’Eat your vegetables!’ New book redefines how to raise healthy eaters

How do you get a picky young eater who refuses everything to like fruits and vegetables? How do you get children to try nutritious foods when all they want is something sweet or salty? How do you raise healthy eaters without constant mealtime struggles?. In her new book, "'Eat Your Vegetables' and Other Mistakes Parents Make: Redefining How to Raise Healthy Eaters" (Healthy Learning, May 2012), registered dietitian Natalie Digate Muth, a pediatric resident at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA and mother of two, provides parents with a step-by-step plan to help kids embrace fruits, vegetables and other healthful foods without battles, bribes and coercion. The strategies, tailored to a child's age and development level, are based on scientifically proven research and are accompanied by real-life anecdotes and expert advice. "As parents, we all struggle with how to get our children to actually want to eat a healthy, balanced diet," Muth said. "As a formerly obese child, a mother of a once-picky eater and a pediatrician acutely aware of the epidemics of obesity and inactivity in our children, I am highly motivated to help children and parents work together — free of mealtime battles — to adopt healthy eating and activity habits." The book helps parents assure healthful nutrition for kids of all ages. And while some of the strategies might be surprising, they work, Muth said. Parents will not only learn what exactly constitutes a healthy eating plan at various ages and stages, but they'll also discover tips and tricks to get kids to actually want to eat healthy.