diet culture and parental pressures.

#112: If you’ve ever thought, I do not want my baby to grow up with all of the messed up food stuff I grew up with, this episode is for you. In this conversation, registered dietitian Vanessa Rissetto joins me to talk about diet culture, the pressure parents feel around feeding, and how to start fostering a healthier relationship with food for your baby from the very beginning. Vanessa breaks down what diet culture actually looks like in real life, how our own food beliefs can shape the way we feed our kids, and why less pressure around eating often leads to better outcomes over time. We also talk about food language, feeding dynamics at home, and simple ways to help your child feel more comfortable and confident around food. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How to lay off the pressure around kids eating...and practical tips for being less food focussed around children 2. Which words to use when discussing food with your babies and children to help them have positive associations with food instead of food-related phobias 3. Why parents feel pressure from outside sources to give in to the diet culture...with a discussion on what the diet culture really even is (and isn’t!)…

People in this episode

Host: Katie Ferraro

Guest: Vanessa Rissetto

Topics covered

• diet culture
• healthy food relationship
• parenting
• feeding dynamics
• food language

Keywords

• diet culture
• healthy eating
• parenting tips
• food language
• feeding dynamics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Culina Health

More episodes of Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

• Food Positivity: What to Say (and What Words to Skip) with Arielle Dani Lebovitz, MS, RD · June 11, 2026 · 18 min
• Premature Babies: How to Estimate & Adjust Age for Starting Solids · June 8, 2026 · 16 min
• Why I Built a Better Bib with Bapron Baby Founder Kelsey Larsen · June 4, 2026 · 36 min
• Why Your Baby Refuses Foods They Used to Like...and What to Do About It · June 1, 2026 · 26 min
• Calm Baby, Safer Eating: Simple Regulation Tips Before Meals with Jennifer Berry, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CLC · May 28, 2026 · 41 min
• BRAT Diet for Babies with Diarrhea: Does it Work? · May 25, 2026 · 16 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro podcast page.