Kacie Barnes, founder of Mama Knows Nutrition, empowers parents with balanced, judgment-free advice for nourishing kids and building a lifelong healthy relationship with food.
What first inspired your passion for child nutrition, and how did that lead to you creating Mama Knows Nutrition?
My passion for child nutrition was sparked by a mix of science and real life. I’ve always been fascinated by how food can impact health, but it wasn’t until I became a mom that I saw firsthand how confusing and stressful feeding kids can be. I realized that so much of the nutrition advice out there is rigid and guilt-inducing, especially for parents just trying to do their best. I knew I could make a difference by providing evidence-based, practical, and judgment-free guidance. That’s why I created @MamaKnowsNutrition on Instagram — to be a trusted source for parents who want to feed their kids well without feeling overwhelmed, shamed, or pressured.
Why is nutrition so critical during early childhood?
Nutrition is critical during early childhood because you’re laying the foundation not only for their growth and development, but also for their long-term health and their relationship with food. As a parent, you’re essentially teaching your kids their “first language” in food and nutrition by establishing (hopefully) healthy habits. So much of what we learn about food and so many of the habits that we carry into adolescence and adulthood are formed in childhood. It’s such an important time to make sure that we’re not only helping kids meet their nutritional needs, but also setting them up for success in the way that they relate to food, health, and their bodies.
One example of this is with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Research indicates that early introduction to sweetened beverages like soda and sports drinks is associated with higher consumption later in life. We know excess sugar consumption is linked to increased cardiometabolic risk factors. The way we feed our young children has a real impact on their health now and in the future.
What are some of the most common nutritional gaps you see in kids’ diets today?
People always think their kids aren’t getting enough protein, but it’s surprisingly easy to get the recommended amount. It’s incredibly rare for me to see a true protein deficiency in kids in the United States. However, a large number of kids don’t get enough fiber. This stems from the fact that the standard American diet is notoriously low in fruits and vegetables, and high in processed carbohydrates. According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, children tend to not get enough vegetables, whole grains, or seafood.
Typically, simple carbohydrates (including sugar) are overconsumed, crowding out the fruit, veggies, and whole grains that we want to see kids eating on a daily basis. This is also a common reason kids may eat excess calories. In fact, many children are eating two or three times the maximum recommended amount of added sugar daily. It’s estimated that 77-80% of 5- to 8-year-olds exceed the maximum recommended amount of added sugar daily. Because of this, one of the primary messages I share with parents is to increase fruit intake in any way possible.
Children are biologically naturally drawn to sweet-tasting foods, and fruit has essentially the same health benefits as vegetables, including antioxidants and phytochemicals. I’d much rather see kids eating a homemade popsicle made with 100% juice than eating something like Welch’s fruit snacks, with 8g of added sugar per serving and a very tiny amount of actual fruit, or crackers that are primarily simple carbohydrate with very little protein, fiber, or naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t offer vegetables, but when I look at what kids are actually consuming more often (fruit), kids are more likely to meet their daily fiber and micronutrient needs if we offer fruit at every meal. Toddlers are generally better at getting enough fruit, but this starts to fall off at 5 years old, and then they continue to eat less as they approach their teen years.
Is there such a thing as focusing too much on healthy eating for younger children?
Absolutely. I’ve seen it with clients but also firsthand with my kids’ own friends. I will never forget that during the second week of kindergarten, my daughter brought a friend home for a playdate. I offered them a snack of fruit and yogurt. Her 5-year-old friend told me she can’t eat that because it’s too much sugar, and sugar is really bad for you. My jaw was practically on the floor. I was devastated that this young girl already had such a fear of food, especially when it was actually something that contributes a lot of health benefits.
I also remember a client who told me her daughters were obsessed with dessert. When we dug into what was going on, she told me that she only allowed the three of them (mom and both daughters) to split one ice cream sandwich for dessert. She felt that her daughters were being gluttonous for wanting an entire ice cream sandwich to themselves. It was all because of her fears, guilt, and shame about her own eating, and the way she viewed herself. She worried that because she struggled with her weight, if she didn’t tightly control her girls’ eating, they would have the same struggle. What she didn’t realize is that by restricting her girls, they did indeed feel restricted. They didn’t adapt to only want one bite of dessert, as she had hoped.
Yet another client was obsessed with counting calories. She thought she was doing this in the name of healthy eating, but it was an unhealthy level of control that was stressful to her child. And guess what: It didn’t work. She complained that her daughter would eat huge amounts whenever she ate other places besides home. The mom didn’t realize that she was interfering with what her daughter’s body actually needed when she was controlling her daughter’s portions.
There is well-documented evidence that parental feeding styles affect their child’s eating habits. Restricting “unhealthy” foods tends to make children crave those foods more. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published findings that children whose parents exert high control over their eating are more likely to eat in response to emotional cues rather than hunger. This emotional eating can lead to unhealthy weight gain and disordered eating patterns.
I feel passionate about this topic because I think it’s an area where well-intentioned parents can actually do more harm than good. By focusing too much on “healthy eating” (or whatever we deem to be “healthy eating,” which is inextricably informed by our own upbringing and biases), we can unintentionally create oppressive food rules for impressionable kids.
One study reported that up to three-quarters of women aged 25-45 years old (and, hence, mothers), including those within the healthy weight range, report degrees of disordered eating or concern about their weight that interfere with their happiness. Even though parents may think they are doing a good thing by putting a lot of energy into their kids’ healthy eating, it is possible that they will pass on disordered eating habits, body image dissatisfaction, and a lifetime of stressing and feeling guilty about food.
Recently, I’ve seen a trend with people promoting diets high in meat and butter and extremely low in carbs, thinking that this is “gut-healthy.” However, we have an overwhelming body of evidence that demonstrates the various health benefits of diets that are rich in plants. It worries me to see people influenced by passionate “health influencers” who actually do not have nutrition knowledge and expertise. It almost becomes like a religion that people follow, and logic gets thrown out the window. The reality is that it’s harmful to restrict food groups from your child’s diet (if there’s no medical need to do so), particularly when you are restricting fruits and vegetables. Overly restricting carbs in growing kids has been linked to lower energy, slowed growth, and even increased preoccupation with food later on.
What small, realistic changes can parents introduce to their children to make a long-term impact on their health?
I have three suggestions here:
- Make water the default beverage. Swap any sugary drinks for water or milk most of the time. 100% juice is okay once a day, but you will do them a lot of good by serving water as the main beverage in your house.
- If you are too busy to make meals at home, serve no-cook meals with low-prep whole foods. It is so hard to meet kids’ nutritional needs when eating out frequently, especially if they are eating fast food. At least two nights a week, in my house, we do these throw-together type meals that ensure my kids get what they need. For example, one of my go-to meals is mashed avocado on whole wheat tortillas, with a cup of milk and a side of fruit. Another go-to is a deconstructed taco salad: black beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, carrots, and some tortilla chips. Parents often feel like this “isn’t a meal” or “isn’t good enough,” but it’s a sustainable way to get them better nutrition, and that’s a win in my book.
- At snack time, aim for what I call “complex snacks.” Instead of defaulting to crunchy air snacks like plain crackers or pretzels, try to include at least two of these key nutrients: protein, fat, and/or fiber. For example, you could pair a cheese stick with crackers or offer a yogurt pouch alongside pretzels. Taking this simple step to make snacks more balanced can help keep kids feeling satisfied longer, provide steady energy, and make it easier for them to meet their nutritional needs.
If you could leave parents with one piece of advice about children’s nutrition, what would it be?
Trust your child’s appetite, and focus on creating a positive, low-pressure mealtime environment. Your job is to offer a variety of balanced foods from all the food groups, but it’s your child’s job to decide what and how much to eat at mealtimes. When kids feel trusted around food, they’re more likely to develop a healthy relationship with food that lasts a lifetime.
