It's Not About the Broccoli

After years of research and working with parents, Dina Rose discovered a powerful truth: when parents focus solely on nutrition, their kids - surprisingly - eat poorly. But when families shift their emphasis to behaviors - the skills and habits kids are taught - they learn to eat right.

Reviews

“An innovative approach to children’s eating…Rose presents a thoughtfully crafted plan (the Teaching Approach) to form basic habits that focus on proportion, variety, and moderation. She helps parents identify their own eating hang ups when it comes to feeding their children (i.e. nurturer, food police, nutritionista) and then provides methods of helping children establish habits they can carry into adulthood…Rose walks readers through her Teaching Approach step-by-step, using scenarios that illustrate issues and hands-on solutions. Creative and clever, Rose comes to the table with a fresh perspective and a practical plan for teaching kids lifelong healthy eating habits.”—Publishers Weekly

“I am constantly hearing from parents that they have no idea what their kids are supposed to eat or whether their kids are eating ‘right.’ [It's Not About the Broccoli] provides just what parents need to feed kids properly, stop worrying, and start enjoying mealtimes with kids. Dina Rose looks at feeding kids from a sociologist’s perspective. When the feeding behavior goes well, kids will get all the nutrients they need. This book ought to reassure parents that following a few simple principles will get their kids fed just fine.”
--Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health and Professor of Sociology at New York University, and author of What to Eat
 
“Few things are as important to parents as feeding their kids healthy foods. Dina Rose offers parents a whole new way to think about feeding kids. Her suggestions are completely practical, completely effective, and often a lot of fun. Two thumbs up from this Sneaky Chef!”
--Missy Chase Lapine, author of The Sneaky Chef cookbook series

“Dr. Dina Rose is one of my ‘go-to’ people on kids’ food issues. She provides practical, accessible, and science-based advice that should be of interest to all parents. Her approach, with its emphasis on behavioral strategies (and on the ‘whole family’ approach to children’s eating habits) is novel and important. Her ideas will spark useful debate on our approach to kids’ food, and she deserves the widest possible audience.”

--Karen Le Billon, author of French Kids Eat Everything: How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters
 
“Dina works hard to show parents how to get out of the nutrition trap in order to teach their kids to eat right, and her book provides parents with the “aha” moment they need to help their kids eat the real food that will help keep them both happy and healthy.”
--Kate Adamick, co-founder of Cook for America and author of Lunch Money: Serving Healthy School Food in a Sick Economy
 
“In fifteen years of writing about nutrition and health for magazines such as Parents, Family Circle, and Prevention, I have interviewed hundreds of experts. Dr. Dina Rose has some of the freshest, most interesting advice I've heard on the topic of feeding kids. She challenges long-held beliefs and goes much deeper than many leading nutrition authorities. Dina has helped me on a personal level (she coached me through my toddler's dinner strike) and caused me to reevaluate some of my own beliefs about children's eating habits. Her focus on habits is perfect for our time, when so many parents know exactly what they should be feeding their kids--but just can't figure out how to do it.”
--Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, Freelance Writer & Registered Dietitian

“Dina Rose will change how parents teach their children healthy eating habits. Her warmth and empathy shine through as she presents step-by-step practical solutions to worrisome issues such as picky eaters and kids with limited appetites. Combining scholarship with hands-on experience as a mother, Dina methodically analyzes what sabotages parents' best efforts to cope with challenging food issues. Dismissing the misplaced reliance on fuzzy nutritional data - as well as gimmicks and food fads - Dina highlights often ignored factors that significantly influence how our children view healthy eating.”
--Leah Klungness, Ph.D., psychologist and co-author of The Complete Single Mother
 
“As the managing editor at New Jersey Family magazine I'm exposed to a steady stream of tips for feeding picky eaters, but Dina's approach is different from the advice that typically comes my way. Dina's perspective is fresh, insightful, and thought-provoking. She makes me rethink the way I view children and their eating habits.  I am always eager to share her posts with our readers and followers.”
--Lucy Banta, Managing Editor and Director of Social Media, New Jersey Family