French Kids Eat Everything ( And Yours Can, Too ) - Softcover

Karen Le Billon's two young daughters are typical picky eaters: Sophie flees from the table when confronted with foods she doesn't like (almost everything except pasta, toast, and fishy crackers), and younger sister Claire follows suit. So when Karen moves her young family from Vancouver to her husband's hometown in northern France, she is prepared for some cultural adjustment. But her idyllic dreams of cobblestone streets and baguettes under arms are quickly disrupted as her daughter's eating habits come under scrutiny: Karen is lectured for slipping fussing Claire a snack – "a recipe for obesity!" – and forbidden from packing Sophie a lunch in lieu of the elaborate meal on the school menu.

Intrigued to find that French children feed themselves neatly and happily – eating everything from beets to broccoli, salad to spinach, mussels to muesli – Karen sets out to learn the secrets of French food education. Soon, she begins to see the wisdom in the food rules the French use to foster healthy eating habits and good manners – from the rigid "no snacking" rule to strategies for avoiding emotional eating.

Adopting 10 French Food Rules, her (at times reluctant) family cures picky eating and learns to love trying new foods. But the real challenge comes when they move back to North America, where their commitment to "eating French" is put to the test. The result is a fun and witty memoir of a family food revolution, with surprising but happy results. French Kids Eat Everything suggests we need to dramatically rethink both the way we parent, and the way we feed children, at home and at school – and all of the tips, resources, and recipes to make it happen.

Far too many parents face an ongoing struggle to get their kids to eat well, so why is it that French children gladly wolf down all the things our kids hate - the dreaded spinach or broccoli, fish, olives, salad...? In French Kids Eat Everything, Karen Le Billon shares her experience of moving to France and finding the inspiration to transform her family's approach to eating.

If you've ever tried hiding healthy foods in your kids' meals, bribing them to finish - or even start - something healthy, or simply given up in exasperation at your child's extensive list of banned foods, this book will strike a chord. It charts the author's enlightening journey from stressed mum of picky eaters, to proud - if somewhat surprised - parent of healthy, happy eaters. Along the way, you'll discover the 'food rules' that help the French foster healthy eating habits, why it's vital to get kids to try the same food many times over, the value of educating your children about food from an early age, why how you eat is just as important as what you eat - and much, much more.

With tips, tricks, rules and routines for happy, healthy eaters - plus some fast, tasty recipes to try - this isn't just another tale of Gallic gastronomic superiority but a practical guide to instilling in your kids healthy eating habits that will last them a lifetime (and ensure less stressful mealtimes for you too!).