| This page is not really about me. It’s about you — and whether you’ve found the right place. |
If You’ve Landed Here, I’m Guessing…
Mealtimes in your house feel more like a negotiation than a meal. Your child has a short list of safe foods and adding anything new feels impossible. Or maybe you’re the one navigating a sensitive gut — cycling through eliminations, reading every label, trying to feed your family well without losing your mind.
I know that feeling. I’ve lived it from both sides of the table.
My Story
I’m Kelly Rodas — a licensed pediatric occupational therapist, feeding specialist, and mom of two living in Orange County, California.
I also have Crohn’s disease.
For years I cycled through everything trying to feel normal again — gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, pescatarian, macrobiotic, anti-inflammatory, low-this, no-that. I was so focused on restriction that I had completely lost my relationship with food. Eating felt like a minefield instead of a joy.
What finally changed everything wasn’t another elimination protocol. It was learning how to nourish my body gently — with whole, real foods that supported my gut — without losing the pleasure of eating. Food became medicine, but it also became something I looked forward to again.
That shift changed my health in ways I hadn’t expected. My energy came back. My symptoms calmed. And I started to see food completely differently — not as something to fear, but as one of the most powerful tools we have for how we feel, think, and function every single day.
| “What actually changed everything wasn’t restriction. It was learning how to feed my gut gently — without losing joy.” |
Why This Matters for Your Child
As a pediatric OT I have worked with hundreds of children — picky eaters, sensory-sensitive kids, children with autism, kids with feeding disorders, and babies just starting solids. And what I see over and over again is this:
What we feed children matters far more than most people realize.
The gut-brain connection is real and it is powerful. Research increasingly shows that the foods we eat — and the foods we avoid — directly affect gut health, inflammation levels, mood, behavior, focus, and sensory processing. For neurodivergent children, for kids with sensory sensitivities, for little ones whose nervous systems are already working overtime just to get through the day, this connection is especially significant.
Gluten, dairy, and refined sugar don’t just affect digestion. For many sensitive children they affect sleep, focus, emotional regulation, skin, and how their nervous system responds to the world around them. I have seen this in my clinical work. I have seen it in my own body. And I have seen it transform families.
That’s why everything I share on Feeling Yum is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. Not because of rules. Because of results.
| Food is not just fuel. For sensitive bodies — children and adults alike — it is information. And whole foods send the very best signals. |
My Background
I bring both lived experience and clinical training to everything I share here:
| 🎓 | Licensed Occupational Therapist (OTR/L) with specialization in pediatric feeding |
| 🍽️ | Trained in SOS Feeding Approach, Beckman Oral Motor, and solid starts methodology |
| 🌿 | Deep personal experience navigating Crohn’s disease through whole food nourishment |
| 👶 | Hundreds of families supported through picky eating, sensory feeding challenges, and feeding disorders |
| 🧠 | Specialized experience with autism, sensory processing differences, and neurodivergent feeding |
| 👩🍳 | Passionate recipe developer focused on simple, whole food, family-friendly meals |
This Space Is For You If…
- Your child has a short list of safe foods and mealtimes feel like a battle every night
- Your child is sensory sensitive, neurodivergent, or has a diagnosed feeding disorder
- You’re navigating food allergies, intolerances, or a sensitive gut in your family
- You want to introduce whole foods in a way that’s playful and pressure-free
- You’re a new parent starting solids and want to do it right from the beginning
- You’re exhausted from cooking separate meals and want food that works for everyone
This is not about perfection. It’s about food that feels safe again — in your child’s body, in your body, and at your table.
How I Can Help
Everything I share here is built around the YUM Formula — my three-step, pressure-free approach to helping children explore and eventually love whole foods. It’s grounded in feeding therapy science, sensory integration theory, and the real-world experience of sitting with hundreds of families at their most frustrated moments.
And it works — not because it’s magic, but because it removes the one thing that makes feeding hardest: pressure.
| You don’t need to do this alone. And you don’t need to figure it out from scratch. That’s what Feeling Yum is here for. 🌿 |
| Start Here Read the YUM Formula article and grab your free cheat sheet for the fridge. → Read the YUM Formula | Work With Me Ready for more support? Explore coaching and feeding therapy options. → See How We Can Work Together |