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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!"
Renee says
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Renee says
We have one picky four year old. I have spent the better part of the last three years slowly increasing the variety in his diet. We do follow several of those rules, but we also break one by using a food he enjoys (and not typically "junk") as a treat for eating the one he doesn't want.
Kymm Steliga says
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Kymm Steliga says
No dessert until my 3 yr old tries everything on her plate.
Stephanie Henry says
No picky eaters here. My kids eat what I eat, and have since the day they turned 6 months. Everything goes on their plate and they have to have a bite of everything.
Danitta says
I always have protein powder, frozen banana's and skim milk for my daughter to make a iced drink when she craves ice cream.
Anna says
I liked you on facebook!
Anna says
While I am preparing dinner...I either have my kids help prep or I give them some begs or fruit to eat while their little tummies are hungry. This way they are helping or eating good foods! I try to make cooking and food exciting.
Rebecca says
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Rebecca says
I always make my kids try at least one bite of something new....usually they end up liking it,
Erin B says
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Erin B says
I don't give my children candy, juice or other junk food, so they actually enjoy food that is good for them :)
Erin B. says
We don't make our kids finish their meal if they really don't like it. However, there is no substitution given. If they are hungry, they need to eat what is served to them. We serve all sorts of different ethnic foods, but I try not to make things I know will be turned down by all 3 kids. They seem to go through stages of eating what their given and testing us with complaints for different food. Sorry kids, parents win every time!
Erin B. says
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Ellen says
The rule at our house is that you have to eat one bite for every year old you are!
Aimee Ortega says
Awesome book review! I am actually dying to read this book now! my best picky eater tip is to not offer any substitutes when my children don't like something that I've made based on what it looks like. Eventually their hunger will sometimes take them there, and they will take a bite, enjoy it and keep eating! It's hard but when there aren't any alternatives it actually is easier to get them to eat healthy food!
Anna says
First, I wish I had read the title completely, because I didn't realize you were doing a giveaway and I bought the book this morning! So, don't pick me :)
Anyway, my oldest child C-Man (9) is extremely picky and I never dealt with it, because growing up I was picky and my younger brother even more so. I've been challenging myself though and learning to eat healthier. And he has been putting up a fight. I'd heard somewhere it takes 7 introductions to a food before a child is used to the taste and can actually say they like it. So, when I make a new veggie, asparagus for example, I gave him 2 stalks to begin with. Told him to eat that first and then the stuff he likes, and I made it several times within 2 weeks. Slowly I upped the amount and he has now come to love Asparagus! And that was all in the last month :)
Princess K (5) loves fruits and veggies, she actually cheers for brussel sprouts, so no issues there :)
Vicki says
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Vicki says
My husband and I have two nieces who are very picky, fussy eaters. We happen to enjoy many kinds of foods from many varied cultures. In order to introduce them we have found that taking them to a restaurant buffet that features food from a different culture works well. They get to try lots of dishes, we get to find things they like and then we can prepare those dishes and similar ones at home along with new ones for them to try. This is the most stress free way we have found to introduce them to other types of food which they are initially leery of. They spend a lot of time with us and I used to have to provide basically three different meals at each meal. This method has helped a lot.
Julie says
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Some EVOO or organic butter and some sea salt helps. I work at a school and many kids don't eat cooked veggies because they taste blah.
Beverly says
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Beverly says
I use colorful shaped silicone cupcake liners to put organic vanilla yogurt in on my kids' plates and then put "sprinkles" on top (aka a mix of chia seeds and ground flax). They eat it up everytime!
Katie says
Letting my kids help with food prep, making their own plate, and cutting their own food makes a big difference at our house!We also count bites which is very motivational for our 6 year old.
Gail says
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AmyG says
I always start with the foods he is least likely to eat and then work towards the sure things. If he knows something like cheese is on the table, he'll never eat the veggies!
Gail says
I only have little people in my house, and one is 4 months old so no real food for her. My 20 month old son, who is generally a very good eater, will sometimes turn his nose up at things I know he loves. My tip is to have 2 bites on the fork, at the "back" of the fork, I put what he doesn't think he wants to eat and in front of that goes whatever he's currently inhaling at the speed of light. :) Works every time!
Colleen says
My best advice is to involve children in the shopping & preparing of meals. Trips to farmers markets are a great place to pick a new veggie or fruit...also going on the web for recipes to make, allows them to be in the planning.
Joan says
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Joan says
You have to try a bite of everything, no separate meals are made, we all eat the same thing.
Ryann says
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Ryann says
We have the rule that you do not have to eat it all, but you must try all new foods. They do not always like it but sometimes I do surprise them:)
Ashley Anderson says
I'm about half way through this book and love it! It's from the library though and would love a copy of my own!! We follow the rule "you don't have to like it but you do have to try it". And usually my three year old son will ask for seconds of his "favorite" food at dinner. But he knows he needs to eat what's on his plate first. He may not eat a lot of veggies, but he at least eats some. My one year old, however, will eat everything :) My goal now it to keep it that way!
Julie B says
I try to get my picky eater son to help me cook and garden in the hope that he'll feel proud of the food he helped make and eat it.
Loralee Bowen says
Everyone seems to want to snack right before dinner, so I put a bowl of carrot sticks out on the counter as I cook dinner. I'm always surprised at how the kids walk by and grab a few carrots...eventually the bowl is empty!
Casey says
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Casey says
They have to try at least one bite. I'd love to get new ideas from this book!
Kathryn @ Mamacado says
I mix foods together to help my son eat them. For instance, he's 2 and says he doesn't want to eat beans when he sees them in whole form on his plate. However, when I put one or two black beans on his spoon with a bite of sweet potato, he eats it without complaint!
Katye says
Best picky eater advice, sit the new food out on the kitchen table and let them approach it on their own.
Erica G says
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Erica G says
I like to add one new item to a dish that already has lots of ingredients so that it is almost snuck in without anyone knowing! Often times everything together tastes so good that the new "mystery" ingredient isn't detected.