Most parents start out wanting to raise healthy eaters. Then the world intervenes. In Kid Food , nationally recognized writer and food advocate Bettina Elias Siegel explores one of the fundamental challenges of modern parenting: trying to raise healthy eaters in a society intent on pushing children in the opposite direction. Siegel dives deep into the many influences that make feeding children healthfully so difficult-from the prevailing belief that kids will only eat highly processed "kid food" to the near-constant barrage of "special treats." Written in the same engaging, relatable voice that has made Siegel's web site The Lunch Tray a trusted resource for almost a decade, Kid Food combines original reporting with the hard-won experiences of a mom to give parents a deeper understanding of the most common obstacles to feeding children well: - How the notion of "picky eating" undermines kids' diets from an early age-and how parents' anxieties about pickiness are stoked and exploited by industry marketing - Why school meals can still look like fast food, even after well-publicized federal reforms - Fact-twisting nutrition claims on grocery products, including how statements like "made with real fruit" can actually mean a product is less healthy - The aggressive marketing of junk food to even the youngest children, often through sophisticated digital techniques meant to bypass parents' oversight - Children's menus that teach kids all the wrong lessons about what "their" food looks like - The troubling ways adults exploit kids' love of junk food-including to cover shortfalls in school budgets, control classroom behavior, and secure children's love With expert advice, time-tested advocacy tips, and a trove of useful resources, Kid Food gives parents both the knowledge and the tools to navigate their children's unhealthy food landscape-and change it for the better. " Kid Food gets me asking tough questions: is the profit of a couple companies really more important than getting kids to eat healthy?" -- Rebecca Boehm, Union of Concerned Scientists "One of the Best Books of 2019 (So Far)" -- Real Simple "A blueprint for how to raise healthy eaters in a fast-food culture" -- New York Times "Powerful, encouraging advocacy . . . . KID FOOD equips parents with the wisdom and strategies they'll need to raise-and feed-healthier kids." -- Foreword Reviews "The book shines a critical light on numerous practices . . . Frustrated parents will find motivation and comfort in Siegel's messages that, collectively, society can make progress in the age-old parental battle against picky eaters and create a healthier food environment for everyone." -- Publishers Weekly "A fascinating look at the industry of children's food and a practical guide for parent's seeking to teach their children how to eat healthfully." -- Library Journal "Everybody who has children should read Kid Food. And everyone who doesn't should read it, too. Siegel is thoughtful, practical, and fearless-a combination that should worry the food companies now threatening the health of all Americans." -- Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation "With meticulous research and easy, conversational prose, Siegel makes an irrefutable case for changing the broken food system that feeds our children." -- Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse and founder of the Edible Schoolyard Project "Siegel is a leader and a veteran in the movement to feed our kids well, and Kid Food is a primer on what we'll need to do to get that done." -- Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything and editor-in-chief of Heated "Siegel does more than explain why 'carnival food' is now the everyday norm; she lays out the specific ways to approach food more positively at home-and in the larger community-to foster change." -- Ellie Krieger, cookbook author and host of Ellie's Real Good Food "Gorgeously written, heartfelt, and deeply compelling. Everyone who cares about kids must read Bettina Siegel's fabulous Kid Food ." -- Marion Nestle, NYU professor and author of Soda Politics "Fascinating and enlightening. I will never look at a kid's menu or baby food pouch the same way again-and I'm infinitely grateful for it." -- Gail Simmons, food expert, Top Chef judge, and author of Bringing It Home " Kid Food will help you see how the Food Giants have co-opted our eating habits, and how changing the way kids eat is our best shot at leveling the playing field." -- Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat "Fascinating and funny. A must-read for anyone who cares about our children's future." -- Karen Le Billon, author of French Kids Eat Everything An essential new criticism for all those driven to madness by the experience of feeding a child BETTINA ELIAS SIEGEL is a nationally recognized writer and advocate on issues relating to children and food policy. Her reporting and opinion pieces have appeared in the New York Times , the Guardian , the Houston Chron