Making Healthy Eating Fun For Kids
Episode 11: Making Healthy Eating Fun for Kids with Katie Marston, Chief Marketing Officer at Once Upon A Farm
Disclaimer: This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please seek immediate care from your physician if you have any concerns about your baby or child’s health.
Join Rachael and Katie Marston as they talk about starting little ones on solid foods, feeding pressure and misconceptions and more! Katie is a mom of 2 and CMO at Once Upon A Farm which makes organic snacks and meals trusted by parents and loved by kids and parents. Rachael and Katie dive into healthy eating with kids, some of the common myths around feeding babies, and the important role early exposure plays in your child’s relationship towards food! In this episode we discuss:
How to get your children interested in food
The impact of food insecurity and poverty in the US
Is there a perfect way to feed your child?
How to seek out options for feeding and find what works best for your family
The importance of fun and sensory play in eating
How a strong microbiome provides a hearty immune support and anti -inflammatory properties for kids
Do you have to choose between BLW or purees?
Introducing sugar and other treats
Katie is a lover of creativity, laughter, and a good challenge. Possessing these traits has served her well as she has successfully navigated her 20+ year career in a variety of roles, countries, and industries. She has had the great fortune to develop brand strategies for both small- and large-scale companies, even rolling up her sleeves as an entrepreneur with her own consulting business. This background has laid the perfect foundation for her current role as Chief Marketing Officer for Once Upon a Farm where she has been for 3 years.
Katie is responsible for linking the creativity of the company’s product team to a customer-focused communication strategy while also driving their fast-growing DTC business from less than $1M to 15% of sales. Highlights include a brand identity evolution that led to 35%+ lift at retail, and a revised digitally focused marketing strategy with results of triple digit growth in aided brand awareness and sales growth at a $140M run rate. At both Brew Dr. Kombucha and Kendra Scott where she held Vice President of Marketing roles, she quickly built and scaled the marketing plans and organizations to fit the extreme growth of both companies. This included rebranding, talent assessment, budget setting, foundation creation, and strategy innovation.
Katie’s love of health-conscious brands began during her early years at adidas where she spent 12 years in their Portland, Amsterdam, Herzogenaurach, and Carlsbad offices. Katie currently lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband Brad and their two kids, Charlie Grace and Declan.
Get started today and enjoy an additional 40% off your first order – subscription or one time purchase! Use code NoOneToldUs40 at OnceUponaFarmOrganics.com
Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of Hey, Sleepy Baby, and the host of this podcast.
Listen to the full episode:
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Rachael: Welcome to No One Told Us, the podcast that tells the truth about parenting and talks about all the stuff you wish you knew before having kids. I'm your host, Rachel Shepard-Ohta, and today I am joined by Katie Marston. Katie is the chief marketing officer for Once Upon a Farm, a fresh foodery dedicated to providing clean, nutritious, and delicious baby food, and some of my baby's favorite stuff, and kid snacks,which help parents to kick off a lifetime of healthy eating. Katie's love of health -conscious brands began during her earliest years at Adidas, and she's also done marketing and branding for Brew Dr. Kombucha and Kendra Scott. Katie is a lover of creativity, laughter, and a good challenge, and she currently lives in Portland with her husband Brad and their two kids. And we were just talking before recording, so your kids are seven and nine, you said?
Katie: They are seven and nine, 15 months apart. I feel like I'm seeing the daylight at this point in time.
Rachael: I was going to ask you, when does it get easier?
Katie: Rachael, one, I would have loved, one, for Once Upon a Farm when my kids were babies, and selfishly, the kid snacks, I have a hand in because it's perfect for my kids now. But also, your podcast would have saved me so much anxiety. We moved our whole family to Austin to start the Kendra Scott role when my daughter was six months old, and we found out we were pregnant the first week we moved into a temporary apartment housing where my dog and my daughter were sharing the closet for sleeping.
Rachael: So okay, so the two under two thing was not something you were trying for necessarily?
Katie: No.
Rachael: People want that close age gap and all the power to them because that sounds very intense and hard.
Katie: It's amazing now, and they're lovely, wonderful playdates for each other, but as you're saying, I really think I had the aha moment at four and five. It's hard navigating work, and the two reasons I love this, is sleep and eating, are two of the biggest challenges parents of young kids face, and that time was tough for me. and I look back and I'm just like… pat myself on the back and friends that do that because it's not easy
Rachael: Truly and you were working at pretty big companies this whole time too so tell us a little bit about how you got started with once upon a farm or what led you to want to work in kids and baby food.
Katie: Yeah, I mean , I have such a random background of always, I mean all of them have been brands of purpose, but you know starting really in sports, I managed professional athletes for a while, you know then went into jewelry with Kendra Scott, uh before really being interested in the the food business, with and beverage with Brewdoctor, and it was then that I met John Foreaker… you know formerly of Annie's fame… he was you know the CEO at Annie's helped to rise and really such a learian organic food and got a chance to talk to Jennifer Garner… who's one of our co -founders and Cassandra Curtis, the chief innovation officer, who really started this all and then talking to them they were looking for a CMO and I was actually put in touch with them to help them know what to look for. I can tell you within the first 45 minutes of talking to John, I was sitting in a Fred Meyer Kroger parking lot, we ended that call being like do you do are you interested and I was sitting there being like do you are you open to this conversation for me being interested and from there I have not looked back and it's been the single best decision. I feel like we are making a real impact and that's just feel good as a parent.
Rachael: Of course and to be able to provide things that you want for your own kids or that you wish you had like that is the dream.
Katie: Right. I mean, same as what you're doing now with your audience with regard to sleep and a whole host of other topics that you're covering. This is selfish for me. Like, I want lunch box packing easier. I want, you know, to, I wish I would have had different options for the feeding journey from First Bites and having it be, you know, clean product were, were clean project label awarded and knowing a short ingredient list and feeling good about that. I wish I had those options as a working mom. I was steaming, mashing, like putting it in ice cube trays. I would have given anything for a break at that time.
Rachael: Oh my gosh. Of course. Yeah. Cause I mean, we're all trying to do our best and feed our kids the best that we can, but it is time consuming to source good ingredients and to learn about what ingredients are healthy for babies. And then all of the meal prep and cooking, like you said, shopping, like all of it, it's like a full time job. It takes such a long time. And I think that's why brands like yours are so needed because parents need something that's easy that they can also feel good about. And I think I look back to like what my mom probably fed me in the 80s and 90s. It was very different. It was a very different landscape.
Katie: Very different. And, you know, I was just talking to a colleague in the industry the other day about the toughest thing I think to navigate now is we have so many experts and such a level of perfection put upon us while adding more to our plates. I think as moms in particular, dads too, right? Dads have taken on so much more of an active parenting role than they did when their fathers were, were there, but you then feel like there's no perfect feeding journey. There isn't. and it's going to work individually for everyone and there's different options out there for you to explore and I think that is probably one of those stressors that we especially try to take away I know you are which is do what feels right for you like seek out those options… But there's not one more perfect way to do this and your kid is going to turn out great no matter what.
Rachael: Yeah and I think that's one of those common misconceptions with early parenting is that there is a right way and a wrong way or there's a good versus a bad and that's just not true. There's so many different ways to be a good parent and feeding is just one component of those. What do you think is another big misconception about infant feeding or starting solids or just nutrition for little kids and in general.
Katie: The biggest one is kind of what I said that there's one right way to do it to create the most perfect outcome for your child to be a healthy eater. I would say make sure that there's a fun sensory element. If your kid wants to play with the food, you know, even as they get slightly older It's so important from the feeling and this in the hands and also the sensory and the mouth to have a love for fresh. Variety is really key. I think one of the biggest questions we get asked is it's of course easier for especially a baby to like something sweet and I think that's where we've gone down a path you know as society with with added sugar if we end up touching on that but for vegetables or maybe even ingredients that have different textures to them foods have different textures to them… They might spit it out right away. It actually takes ten times for acceptance of a new food. So don't be scared if there's a gag reflex, don't be scared if there's like a funny face. That's just your child figuring it out and keep the introduction because it's actually the variety at an early age that creates a strong microbiome. And that's, we've been working with Dr. Devkota who heads the Microbiome Institute at Cedars-Sinai. And it's actually a strong microbiome that's for kids like from starting solids to age 11 that provides a hearty immune support and anti-inflammatory properties. So you'll hear that I think more and more. And in today's, you know, we were dealing with COVID, we're now dealing with RSV, really knowing that variety of foods helps to increase a likelihood of a strong microbiome, a strong immune system is one of those easy things that you can do from, you know, from first bites.
Rachael: Definitely. And I think parents are scared to do that because the old advice was always like, oh, only introduce one new food every few days. And so parents feel like they have to go super slowly with each new food. And we know now that that's not so true. But those types of pieces of advice take a long time to kind of go away.
Katie: They definitely do. And if you have strong in-laws, you have views or an older pediatrician, for instance, like, you can get that anxiety that I was talking about. And that's where it's not, there's a lot of misconceptions out there. And it is, you know, your child the best. We offer like single ingredient blends for the very reason for parents that want to start slow. But at the same time, there are those that jump right in on multi-ingredient blends. We also have plant-rich meals in the frozen section that are full ingredient. So, you know, chunks of sweet potato and black beans. And so that if your child wants to do self-feeding and baby-led weaning, which is something that's very popular and you're comfortable trying that, there's that possibility for you. And it might not work for you. You might be like, nope, too scared. Don't want to do this going back. And like, go for it. Try it all and see what you like and then what your baby likes.
Rachael: Yeah, and I think that's another misconception, right? Is that you have to choose. It's like people act like, oh, are you going to do purees or baby lead weaning as if it's like a binary choice? And you can totally do both. Like my baby, we do primarily baby lead weaning, but we also give her purees and pouches and things like that when we're on the go and need a quick meal option. And it's great. You can do all of it.
Katie: Yeah. And it's interesting, like as I've, you know, worked at Once Upon A Farm and one of the things I've learned like my daughter was extremely sensory. My kid was not and my daughter was our first, Charlie was our first and pouches would have been and they were really great for her. I did not realize they were really great for her because she was much more sensory food. And like that helped us to give the variety and then lead into, you know, the types of meals that we were eating and compliment that. And had I known that, had I recognized it, right? It would have just been a greater level of awareness which was very different from my son. He was much more self-feeding, you know, from the get-go, handsy. Each child is incredibly different. And I laugh because I was so much more type A with my daughter and I think the first, I mean, that girl did not have sugar, like everything. My son has such a healthier attitude towards food because we had more fun with it because there was more life and moderation. And it's just, it's hindsight is 20/20. And if that's something I could pass on, it's just to enjoy this process. Like eating with your kid, introducing them to food is a real bonding moment between you and them.
Rachael: It should be fun. It should be fun and it should be a family activity. And I think there are, like you said, so many experts out there and so many opinions and parents, I think it is a huge stressor. Starting solids, I hear from parents all the time who are anxious not only about sleep, but about feeding and they see me feeding my daughter and they're like, how are you not anxious about this? I just, I'm having such a hard time with it. And my heart breaks for them because food time and mealtime should be so enjoyable and watching your child try new foods can be so much fun. You did just mention sugar. So I would love to touch on that because that is something that I was also very type A about and wanted to do everything right. Didn't want to introduce sugar till my son was two years old. This was my first. I remember we were visiting my parents and my mom and I got ice cream cones and she let my son, he was like eight months old, have a lick of her ice cream and I lost my mind at her. Like I was so furious, furious. And she was just trying to have like this sweet moment with her grandson and you know, it maybe crossed a boundary. Maybe some people say I had a right to be mad. But when I look back now, it was not a big deal. And now I'm on my third baby, her brother and sister were enjoying popsicles a couple of weeks ago and they let her have a lick and it was just like a fun family moment. And I was so happy that I could let go at that point and be like, this is not gonna be the end of the world. But what is, what do you guys say about sugar and when to introduce it or how much? Because there is a lot of kid food out there on the market, even marketed towards babies that does have added sugar. So how do we know how much is too much or when is the right time?
Katie: Yeah, and we've all, Rachel, what you were saying, I know so many people identify with. I identify with that and look back and be like, gosh, okay. If I could take back that moment. And at the same time, I know as you said, there are boundaries. There are, you know, respecting someone's wishes, especially when it's their first time finding that balance. But there is no added sugar. We are unsweetened, you know, real ingredient company. That being said, I think we're also very much aware and you and I immediately go to, right? Like a cookie or an ice cream. What I look at, there's added sugar. Like if you become aware of it, there is added sugar hidden in almost everything. Whether it's ketchup, which kids are a ton of.. Salad dressings, white bread, different types of bread, right? So there's that, how do you allow for the treat time moments? moments? And I think one of the things that probably drives me the most insane is there's a lot of bars out there that start getting given at an early age that are glorified candy bars. Like let's be honest, like don't try to tell me that something that looks like a Rice Krispie treat is better for you.
Rachael: With chocolate chips all over it and sprinkles.
Katie: Yes. And I'm sorry, let's just call it what it is. Like I would rather be in the kitchen. I mean, who am I kidding? I don't remember the last time I made Rice Krispie treats, but I would love to think I could be in the kitchen, you know, with the marshmallows and doing that. And if my kids see that. And so for us, it was about, especially from babies who, as you said, should not have added sugar before two, and then really only 25 grams for children that are two and older. And that can be found in a lot of those hidden things. So being aware of labels, being aware of where added sugar comes into play. And the less you can introduce that or create this moderation, the more likely your child is to really have a love of things that taste fresh. So real ingredients, real fruits and vegetables, using spices for flavor, like they will still enjoy and should have the birthday party treats and should have the occasional popsicle, like as you're saying, or, you know, a popsicle every day should they choose. But it is about, from our side, teaching a love of real food.
Rachael: Yeah.
Katie: And that that really does start foundationally when you're young.
Rachael: Yeah, I think that's so important too. And that was, I think, what originally attracted me to the baby led weaning philosophy, because I really love the idea of my kids feeding themselves and deciding how much and what they wanted to eat from their plate and also just knowing what real food looks like. And, you know, having just that variety of fruits and vegetables. Like my kids still absolutely love fruits and vegetables. It's funny because they still have different tastes even though we approached food in very much the same way. I'm talking about my oldest two now, they're five and three. My oldest, his favorite food is salad. Like he is just obsessed with fresh vegetables and loves all that stuff. My daughter is not so much into vegetables, but she loves fruits and she loves proteins and real foods and they still get excited about a treat. But we've tried really hard to not put treats on such a huge pedestal and to not make them such a big deal. They're just kind of like a part of life and they're fun when we have them and they're delicious, but other food is also delicious and we don't need to call food good or bad or healthy or unhealthy or, you know, make all those judgments about food. It just kind of is what it is. Do you guys have any philosophy on that or how to like prevent pickiness or prevent that like obsession with certain foods or certain treats?
Katie: Yeah, it goes back to that variety and opportunity. And getting excited for the moment, the sensory part, like what things smell like, what things taste like, like watermelon is just as exciting in our house as a popsicle.
Rachael: Oh my God, my kids could polish off a watermelon in one sitting, they love it.
Katie: Yes, and so exactly what you're saying, and I think that was one of the biggest reasons that it was our forced starting and having our plant-rich meal line was because we saw self-feeding become such an option that parents were wanting alongside all the others and integrating beans into the mix for you know, plant-based protein, heartier vegetables. And so that starting off in an early age and giving that option to parents. And as you're saying, like not creating a treat based on something that is sugary, I think treats such a funny word, like I love sugar. Like that's my advice, not salty things. It's just, that's mine. But it is about enjoying it when you have it. And also thinking like you don't need to have a dinner, a dessert after dinner, every meal, or an afternoon treat doesn't need to be something sugary. Like just create that variety, mix it up. And I think the enjoyment of food will, and bring your kids into the process. Like that's one thing I'll always say is when you're cutting it up, when you're putting it together, if you're making guacamole, like bring them into the kitchen, have them be part of that process, and I guarantee they are so much more likely to eat it if they play a role. There was that, I don't know, did you have that, I think it's called a leaning tower, learning tower. It's a crazy name for what it is.
Rachael: Yes.
Katie: But, right?
Rachael: Yeah, learning tower I think is what they're called. Learning tower. The big wood things that kids can like step up on.It's like a gigantic step stool that they have like walls around so that they can't fall off. Even though somehow my kids always managed to fall off of them, I don't really know how, but.
Katie: My son wanted to climb that thing like a jungle gym.
Rachael: Exactly, exactly.
Katie: You could put it in the kitchen, and at the earliest age, they become counter height and can watch you and integrate. And I think that's one of those that, at least from my side, and I know a lot of my colleagues, like changed a dynamic around food and interest in all sorts of food versus treats.
Rachael: Yeah, and I mean, we're lucky enough to live in a place that, I mean, we live in San Francisco, it's very healthy lifestyle that is glorified here. There's farmers markets, my kids go, they see where food comes from and see where it's made, but I also realize that that's a privilege, right? And it's a privilege to be able to afford really fresh food, and it's a privilege to have the time to sit there and cook with my kids and to show them all of that. So I know that Once Upon a Farm is so passionate about tackling food insecurity. So I would love to hear a bit about what you guys have to say about how food insecurity and food deserts and things like that impact kids in the US.
Katie: Yeah. And you're right. Like, one of the reasons is you're saying like, we recognize that there are more working parents at all levels than ever before. And so convenience has always been a part of what Once Upon a Farm does. We, Jen, has been working with the children for many, many years, I think 14 plus years now, if not longer, she's been on the board since 2014. And when I started and then the pandemic quickly started, the number of food insecure children jumped up 2 million. Like it was crazy.
Rachael: And was it because they won't kid it? Sorry, go ahead.
Katie: No, no, no, it's I know what you're like, I think is what you're going to ask is there weren't the food options at school as much anymore. And there wasn't right as many, you know, free food opportunities or getting delivered to the home, especially in rural America. And so we in working with SAVE kind of were like, okay, we're a small company. But what what can we do here? We are a children's food company. We threw out the the number of a million that by 2024, early 2025, we would deliver a million meals to kids in rural America, whether that's through financial donations, our own food donations. We have volunteer hours. And we are on track to do so. And we've got ideas for how to, you know, move past that million meals mark. But from your question, I think it's kids cannot learn, they cannot meet their potential if they are hungry. I think we all know what happens when we're hungry, our brain does not function as well. We are moody, we are tired and so SAVE, recognize that because they really look at learning potential and if they weren't addressing food, they weren't really able to maximize learning potential. Whether it's SAVE, No Kids Hungry is another one. Feeding America locally, we work with a lot of stocking community fridges, like that's something that I've taken my kids to do here in Portland, Oregon of a community fridge that you can stock with fresh food. And that is like the first stuff to go because it's the hardest to have access to.And a lot of times fridges can be smaller or not a lot of freezer space. And so Once Upon A Farm, I know does that in the Bay Area quite a bit, but like we've started doing at our employees have, you know, where they live. And that's that's a local option that if you're interested in that, you can feel really hands on in your community for making a difference.
Rachael: I love that. I love the idea of bringing your kids to do it too. That's such a great thing to to kind of teach them from the beginning is that we're so fortunate to have these things and not everybody else does and we need to do our part to make sure that everybody has fresh food, right?
Katie: Yes. Yeah. I mean, that's Jen will say like a lot of times when she's gone on home visits, sometimes that's the first time, you know, she'll have watched a child try a mango for the first time, you know, and it might be through one of our pouches or food that's been donated like and that you really do make a difference when you increase the variety of options of fresh food. And that's not not that's not accessible to everyone in the US. And we are also we were the first refrigerated baby food that became part of the WIC program. So the government supplemental women's infants and children's program that offered, you know, Once Upon A Farm to those that needed it.
Rachael: That's amazing. I love that. And yeah, I love once upon a farm. I mean, mostly because of the convenience. Obviously, I have three kids now. I need things. I don't need things. - I need things. - That's crazy. But I also love supporting brands that I can really like get behind. And that are so philanthropic and that really do care. So that's so wonderful. Katie, thank you so much for joining the podcast this week. I think it was so fun to hear about your own journey as a parent and about your amazing company and just giving parents kind of those words of wisdom from a seasoned mom, a mom that has seen the other side of the baby days.
Katie: The other side for sure. No, and Rachael, I wanted to, for everyone listening, but I said like sleep was probably harder for me than nutrition and I'm so appreciative of you and your voice and my favorite post of yours, which rings true to this day. So I'm just gonna caution new parents out there, the what you should say, you know, when your kid falls asleep at night. And I will tell you that what I say to my children and started saying at a young age, I still do today and they yawn instantly. Like it is a connector. It is like to both of them are songs I made up for them. And then we do what you say about, I love you. And we say, and then they go back more than your arms are wide. And like, it's like you really do have these wonderful moments and insights that make a real difference on our side. So thank you.
Rachael: Oh my gosh, you're gonna make me cry, that is so sweet. I love that. And I love, yeah, I mean, some people follow me that don't have little babies anymore. They've been following me for a while, but things like that, like that's what makes a childhood, right? Like those are the things that your kid, your kids are gonna remember that forever and they might do it with their own kids someday because they loved it so much. It's so special.
Katie: I mean, I have walked away from meetings or dinners to sing to them in a hall of a, you know, hotel restroom to do this. Luckily I work for a company that celebrates parenthood, and our, you know, colleagues will try to fill me doing it. Because once you start it, it will keep going. I hope it keeps going until they get off to college.
Rachael: I know. Oh my gosh. I love those words. I love that, that's so sweet. Katie, the last question I have for you is something I try to remember to ask everybody. I don't always, but I would love to know, especially since you've got kiddos that are a little bit older, what is something that no one told you before you had kids that you really just wish somebody had let you it on?
Katie: There's two things that stick out in my mind. One was on the sleep side, which we did sleep training. I wish that someone had said like, there are a multitude of other options that you could try out that would create a similar result. I think of that time as a working parent who went back at eight weeks.
Rachael: Oh, it's like criminal
Katie: Yeah, I felt like I didn't have options there. The other is more one that I think we know, which is just relax. Like it's harder said than done, but I really, I wasn't gonna listen to my mom telling me that as much as I love her and think she's absolutely brilliant. And I wish I had more friends that were just like, just relax. I think you're in the moment with other parents in your similar situation and you feed off of each other.
Rachael: 100%.
Katie: And so having that kind of voice to be like, it's okay. Like you're gonna eat off the ground or you're gonna get that done, it'll be fine, it's gonna be fine. And I think women are better about that now than they were nine years ago.
Rachael: I hope so. Yeah, and I feel the same way. I wish I could go back and tell myself to chill out, But those like mom groups are such a blessing and a curse because if you are lucky enough to have a small village of women that also have babies, that is so wonderful and it's so beautiful to walk through that experience together with other people who really get it. But I also wish that moms could have almost like a cohort of other moms with kids that are way older so they could have that perspective and be like, "Girl, this is not going to matter in three years. Can you just chill out and let it go? You really don't need to be doing all this." I have a friend, Kate Borsato. She's a therapist and she told me, "I promise it gets easy once your kid turns five." And she's like, "I know that's not what you want to hear when you have a baby or a toddler, but it really does not last forever. It really does get so much easier." And that actually, I think some people would be horrified to hear that number because it seems so far away when you have a baby. But for me, it actually did calm me down to know that I will have a life to myself again someday and it's not going to be like this forever. So yeah, I love that.
Katie: So many things. But when you're living in it, I'm sure moms, dads, caregivers, 20 years from now will get in the same thing and you can't help it. So it's so much easier said than done. But if you can give yourself just even an extra percent of you're doing a great job, let it go. That will not change the outcome, right? To de-stress. Do so.
Rachael: Exactly.
Katie: Everyone is doing a phenomenal job and the best that they can. And this is hard. It is really hard.
Rachael: Yeah. Amen. Thank you so much, Katie.
Katie: Thank you, Rachael. But worth it. But worth it.
Rachael: Yes, worth it. We love them so much. They are worth everything and more. But yes.
Katie: Thank you so much, Rachael.
Rachael: Thanks, Katie!
