Episode Title: Don’t make this mistake: Overlooking gratitude in your picky eating journey
Air Date: December 2, 2024
Christine Miroddi Yoder:
Hi, I’m so happy to have you here. Thank you for joining me for this special episode on gratitude and the very real, tangible results you can see from such a simple practice. I’ve mentioned gratitude before—probably even in our last episode—but today we’re going much deeper.
By the end of this episode, I’ll give you some homework and exercises to help you start practicing gratitude in your own life.
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Why Gratitude Matters
If you’re not practicing gratitude yet, it’s one of the most powerful tools you can use. Gratitude can be applied to every area of life—finances, career, relationships, and yes, feeding. It’s a universal principle that unlocks growth.
And it’s more than just saying “thank you.” It’s about feeling thankful, seeing the meaning in small moments, and letting those small wins build momentum.
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A Parent Story: From Frustration to Progress
I want to share a story of one mom I worked with. Her son was on the autism spectrum, non-verbal, and around seven or eight years old. He only ate purées, always fed by her in the same chair, and drank almost nothing other than water.
As you can imagine, she was stressed and overwhelmed. I encouraged her to focus on gratitude—on celebrating even the tiniest wins.
One of the first breakthroughs was that he began drinking water from an open cup. That may sound small, but it was huge. Even the fact that he picked up the cup and brought it to his mouth was worth celebrating.
At first, Mom struggled. She said things like, “That’s great, but he still isn’t drinking enough.” I reminded her: no buts. Just gratitude. “I’m so grateful he’s bringing the cup to his mouth.”
She followed through, saying it daily—even before she felt it. By the next session, she told me something amazing: not only did she start to actually feel grateful, but her son let her put a straw near his mouth for the first time. That was another huge step.
Within weeks, he went from refusing cups and straws to drinking from both. He tried juice boxes, flavored water, even different juices. Not because juice is a “health food,” but because every sip increased his flexibility, decreased his stress, and opened the door to trying new foods.
This shift happened because Mom retrained her brain—and her son’s progress followed.
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The Science of Gratitude
Gratitude isn’t just “feel-good fluff.” It has real effects on the brain:
* Activates the prefrontal cortex — the area responsible for planning and long-term goals.
* Lowers cortisol — reducing stress.
* Boosts resilience and mental health.
When you focus on what’s working, your brain literally starts seeking more of it. It’s like when you think about buying a new car—suddenly, you see that model everywhere. The cars didn’t magically appear; your brain just tuned in. Gratitude works the same way.
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Your Exercise: Finding Small Wins
I want you to pause and think of one positive moment with your child this week. If you can’t think of one right away, try after this episode. Go back a few days if needed.
Examples of small wins:
* Your child picked up a spoon or cup.
* They ate a different color or brand of their favorite food.
* They sat next to someone eating something new.
* They looked at their food instead of avoiding it.
* They played with pretend food—or even touched real food in a game.
* You gave them the wrong snack, and instead of melting down, they calmly told you.
Write these down in a journal, type them into your phone, or even ask Siri or your AI assistant to record them. At meals, ask your family, “What’s the best thing that happened today?” This helps kids practice gratitude too.
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Why Gratitude Transforms the Journey
This feeding journey can feel long and exhausting. But everything happens for a reason, and often these challenges shape us and our kids in powerful ways. Gratitude reminds us to focus on growth instead of setbacks.
Challenges are real—we’re not ignoring them—but most of our focus already goes to what’s hard. Gratitude shifts the spotlight to the positives, which is what creates momentum. What we focus on expands.
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Going Deeper
If you want to dive deeper into mindset work, my book Mealtime Mindset (available on Amazon) covers gratitude and many other principles that impact your child’s feeding journey.
And if you’re ready for transformation, my Unlocking Mealtimes program is designed to take your child from fearful to foodie. It combines one-to-one coaching, gut health testing, the Safe and Sound Protocol for nervous system regulation, and a full parent course.
Right now, after Black Friday, we’re still offering a special 12-month payment plan before the price increases. If you’ve been waiting for the right time, this is it.
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Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you find small, beautiful things to be grateful for this week—because those little wins are what pave the way to big breakthroughs. Wishing you lots of successful mealtimes, and I’ll see you next week.
