French Kids Eat Everything: A Book Review

If you have hung out with me lately, chances are I have told you about this book.  It is changing the way and why of eating for us, along with providing a place for new traditions to start in our family!

It's a story of a Canadian mom married to a frenchman with a two and four year old who decide to go back and live in France for a year.  They are startled at the stark contrast of the way their kids eat compared to the way french kids eat.

We are already pretty passionate about healthy eating at our house.  Dan actually leads the way in this! Here are a few things that have changed for us since reading this book...

* We only eat a small snack in the morning and afternoon and we SIT DOWN for this snack.  It's not in the stroller or car anymore.  This makes my kids hungry enough to eat the good stuff at lunch and dinner!

* I serve dinner in courses now.  The healthy food comes out first.  They don't have to eat it all but usually after sitting for a while and talking, they start gobbling it down! Then fruit, bread, dessert comes out after that.

* Our kids eat what we eat. No catering.

* We don't have power struggles.  The only rule is that they have to try it.  They don't have to like it.  She also talks about how we need to introduce new foods 10-15 times before our kids might get used to it.  This is so encouraging! Even today Ezra gobbled down his celery which I haven't ever seen him eat before!

* If my child says that they don't like a certain food, I continue to give it to them.  I don't label it as a food they don't like.

* Finally, our kids are learning to sit at the table for longer periods of time and it is so much fun!  It has given us time to go around and say what we are thankful for and share about our day.  We are getting to try out new ideas.  For the past two nights we have read a Bible story during dessert.  It has been pretty short and developmentally appropriate and has been a lot of fun!

DISCLAIMER:  There have been some rough meals where we keep hearing, "I don't like this" and nights when I feel like all I say is "please sit on your bottom"  but as we have stayed consistent in our routine and training this has become less and less!

There is still so much I could tweak and apply from this book! Doesn't this lunch look amazing?


Click here for a link for a free chapter in Karen's book!