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Now I will say, as motivated as I felt after reading the book, there's one huge component we’re lacking here in America. Apparently, in France, their schools, governments, and communities all work “together to create food and education systems that support parents in feeding their children well.” I don’t know about you, but I oftentimes feel like others are working against me (not with me) when it comes to feeding our next generation well. My daughters eat more junk food at school than I would ever dream of giving them at home. I can’t imagine how much easier things would be if everyone in our society was on the same page like they appear to be in France.
But rather than waiting around for that to happen we must just take matters into our own hands. And what I have learned from my own children is that converting a picky eater requires a gentle, yet persistent approach and LOTS of patience! Winning over a picky eater is not something that will happen overnight, but if you really make it a priority in weeks, months, or even a year I guarantee you will start to see some of the dramatic changes you are hoping for. And in the end it will of course be worth the effort.
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10 great takeaways (the “French Food Rules”) from the book French Kids Eat Everything:
- Parents: You are in charge of your children’s food education.
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Apparently the French think us Americans cram our schedules so full with activities (like sports, art, music, dance, etc.) that it leaves little time to teach our children "some of the most basic, important things they need to know, like the proper way to prepare, cook, and eat healthy food." You have to admit it's hard to argue with that criticism. And I just love the analogy the author uses when she says, "French parents think about healthy eating habits the way we think about toilet training, or reading." If your child had trouble learning to read or using the potty would you just give up? Same should go for eating a variety of healthy foods...I know, they are right and it stings.
- - Avoid emotional eating. Food is not a pacifier, a distraction, a toy, a bribe, a reward, or a substitute for discipline.
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I feel like we are so far down this rabbit hole it might be hard to get out, but let’s face it they have a good point here! Food is for nourishment, hunger, and nutrition...not for being a good listener.
- - Parents schedule meals and menus. Kids eat what adults eat: no substitutes and no short-order cooking.
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If this were a reality for everyone it would certainly make life a lot easier!
- - Food is social. Eat family meals together at the table, with no distractions.
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How you eat can be as important as what you eat.
- - Eat vegetables of all colors of the rainbow. Don’t eat the same main dish more than once per week.
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I agree that variety is extremely important, but I am personally a little stumped when it comes to the second half of this rule. We love leftovers at our house and feel they are such a time saver...but that certainly means eating the same main dish more than once, or in some cases, more than twice per week!
- - For picky eaters: You don’t have to like it, but you do have to taste it.
For fussy eaters: You don’t have to like it, but you do have to eat it.
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When considering these statements it's also VERY important to remember that "you're not going to convince the kids to love food by being too strict with them. It has to be enjoyable. Not necessarily loads of fun, but simply pleasurable." This takes us back to that "gentle persistence" I mentioned above.
- - Limit snacks, ideally one per day (two maximum), and not within one hour of meals.
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Now, I know out of all the rules on this list that "no more constant snacking" will likely cause the most uproar. But according to the author it's okay to feel hungry in-between meals and guess what...your kids might eat a better dinner if they are actually hungry!
- - Take your time, for both cooking and eating. Slow food is happy food.
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"North Americans associate food most with health and least with pleasure. The French are at the opposite extreme: they are the most pleasure-oriented and the least health-oriented about food." And ironically enough "20 percent of kids in the United States are obese, but only 3 percent in France." Now if that doesn't send a message, I don't know what does.
- - Eat mostly real, homemade food, and save treats for special occasions. (Hint: Anything processed is not “real” food.)
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See...I am not the only one preaching this statement! :) But "so much of what French people eat is, by default, 'real food'" so I'd have to say they don't exactly face the same challenges we do when it comes to encountering junk food on almost every corner. The French do have an admirable approach though when it comes to the processed, junk food their kids may want to eat on occasion. They do not police their children's food intake (or ban all junk food), but instead attempt to "train their children to eat a balanced diet and to realize how much healthier they feel if they eat mostly 'real food.'" I've always said that if my daughters only avoid processed food "because mommy said so" then it's not going to get us very far.
- - (The Golden Rule) Eating is joyful, not stressful. Treat the food rules as habits or routines rather than strict regulations; it’s fine to relax them once in a while.
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I couldn't agree more with the importance of this rule, but striking the perfect balance between "good nutrition" and "relaxing the rules" is no easy task. And maybe that's because most American children are faced with processed, junk food on a regular basis (at birthday parties, friend's houses, church events, soccer practice, school celebrations, etc.). As I mentioned above, our society is (unfortunately) not exactly working together on these issues like they are in France. Regardless though, I agree it is not "healthy" to constantly be stressed out about the food you eat.
In addition to this list of rules there were so many other startling facts and insightful statements that I took away from this book. I wish I could share them all here, but since that's not a very practical idea I will instead just highly recommend that everyone go out and read the book yourselves! I promise you won't regret it...not to mention there are a handful of kid-friendly recipes in the back.
*THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED*
The winners are:
- Ann - "I abide by the kids eat what adults eat rule and don’t offer other options. We also stick to real foods, minimal sugar. So I think that helps kids eat real food without complaint."
- Emily - "My husband can be a picky eater, so my trick is preparing the same food a number of times. He may not like everything, but perseverance pays off!"
- Nicky - "Rule #6 is the big one in our house….even if you’ve tasted it 50 times, taste it again!"
Trisha says
Like! :)
Emily Katarski says
Like
Emily Katarski says
I just keep trying with my 14 month old. She loved all pureed baby food,especially vegetables, so I think the texture confuses her at times. Yesterday, I could not believe that she at about a cup of broccoli florets!! I almost cried!
Angela says
My husband is my pickiest eater. I try to get more veggies in him by
Hiding them as purées. Sometimes it works other times not so much.
Crystal says
Like!
Crystal says
I try to get my son to try everything. I do this by taking away all of things at dinner I know he will eat and replacing it with something else.
Erica says
like
jackie o says
like!
Erica says
exposure! I keep giving them the foods they say they don't like and get them to try them each time.
jackie o says
Keep trying both new and old foods. Kids taste buds change drastically in the early years - what does not appeal to them at 5 may become a favorite food at 10.
Erin F says
Like
Laura says
I liked!
Erin F says
I don't have a great picky eater solution because we don't have children yet, but I'm hoping that since we're making the switch to real food now our kids won't know the difference!
Carma Atkinson says
Like!
Laura says
We're just starting out on our journey with our kids 2 and 10 months. We eat a variety of foods, and encourage trying everything even if they don't eat it. Well, with the 2 year old that is. The 10 mos. old will eat any and everything we put in front of him!
Carma Atkinson says
We all go to the farmers market together and pick out fruits and veges to eat/cook later. I think the picking out the food creates an investment in the food!
Shelley says
Try, try, try again. That's the best advice I can give for picky eaters. The 1000th time, they like it.
Rhyannon Y says
In my preschool class, all my students are required to take a "No, Thank You" bite. If they do not like the food, they don't have to eat it. They do this at every meal, even if it is something they are SURE they won't like, or something they have already tried at school and don't like.
At home, we just started our daughter early. We always, even when she was first starting to eat table food, gave her what we were eating, and I think that has helped her develop a healthy, varied palate.
Barb says
I think it helps to include my kids in the planning. My kids will look through a cookbook with pictures and pick healthy foods, not realizing what is in them. They are more likely to try the foods (without asking what is in them) if they chose the recipe.
Casey says
My best tip for feeding a picky eater is to be persistent! My daughter hated green beans, but I kept serving them to her and finally won her over. She loves them now!
Barb says
Like!
Casey says
Like!
Amy B. says
Picky Eater Tip ~ I just make sure that I include 1-2 things that I know they do like. That way, I know they'll be eating at least 1/2 their meal if they eand up not liking some of it. I also keep making whatever I choose & don't let theit pickiness sway me. ; )
Dani says
Liked
Cindy W. says
My best tip would be to involve the children in the cooking process and make it fun.
Dani says
I have a child that is so picky when food is set in front of him in his high chair. But if it is in a little cup and he is allowed to walk around with it like its a snack he seems more open to try it. So we try to get as many healthy snacks in in the day because although we still offer him meals at the table he very rarely eats them (and I don't let him have snacks before meals so I know he is hungry).
Saffron Capson says
Like
Saffron Capson says
My son is almost 1 but we have tried very hard since he was younger to have him eat what we are eating so that he gets to try as many different things as possible. If he spits something out, I'll give it to him again on another day. So far there isn't much that he doesn't like.
Rachael says
I also like you on facebook! :)
leslie says
I have an extremely picky eater! Can't offer much advice as were still working on it....just patience and support. Try to offer as much variety as possible
Rachael says
My picky eater tip - is that I keep offering foods that I know my kids don't like, just ask them to "try" it each night. Now that maybe be just placing it on their tongue and showing me, but I hope that SOME day they will actually chew it and LIKE it! :) My 3 yr old will NOT eat ANY veggies - she JUST starting taking a bite and chewing down a carrot, so it MAY be working! :)
Kat Schuknecht says
Picky Eater Tip: I let my 3 year old feel like she's in charge - to an extent. She will eat fruits, veggies, etc, but she generally refuses to try anything that's mixed together with anything else (her first peanut butter AND jelly sandwich was a big step!). She's much more likely to try something now if we either put in on the plate with other foods she does like, or just allow her to ask to try some of ours. Definitely makes for a more peaceful mealtime than trying to force "just three bites!" into her resisting mouth!
Kelly says
"like"
Chrissy says
I'm a special ed teacher, and it never fails to have students of mine fight when it comes to eating their vegetables. Last year I implemented the "strong pose" after eating a bite of their vegetables. For every bite of vegetables the kids got to show of their strong pose and flash us their muscles! By the end of the year the kids encouraged one another to eat their veggies so they could see how strong their classmates were getting!!!
Kelly says
The best way I've found to get picky eaters to try different foods is by asking them to help prepare the food. This especially works for my nephew who hates to try new foods. He came to visit us one weekend and I was going to make pancakes. He never wanted to try a pancake before (which I found odd)so I asked him to help me measure out the ingredients. He was so proud of what he made that he ate a whole plateful.
Emily says
Like Like!!
Emily says
Our son will eat almost any vegetable if you tell him it will make his muscles grow. At first he wouldn't touch spinach, but now every time he takes a bite he has to flex his little arms!
Kat Schuknecht says
Like!
Joy says
Like for Facebook!
Joy says
Picky eater tips: I put out a veggie platter before dinner for the kids to munch as a first course while I prep the main course. This really works to get them to eat their veggies, and it gives me a chance to cook in peace!
I also let one child pick a new item from the produce market each week that we have never tried before. We look forward to trying new things such as fresh coconut, star fruit, long beans, pumelos, purple broccoli, etc.