Books about instilling healthy eating habits in kids?

[mamaluvs]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post...

I'm looking for a good book or two about instilling healthy eating habits in my children. At home, DH and I are actively striving to keep mostly really nutritious food so that whatever DD chooses, it is a healthy choice. As she gets older though, she is exposed to more and more "treats". I'm okay with this but I'd like to have some info about ways to develop healthy eating habits.

DH and I both have some food issues and I don't want to pass them on to our children (for instance, DH has a need to clear his plate and DDs even if he is no longer hungry and I have a tendency to binge on junk food).

Here are some specific questions I'd like info on:
do we set rules that DD must try a bite of everything on the plate or do we just present food to her and hope that her choices lead to a well rounded diet?

how often is too often for "treats" like ice cream, goldfish, french fries? And if we know dessert is being offered, do we make her eat at least some of dinner first?

I don't want to create a situation in which certain foods are taboo so how do get her to understand that some foods are healthy and good for the body without declaring other foods as "junk"?

Thanks for any input advice!

[momofmine]

I like the way Dr. Sears describes it. He has a lot of good info on his website (Dr. Sears the pediatrician, not the other diet guy). He uses the phrase "grow foods" so you say, "these are grow foods, they help your body grow strong and healthy". And other foods are not grow foods.

We just make healthy treats at home that we can eat.

[elanorh]

Ellyn Satter is a dietician whose two specialties are disordered eating, and childhood nutrition.

Child of Mine: Feeding Your Child with Love and Common Sense is probably the best of her books for your situation - after you've read it, you can go on and read her other books if she's piqued your interest. http://www.amazon.com/Child-Mine-Fee...tt_at_ep_dpi_1

It was a thought-provoking book for me. I wish I'd read it when dd1 was younger - she was off the charts for height (past the 100%) and nearly off the charts in the other direction in weight (3%). I worried a lot about her weight and it wasn't helped by her allergies. If I had read this book sooner, I would have been more relaxed about dd's genetics and her ability to know what her body needs. (Caveat: Her breastfeeding advice is a little out of date; she's pro-bf but it's based on her experiences in the 70's so take that part with a grain of salt - it's the FOOD part that matters in the book, IMO).

Basically, Satter's philosophy can be boiled down to "Parents choose what to serve and when; children choose what to eat, if anything." I think she puts it more eloquently than that. Her philosophy is backed up by studies which show that kids do self-regulate and that allowing kids to self-regulate works best at preventing disordered eating as adults. There's a lot more to it than that, though - read the book!

You should be able to get it at your library -- several of us here on MDC have read the book (I'm not the only one who recommends it to moms who are worrying about what their kids are eating) -- once you've read it, if you want to discuss it, I'm sure you'd find others who want to discuss it with you.

[mamaluvs]

Thanks! I will check out both the Satter's book and Dr. Sear's website.