353: Selective Eating & How to Help Fill Nutritional Gaps, with Brittyn Coleman

About this episode

The episode discusses selective eating in neurodivergent children and offers compassionate strategies to support their nutritional needs.

Feeding your child shouldn’t feel like a daily battle between fear and survival, but for so many of us parenting neurodivergent kids, it does. When your child eats only a handful of foods, it’s easy to spiral into worry about their health, their growth, and what the future might look like. In this conversation, I’m joined by dietitian Brittyn Coleman to unpack what’s really going on beneath selective eating. We talk about why “picky eating” isn’t the right lens for neurodivergent kids and how sensory sensitivities, anxiety, oral motor challenges, and even interoception all play a role. This isn’t about defiance or control. It’s about a nervous system trying to stay safe. We also dig into why traditional strategies like pressure, bribing, or removing safe foods often backfire and can actually make eating more stressful and restrictive over time. Instead, we explore how to shift toward a sensory-informed, compassionate approach that builds trust, reduces dysregulation, and creates real progress. You’ll hear practical ways to start supporting your child right where they are, including how to identify their sensory preferences, redefine what progress looks like, and reduce mealtime…

People in this episode

Host: Penny Williams

Guest: Brittyn Coleman

Topics covered

• selective eating
• neurodivergent kids
• sensory sensitivities
• parenting
• nutrition
• mealtime stress

Keywords

• selective eating
• picky eating
• neurodivergent
• sensory preferences
• mealtime strategies
• nutrition gaps
• parenting tips

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