Most parents start out wanting to raise healthy eaters. Then the world intervenes.
In
Kid Food
, nationally recognized writer and food advocate Bettina Elias Siegel explores one of the fundamental challenges of modern parenting: trying to raise healthy eaters in a society intent on pushing children in the opposite direction. Siegel dives deep into the many influences that make feeding children healthfully so difficult-from the prevailing belief that kids will only eat highly processed "kid food" to the near-constant barrage of "special treats."
Written in the same engaging, relatable voice that has made Siegel's web site
The Lunch Tray
a trusted resource for almost a decade,
combines original reporting with the hard-won experiences of a mom to give parents a deeper understanding of the most common obstacles to feeding children well:
- How the notion of "picky eating" undermines kids' diets from an early age-and how parents' anxieties about pickiness are stoked and exploited by industry marketing
- Why school meals can still look like fast food, even after well-publicized federal reforms
- Fact-twisting nutrition claims on grocery products, including how statements like "made with real fruit" can actually mean a product is less healthy
- The aggressive marketing of junk food to even the youngest children, often through sophisticated digital techniques meant to bypass parents' oversight
- Children's menus that teach kids all the wrong lessons about what "their" food looks like
- The troubling ways adults exploit kids' love of junk food-including to cover shortfalls in school budgets, control classroom behavior, and secure children's love
With expert advice, time-tested advocacy tips, and a trove of useful resources,
gives parents both the knowledge and the tools to navigate their children's unhealthy food landscape-and change it for the better.