Only a few books have changed the way I think and  Helping Children Develop a Positive Relationship with Food is one of them.

Before reading it, I honestly thought I knew what I was doing in terms of how to provide food for a child, but Jo Cormack’s book has flipped my opinions upside down and enlightened me to perhaps a more sensible and positive approach.

What did I like about it? 

• Enlightening– I imagine I’m not alone in spouting out phrases like “one more mouthful”, “this will make your bones strong”, “if you eat this you can have dessert” etc and if I’m honest, I presumed I was doing the right thing. It helped my children to eat healthy meals and finish their plates. What Jo Cormack brought to my attention in this book was  that in her opinion a ‘controlling feeding style’ makes children externally motivated about food rather than being able to listen to their own bodies and needs and be ‘self regulated’.

• Thought Provoking Examples- The chapters include examples of situations to help support the points made. I found these encouraged me to reflect on my own practice.

• Aim- This book has an important and valuable aim  to help children have positive relationships with food. As explained in the book, with problems such as childhood obesity- early years settings have an important role to play.

• Covers a Range of Specific Topics– In addition to explaining in general terms how to develop positive relationships with food it also provides information on catering for children with Food Allergies, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders etc

Find it on Amazon by clicking on the picture below

(Affiliate link)