Attack of the Picky Five-Year-Old

It turns out not all superheroes wear capes - they also wear aprons!

Many in the Dallas / Fort Worth community would consider Chef Deb Cantrell a culinary powerhouse, with her ability to offer such a personalized meal delivery experience to help people prevent, manage and treat various health illnesses. This unique approach to food is what Chef Deb refers to as “culinary medicine.”

She has helped hundreds of families over the last 17 years dealing with leaky gut, autoimmune diseases and even cancer reduce their medications and treatments all by helping them eat right for their body. But besides helping people heal their body through food, Deb has always gone above and beyond to give her clients a truly personalized experience, even if it’s just a mom desperately trying to get her kid to eat healthier.

One such mom called her up one day explaining that she just didn’t have the time or energy to cook healthy meals that satisfied everyone in her family because she had some picky eaters. She said that her 5-yearold son would only eat happy meals because of the toys that came with each meal. She hated feeding him junk food, but he refused anything else and she didn’t know what to do.

That’s when Deb came up with the idea of a “healthy happy meal” where she would make a separate meal just for her son that was a healthy version of his favorite foods, like chicken fingers and mashed potatoes but that she’d also include a toy in the service, so he’d be excited about eating the food.

The mom was elated! With their service, the boy would get LEGO and other fun toys and the mom felt relieved that he was finally eating a more balanced diet. It might sound like a simple gesture, but I’m pretty sure that mom considered Deb a superhero from that day on – swooping in to save the day and make healthy food “cool” for her picky little eater!