Passport to the World Palate
What Do Your Genes Say About Your Taste Buds?
With genetic testing more accessible than ever, people are uncovering rich details about their ancestry—but what do those insights reveal about how and what we eat? This interactive course explores the fascinating intersection of genetics, culture, and nutrition.
Travel through history and across continents as we uncover surprising connections—like what links the French croissant with Yemenite malawach, or how the humble potato made its way to Ireland.
This program can be tailored to specific holidays or cultural traditions, and for an even more immersive experience, we can add a cook-along component. Let’s make learning delicious.
How to Get Your Child to Eat
When Dinner Turns to Chaos: Understanding Why Kids Won’t Eat
The table is set, favorite foods are served, and everyone sits down for a peaceful meal—until a fistful of spaghetti hits the wall and slides down, along with your hopes for a calm dinner. Why is eating so hard? Why won’t your child just eat?
In this insightful and relatable talk, Yaffi explores the psychology of eating through the lens of childhood emotional and physical development. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of what’s really going on at mealtime and how to support your child’s natural curiosity around food.
Expect to leave with practical strategies and simple tools you can start using that very night—to bring more peace, connection, and joy to the dinner table.
I’ve Got a Baby. What Do I Do Now?
Nourishing Your Child—and Yourself
Not long ago, caring for a child was a shared experience. Grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and neighbors formed a village of support, guiding new parents through the early days of raising a child. Today, that sense of community is often missing—leaving many parents to navigate this journey in isolation.
Babies may not come with an instruction manual… but now their nutrition does.
In this talk, we’ll explore the What, When, and Why of child nutrition—from breastmilk or formula to first bites of solids, all the way through adolescence. We’ll cover how to feed your child in a way that supports growth, development, and a healthy relationship with food.
And while we’re at it, let’s talk about how to nourish the new parent, too—because your well-being matters just as much.
Chewing the Fat: Inclusivity in the Clinic or Community Nutrition Space
Enhancing Compassionate, Inclusive Care for All Body Sizes, for a professional audience
As healthcare professionals, we recognize the growing need for greater inclusion, empathy, and equity in both clinical and community settings. But how do we reconcile established medical language and protocols with the nuanced, individualized care our patients and clients deserve—especially when it comes to body size?
This presentation invites participants to critically examine current practices and explore strategies for delivering evidence-based medical care that also respects and supports patients’ emotional well-being. Through a lens of compassion and inclusivity, we’ll discuss how to foster trust, improve outcomes, and elevate the quality of care for individuals of all sizes.
Participants will leave equipped to provide clinically sound, emotionally sensitive, and truly holistic care.
Neurodiversity in the Clinic: Identifying, Approaching, and Honoring Diverse Neurovariance
Supporting Neurodivergent Individuals in a Neurotypical World: Nutrition Through a Neuroinclusive Lens, for a professional audience
Neurodiversity recognizes that there are varied—and equally valuable—ways of experiencing and interpreting the world. While the concept is straightforward, the reality is more complex: our systems, environments, and healthcare models are largely built around neurotypical norms, often leaving neurodivergent individuals feeling marginalized, misunderstood, or underserved.
This presentation examines what it means to live—and practice—in a neurotypical world, and how healthcare professionals can create more inclusive, responsive spaces. We will explore how sensory processing, food preferences, and mealtime behaviors may differ in neurodivergent individuals, and how these differences affect nutritional care.
In addition to identifying challenges and red flags that may require referral, we will also focus on recognizing and cultivating the unique strengths, preferences, and adaptive strategies that neurodivergent individuals bring to the table. By fostering these strengths, we can support greater autonomy, engagement, and trust in the therapeutic relationship.
Participants will leave equipped with practical tools to deliver respectful, individualized care that supports both nutritional health and neurodivergent identity.
Cooking with Kids: A Therapeutic Pop-Up Adventure
Therapeutic Cooking with Children: Using Curiosity and Culture to Support Positive Food Experiences, for a professional audience
Cooking with children can be a powerful therapeutic tool—especially when approached as an adventure. Adventure sparks curiosity, curiosity fosters exploration, and exploration builds confidence. This cycle is particularly effective in helping children develop a more positive relationship with food.
In this session, Yaffi explores evidence-informed strategies for using cooking as a therapeutic intervention to support children with food-related challenges. We will examine gentle, creative approaches to addressing picky eating, food fears, and mealtime anxiety—while promoting autonomy and reducing pressure.
Participants will also learn how to engage parents and caregivers as active partners in the process, and how to leverage each family’s unique culture and values to create meaningful, sustainable change around food and eating.
Convenient Printables For you!
🍉{Speaking Menu for the Public}🧁 🍅 {Speaking Menu for Professionals}🥕
“Yaffi is an engaging and entertaining speaker. She makes talking about food, diet and the intersection with real life fun and relatable, especially to parents!”
“Yaffi brought an interesting perspective and wealth of knowledge around nutrition and healthy eating habits for people of all ages. She led a lively and informative discussion that was greatly appreciated by parents across our organization.”
“Thank you so much for these ongoing EVJCC webinars on family nutrition… I love your perspective on healthy food outlooks and particularly am looking to erase mom-guilt and broaden my repertoire on healthy eating. [Our 15-month-old is] already enjoying exploring, textures, smells and fun with foods during her meal and snack times with a lot of your direction in our prior monthly sessions so thank you again.”