The Livin'Sky Podcast
Welcome to The Livin’Sky Podcast — where whole-child wellness meets real-life parenting.
Hosted by Lena Livinsky — mom, pediatric speech-language pathologist, and holistic feeding specialist — this show is your go-to guide for raising healthy, resilient kids in today’s world.
Here, we don’t settle for surface-level advice. We dig deep into the root causes of picky eating, developmental delays, gut issues, and more — because your child’s symptoms are always trying to tell you something. And you deserve real answers.
Each week, you’ll hear a mix of solo episodes and expert interviews covering the full spectrum of childhood health:
🧠 Gut-brain connection
🍽️ Feeding challenges
😴 Sleep + circadian rhythm
🫶 Nervous system regulation
🌿 Nutrition, nature, and everyday wellness
Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, or pediatric professional — this podcast offers both science and heart to help your family thrive.
Let’s take the pressure off, reconnect with our intuition, and raise kids who feel safe, nourished, and understood.
✨ Let’s Livin’Sky together.
The Livin'Sky Podcast
Picky Eating, Sensory Struggles & the Microbiome: A Whole-Child Approach with Dr. Elisa Song
What if you can help your child become a more adventurous eater without changing their diet first?
In this episode of The Livin’Sky Podcast, I sit down with integrative pediatrician Dr. Elisa Song, the bestselling author of Healthy Kids Happy Kids, An Integrative Pediatrician’s Guide to Whole Child Resilience, to explore what’s really behind picky eating, sensory struggles, and rising health challenges in kids today — and how we can help them heal from the inside out.
From the vagus nerve to the gut-brain axis, Dr. Song shares practical ways to support your child’s microbiome and nervous system without pressure or perfection. Whether your child eats five foods or fifty, this conversation offers empowering, low-stress tools that work.
Takeaways
- The vagus nerve can shift your child’s microbiome — even without changing diet.
Dr. Song explains how stimulating the vagus nerve helps improve gut diversity and resilience, which can reduce picky eating and sensory overwhelm.
- Gut health influences food cravings, behavior, and mood.
The microbiome isn’t just about digestion — it plays a major role in your child’s emotional regulation and food preferences, including selective eating.
- Zinc deficiency is a major but overlooked root cause of sensory struggles and picky eating.
From taste aversions to sensitivity to sounds, tags, or textures — zinc is often the missing piece.
- Behavioral feeding therapy isn’t enough if we don’t address internal imbalances.
Many feeding therapies focus only on increasing bites or exposure — but without calming the nervous system and healing the gut, progress often stalls.
- Sensory sensitivities are often a sign that the body doesn’t feel safe.
Kids who are overwhelmed by textures, flavors, and smells need more nervous system support before they can feel safe enough to try new foods.
- Microbiome healing can start with simple, doable changes.
Sleep, hydration, breathwork, movement, and emotional connection all help shift the gut — no food battles required.
- Connection and co-regulation are therapeutic.
Working on nervous system safety together — even outside of mealtime — builds trust, reduces stress, and lays the foundation for better eating.
- Pre-diabetes is on the rise in kids — even in those who look "healthy."
Many children are showing early signs of metabolic dysfunction due to hidden sugars in “healthy” foods. Awareness and label-reading are key.
Resources
- Dr. Elisa Song’s book: Healthy Kids, Happy Kids
- More resources at www.healthykidshappykids.com
- Dr. Song's Instagram
- Lena's website
- Lena's Instagram
Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making significant dietary changes.