FOOD SENSORY SESSIONS WITH WYSEBITES

All about me

Hi Everyone, my name is Joanna Neeson, I am originally from Dublin but live outside Cookstown Co Tyrone in NI, with my husband Mark and our 5 boys. I have been involved in the food industry for several years and recently set up my business called WYSE BITES (What You Should Eat). We run cookery and healthy eating workshops in schools, colleges and community groups for children and adults of all ages and abilities. A recent addition that has been very successful is the Food Sensory Programme. 

FOOD SENSORY PROGRAMME

One of my favourite areas of work is the Food Sensory Field and it’s a service which has become more and more in demand for children and young adults with additional needs and who have Food Selectivity otherwise known as Picky Eating. Picky eating leads to the refusal of foods and an increase in negative behaviours from the child (screaming, crying, etc.).  

These behaviours can increase a parent’s stress and frustration, as well as lead to negative feelings and attitudes towards mealtimes and family routines. 

These children tend to have their favourite foods that they eat repeatedly at every meal which, quite often, tend to be high in fat, sugar or are processed and have little to no nutritional value.  This is a real worry for parents as research has shown that Picky Eating can lead to over or under eating with serious long-term health effects for their children.  

For the child, not being able to participate in snack or mealtimes at school or daycare can negatively impact his/her ability to interact with peers and learn social norms.  

Pre lockdown we had begun to run our Food Sensory Programmes throughout schools and community groups in the Mid Ulster Area of Northern Ireland. These workshops encourage children who are Picky Eaters to, feel, play, smell and taste new foods that they may never have encountered before and allowed them to be involved in the experience of mealtimes in a fun, interactive, relaxed and stress-free environment.

Our Crowd Funder  

Pre COVID-19, we had witnessed some breakthroughs through our delivery of these Food Sensory Programmes throughout the Mid Ulster Area of NI. We have had many success stories and lots of positive feedback from parents, teachers, and group leaders who can see the changes to their children’s eating habits and behaviours as a result of attending the Wyse Bites programmes.  

We have been fortunate to be able to continue with our work throughout lockdown online to support families who are struggling with these food sensory issues. I have seen an increased need for our workshops both for children and parents who are struggling to deal with food issues and mealtimes, especially now that time at home is the new normal.  

What our crowd funder aims to do is to develop and grow the Wyse Bites Food Sensory Programmes so that we will be ready to deliver them to a much-needed wider community when lockdown eases. We aim to get more organisations, schools and community groups involved so that more children can benefit. We want to create happier children, encourage happier home lives and improve the health and well being of these children and their families. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Your donations will help us build a better future for these children and their families and help change their lives for the better. If you want to help us grow our programmes, please donate what you can via the links provided. To show our appreciation for your donations we are offering a reward of a free e-book from Wyse Bites with lots of recipes for the whole family. 

Thank you for taking the time to check this out. Hopefully, we’ll be coming to a school or community group near you in the not so distant future.

 Once you have donated please pop over to the pinned post on the top of  my page to download your free E-Book. 

Joanna 

 Free E-Book Download
https://mailchi.mp/cf63229cdead/free-ecookbook…

What other say about us !

‘’Joanna provides a truly amazing program that many children with sensory issues surrounding food would benefit so much from. The program we personally had experience with was so positive.  It helped my little boy venture out into trying new foods.  He had a diet which was majorly restrictive from 2 years of age up until 6 years which overall impacted his health. He only drank milk but this programme he did in his Learning Support Unit changed that.  It took some time but  it worked so well and he went from feeling the food  to eventually trying it and enjoying it.  We now have a little one who is trying all types of food and I as his Mum am truly excited to shop for food - Thanks Joanna  x’’

What other say about us !

‘’Joanna provides a truly amazing program that many children with sensory issues surrounding food would benefit so much from. The program we personally had experience with was so positive.  It helped my little boy venture out into trying new foods.  He had a diet which was majorly restrictive from 2 years of age up until 6 years which overall impacted his health. He only drank milk but this programme he did in his Learning Support Unit changed that.  It took some time but  it worked so well and he went from feeling the food  to eventually trying it and enjoying it.  We now have a little one who is trying all types of food and I as his Mum am truly excited to shop for food - Thanks Joanna  x’’