I wish I remembered where I first heard about It's Not About the Broccoli: Three Habits to Teach Your Kids for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating by Dina Rose, PhD. All I know is, one day I ordered it and my life was quickly changed.
We all have picky eaters. Let's just put that out there. I have yet to meet a parent who says that all of their kids will eat just about anything and that they never have food struggles... especially at dinner time. This seems to be part of growing up but also part of parenting.
It turns out, it doesn't have to be.
Rose lays out three habits to teach your children that will give them a lifetime of healthy eating. Her overall lesson is that the battle isn't about making your kids eat broccoli. Kids don't hate broccoli. Kids hate to lose! (Sounds like my dinner table. What about yours?) By setting up guidelines and rules and becoming partners with your children, habits start to change. "Before you can change what your kids eat, you have to change how you and your kids interact around food."
The three habits are:
1. "Teaching Proportion" - Not every day is a mac and cheese day. She recommends a food rotation (nothing two days in a row) and also Eating Zones that helps kids not snack all day long.
2. "Teaching Your Child How To Try New Foods" - Rose gives wonderful tools to help your little ones become food detectives and try new things in a safe environment.
3. "Teaching Variety as a Daily Habit" - How to start serving new foods without a revolt and hungry kid.
Rose goes through different parenting types and different eating types. This book is wonderfully written and can be a great tool for any parent who wants their children to do everything from getting out of a grilled cheese rut, reducing cracker intake, to being a more adventuresome eater!
