The Food Our Children Eat: How to Get Children to Like Good Food Book

Children seem to be bonded by a common culture that fosters resistance to good food. How can this be? There are lots of theories ploughing both sides of the nature-nurture divide. Author, Joanna Blythman points out that one belief is that junk food is basically so appealing that once children have tasted it, that is all they want. So who is to blame for this? The food industry says it is simply servicing a need for popular food. If children are eating badly, then it is the parents' fault for not balancing the child's diet. Working mothers are the usual suspects. But as this book clarifies, it is in culture that the prevailing conditions go against children eating well. This enlightening book explores the modern child's diet, starting with how the rot begins, followed by the staggered eating patterns and the flickering screen habits. It assesses the different attitudes parents have, whether it is the concerned and worried parent who blames themself for the child's eating habits, or the philosophical parent who accepts junk food and believes that it is better the kids eat junk food than nothing at all. The book also considers other factors which influence the child's food choice, such as the modern school meals: often cheap processed intensively reared meat in a fatty fried crumb coating. So how do parents break the mould? Well each section of this book deals with ways to improve the child's eating habits in the home, at school and at parties and evaluates the possible remedies to break the viscous circle of poor eating habits. This book is well written and concludes by providing examples of good snacks, good packed lunches and ways to make healthy foods such as vegetables more interesting. This book is a handy paperback which is useful for parents who want to encourage good eating habits in their children. --Louise CoyleRead More