Kid Food: The Challenge of Feeding Children in a Highly Processed World

by Bettina Elias Siegel

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.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Food, Health, Nutrition, Adult, Childrens

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2019

About the author

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 Chronicle, and Civil Eats, as well as her own widely read blog, The Lunch Tray. She frequently appears or is quoted in national media, including Today, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, NPR, The Doctors, the Washington Post, The New Yorker, and Parents. In 2015, Family Circle named Siegel one of the country's "20 Most Influential Moms," and she is one of the most successful petitioners in Change.org's history. A graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, Siegel lives in Houston with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent source of information. In line with Michael Pollan’s philosophy. Be prepared, after reading this, you will never look at processed food or advertising the same way again....which is a good thing.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous and indispensable resource for anyone in the business of feeding small humans. This book pulls together all the tips and lessons that I’ve painstakingly cobbled together over the years from various books (eg: First Bite, French Kids Eat Everything, The Case Against Sugar, etc). Lucky you, dear reader - it’s now all summed up here in one place. Plus! The one outstanding piece I was missing: advocacy. Cannot recommend this highly enough.

[Jessica Walsh-Frazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me forever to read since it is quite depressing. However, I really think it is one everyone should read (especially if you live in America).

[QOH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if you don't have children (or your children are grown), read this.

It's easy to blame low-income parents for not feeding their children foods the colors of the rainbow, but if you don't have access to a decent grocery store and a school breakfast or lunch is the best meal of your child's day, it's a horrible thing to realize just how much junk they're being fed (and how little you can do about it).

I'm guilty of not teaching my daughter much by way of cooking because I'm good at it and efficient, and teaching when I'm hungry and in a hurry is the last thing I want to do. (I should have realized, while making gazpacho, my daughter saying, "Watching you cut those tomatoes is satisfying" actually meant, "Hey, can you teach me how to cut tomatoes?")

The power of this book is that about halfway through, I took my 12-year-old downstairs and said if she wanted pizza from now on, she'd have to learn to make it. And she did, starting with whole wheat pastry flour dough and ending with her eating all but two pieces (thank you, teenage job at Round Table Pizza).

[Lgordo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea how I came across this book but I thoroughly enjoyed it, reading paragraphs aloud to my husband who said "sounds like a good book" (genuinely, not just to make me go away). The subtitle is both accurate and not what I expected: I thought this was going to be about hands-on getting food into your children, but it was more about the overarching social structure that makes it so hard to keep your kid in a biome of mostly wholesome edibles. This definitely shed some light and added perspective to the ongoing struggle. The author is not a food nazi (a different book I read on a similiar topic focused on the difficulty of sourcing fair-trade organics for your baby), she just doesn't want her kids eating pizza 3x a week and getting sugary "treats" 3x a day. Which is to say, she's just like me, and therefore must be normal!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book IF you are willing to discover the truth concerning the foods you eat. If you have kids in your life, this is a perfect reference book for you. It is very in-depth, not a quick read that you can skim through. A book of facts that we should all know as we try to survive in this highly processed world.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read - I was hoping for more specifics on ways on overcoming the "highly processed challenge" in my own household; trying to feed my grandson better nutrition. While I recognize school lunches are a true challenge, it just wasn't what I was expecting (nor looking for) after reading the title and book summary.

[Allison C.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential book for every person to read. While not completely focused on school food, this was a major topic. Because so many children spend so much time at school, finding ways to provide healthy food in every district/school is a must.
As a former public school teacher, this book brought back many memories of sadness over what my students were served at lunch and in the classroom through the free breakfast program, and the rushed feelings we all had to get both of those meals served, eaten, and cleaned up in 20 minutes. It brought back memories of all the foody things teachers in my schools did to reward students throughout the day. It brought back memories of the cupcakes brought in for EVERY birthday - 25-30 times a year. Sometimes kids would lick off all the icing. Sometimes kids would just eat the cake. Every time I spent 30 or so minutes serving, watching them eat, and then washing faces and sticky fingers and attempting to sweep the floor of all the crumbs.
It also brought back memories of the healthy snacks I kept in my room to share with hungry children and things I sent home with children for the weekend, surely against all the rules, but they were little things I could do to help at the time.
There are so many good things about public education, but the thought of having my own children served a school breakfast or lunch...and then classroom treats...makes me want to run the other way.
This is a book worthy of having on the bookshelf to review and remind each of us to become an activist for the health of all children.
2/1/20
Longer review coming later.

[Chelsea Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, entertaining, and persuasive read. Kid Food digs into the history of the current unsustainable and arguably immoral landscape of food and media directed at kids and proposes ideas to improve it from many different angles.

[Cecilia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry. I didn't finish it. It was too boring.

[readandwine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great info!

[Nicole Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am interested in this topic, but while I finished this book (the audio edition), I wasn't satisfied with it. I felt the premise was a bit confused.

Is this book complaining about the food industry, the governmental-educational system and its problematic ties to capitalism and hence the food industry, society in general and its system of over-rewarding children with sweets, the societal-familial behaviors that are beholden to capitalism and hence moving away from sit-down dinners, or what?

My conclusion comes from the call to action at the end. The author wants us to campaign for healthier school lunches and against advertising of processed food to kids via TV and internet spots. Well, okay then. Obviously, this is a complex topic, but I felt that this book could have been more focused.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really wasn't what I was looking for - a book about how to develop a tiny human's healthy eating habits in the home.

But, it was a thoroughly researched and well argued book for what it was - an analysis of the current landscape of "kid food", including marketing, policy, and society more generally, and a call-to-arms with specific ideas and examples of how to bring about change.

[Kitten Kisser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has opened my eyes to just how big the problems are with our school lunch program. I also gained additional knowledge about how the food industry (everything in me cringes at these two words being strung together) manipulates children at the youngest age possible (they are even trying to hook newborns). Initially, I had my own thoughts on how to try to improve our school lunch program. However, the more I read, the more I realized that there really isn't a easy solution. This left me to conclude that the obvious answer (albeit not likely to be received well by many) is to abolish the school lunch program, the same as we desperately need to abolish the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

Before you freak out, hear me out.

First, regarding the EPA, they haven't protected the environment. It's just another drain on us tax payers. Go ahead & look into it. I'm not going to get into it here. If you do your research, you'll sadly see that I'm right. I am all for the protection our environment, but the EPA isn't the answer.

Second, is my idea to abolish the school lunch system (hear me out). There are too many problems right now with the school lunch system. This tiny book is crammed with facts. Note to those of you with bad eyes, the text is small. When I say this is crammed, I mean it. The school system was created so that no children came to school hungry. They were supposed to get nutritious meals. The lunch program is not funded by our taxes like the school system is. It is separate. At one point, funding was provided to update the kitchens. If my memory is correct, this funding stopped in either the mid 1970's or the early 1980's. The funding has not been reinstated. After the cost of employees, janitors, garbage pick up, etc. there is very little left for the actual food. Here comes the food industry to the rescue. They provide super cheap highly processed "food" enriched with vitamins & minerals to meet government requirements. The schools do not have to deal with as many health inspections, because the food is frozen. They just have to heat it up. It takes space, time, & money to prepare & cook fresh wholesome foods, not to mention, the health inspections are much more difficult to pass. Plus, the food is addictive, so the kids want to eat it. Therefore participation is up. It's a win for the school lunch program & a disaster for the children.

Schools also need a certain amount of children to participate in the school lunch program so that the schools can keep it running. The author seems to think that the solution might be found in forcing all students to eat a school provided lunch. Meaning, children are not allowed to brown bag it, in other words, bring their own lunch. The author mentions countries that already enforce this & she seems to think it's great. On this, I simply cannot agree.

She also feels that adding more taxes to junk foods will help solve the problem. Really? Come on now. How many more taxes do we really want to enforce? Are we not already taxed enough? Taxes & force are not the answer. This is supposed to be "The Land of the Free..." yet, folks are constantly voting to have their rights taken from them. Sorry, but I cannot agree with this.

What I can agree with is a law that doesn't allow children to be marketed to by food industries or any other industry for that matter. Pick an age, I'd say 18 or 21 for what I should hope are obvious reasons.

I believe in freedom of choice, even if folks aren't making what I feel are healthy choices. I don't want others to force their beliefs on me, so why on earth would I do it to others? What I believe in is education. An educated people is a powerful people. Educated people will not be duped by the food industry's marketing ploys to get you to buy their toxic pseudo food. We need to be held responsible for our own actions. However, if we are not being properly educated, we are at a huge disadvantage. Education is key.

Overall, while I don't agree with the authors ideas that she feels are solutions to the problem, I still enjoyed reading this book. It is jam packed with useful facts about the food giants & our schools lunch system. I absolutely recommend you pick this up & read it. You are likely to learn a lot. What you do with that information is up to you.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today’s society seems intent on taking us in a dangerous direction when it comes to eating and nutrition. For all of the excellent activism around healthier lifestyles and better food, there are millions of dollars being put towards the marketing and promotion of highly processed, “junk” foods that have little to no real nutritional value. Most dangerously of all, the marketing of these food to children is overwhelming and can have negative effects on eating habits, food preferences, and brand awareness that shape the health of entire generations. Food writer Bettina Elias Siegel tackles the complicated world of kid food, from what parents feed their kids and teach them about food, to the ever present danger of just “one more treat,” to school lunch reform, grocery marketing, and major corporation food advertisements directed towards kids. With this one book, Siegel sheds light on a surprisingly complicated topic and provides activism tips, food education ideas, and the power of knowledge to everyone who cares deeply about what they, and their kids, are eating.

This book is dynamite- powerful, convincing, and super informational. I picked Kid Food up without any true expectations, I enjoy food writing and like working on building a healthier, more informed process for daily food choices. I’ve never read any of Bettina Elias Siegel’s writing before, but from the book it’s clear that she is a well-established activist and writer whose main focus is food reform. Her writing in this book is insightful and offers great advice for anyone who wonders about food nutrition and smart eating choices, and especially for people with kids whose food cultures and preferences are still being shaped by their day to day interactions with food. The way we market food to children and teach them about different eating choices can inform their opinions about food for their entire lives, childhood is a critical time to impart good food knowledge and nutrition awareness. It’s clear from the get-go of this book, however, that childhood is being used as a prime time for big corporations to market processed foods to kids, teaching them to gravitate towards unhealthy snacks, pester their parents into buying junk food products, and turning them away from whole, unprocessed, “real” foods like simple fruits and vegetables. Siegel writes about the history behind certain food cultures in America (school lunches being one) and major marketing decisions to target children, and then compares those histories with the realities they’ve brought to us today. Not only that, she offers some ways for parents and other interested parties to get involved in making changes- something that can easily start at the home or at school and radiate outward to become federal policy with the right support. Kid Food is at once devastating and empowering, laying out the terrible truths of our relationships with food and food marketing, but providing ideas, potential solutions, and knowledge that everyone can take in and turn into real, beneficial change. Don’t skip this book, it’s absolutely not to be missed, and hopefully it will embolden every reader to make a concerted effort to be aware of the foods we’re eating and identify ways we can change our food culture for good.

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Start somewhere. Reminding myself of one of the key themes of this book as I sit down to write this review because as a parent reading parenting books it can feel overwhelming to imagine how much we are doing wrong. There were a lot of things I liked about this book. I liked how she helped break down the definitions of "processed food" into a high bar that actually helps us realize at what level this is really meaningful (though I think a lot of us know it when we see it.) She did a great job talking about what we can do at home to start moving the ball in the right direction, namely offering more foods and eating together to show kids good eating habits. Perhaps the biggest factor though, is that she doesn't back down from the way the overall food environment we and our kids are in also plays a huge role in the problems we face. Whether that's the history of the kids menu (which used to be aimed at things like colorful veggies) to school's financial benefits for promoting junk food brand-names, she shares things that are important for parents to know, otherwise we can't start to try to change things. Not going to lie it still feels overwhelming, but at least with some more of this good information I have good information to start somewhere.

[Lauren Thibodeaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be so informative. I found the following to be so interesting: the history of children eating at restaurants, kids’ menus, and school lunches; how school lunch programs are funded; the food giants’ influence on the government; how other countries serve school lunches, have warning labels on food, and regulations on marketing to children; the amount of recommended sugar children eat and the actual amount they eat; when our taste buds are most receptive; how all kids usually have a picky phase; the effects of breast milk on taste and pickiness; and tips for what to do and what not to do as far as instilling open-mindedness with young eaters. The only reason I gave it a 4 was I expected it to talk about how to deal with the barrage of “kid food” individually with your child. However, it was more informative about the problem and trying to inspire activism from parents in schools and communities. She did provide other books in her appendix to refer to that I think will be helpful for what I was looking for in this book. I listened to it on audio book, and it made my road trip so quick and enjoyable.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for parents — ideally before your child is born! Well-researched and written. I have always made feeding my kids a healthy diet a priority, but I learned so much in this book about the forces working against this desire so many parents share. And that knowledge is power. Great insight into the natural picky eating stage and how best to respond too.

The bottom line is, if you believe food labeling and blindly feed your kids the way everyone else seems to be, they will not be eating healthy. The forecasts regarding the rates of obesity and fatty liver disease alone are enough to spurn a parent to action. The USA is doing a grave disservice to our children’s health and future well-being, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Bettina gives great examples of what other countries are doing differently and the many ways we can all work to foster the much needed changes nationally, locally and on our own grocery store runs.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great dive into the surprisingly deep world of children's food. Bettina starts off the journey as any questioning and concerned parent would: 'what are my kids eating, and why?'
This query leads her and the reader on a journey through the history of child-oriented food, the world of industry advertising and marketing, underfunded school programs and socioeconomic disparities, misleading nutrition claims, and more.

Even as someone with no children nor any interest in having children, it was worth reading for the insight into the slice of the food industry that may not receive as much attention as the issues of fast food or farm labor. Definitely recommend to anyone with children, for the same reason as the author: do you really know what your child actually eats? This book makes it clear: you should, for their health, for your peace of mind, and for the health of the planet.

[Liz Johnson]

Eye-opening read! I always wondered why some kids only want to eat buttered noodles and chicken nuggets, and why are those considered "kid foods." I also wanted to find out how to help my own child have an expanded palette and healthy eating habits. Siegal's book had me considering an American child's eating habits more broadly and how society affects a family's efforts to feed their child well, from schools and teachers to large scale marketing efforts.

While this book went more into the politics of how to advocate for better food habits in local settings like schools, I was wanting to learn more about what I should be doing on a daily basis inside my home. I appreciate the list of recommended other works at the back of this book.

[Jason Flatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hesitant to pick this one up at first, in part because of my aversion to mommy bloggers and in part because I wasn’t sure there was anything novel in here. But the author is certainly very well informed and experienced and even if nothing was new to me it is well composed and compiled and I’m certainly more inclined to consider ways we can and should be removing unhealthy foods from public spaces. It has also provided some fodder for my own work in improving the quality of school meals. So I definitely stand corrected on this book, it’s value, and the contributions of mommy bloggers to the public good.

[Katie Lucchetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great eye opener to begin the understanding of the obesity epidemic. We are surrounded by advertising and poor food choices in this world which leads us to believe that some of the things we pull off the shelves to feed the family are good for us. You can’t even send your kid to school without the concern of them being fed unhealthy foods. This book taught me more behind how politics is destroying our eating habits and our food chain. We need to open our eyes, and this book is an awesome first step, whether you’re a parent or not. Advocacy is so important when it comes to the health of our children and future generations!

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does make one think twice about what they are feeding their kids and themselves. It focused quite a lot on the history of and current state of advertising, which was interesting and frustrating to see what these companies are doing. I wish that there was more helpful information on practical changes that you can make and how to implement them. Especially when it comes to supertasters like her son. However I have made and will continue to make some changes to they way my kids eat, and myself. The sports snacks are one in particular that I have found myself thinking about a lot. Overall a good read.

[April Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing was engaging. The arguments were well-researched, fair, and balanced. My heart was burning at the relatable hook about what our kids typically eat, and by the end of the book my eyes were opened to a problem that's much bigger and more grave than the "one little treat" my child eats over and over again in a given day. I learned a lot from this book. I began digging into some of the further resources, and I'm looking forward to reading more. I recommend this book to anyone, not only parents, because the crisis of what we're eating is affecting, and is going to affect, us all.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book thinking I would get direct insight on resolving problems. This is more of an awareness and guide book to on how to take action. It gives a great introspective of the history, marketing impacts on our society, politics, lack of awareness, guidance for advocacy, and resources. The latter was the most valuable part of the book. My scoring is lower based on my expectation of this book; however, if you need awareness education and plan to advocate for this cause and need direction, read this book.

[Kim Yaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a MUST read book if you are in any way responsible for feeding children. I am ashamed to admit how naive I was about the food industry- especially in regards to how food is packaged, labeled and intentionally deceptive. I had no idea how big food industries were intimately involved in our school lunch programs. The list of “I had no idea...” goes on and on. This is simply a life changing book that I am beyond grateful I found.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire the author for her work in this field and this impassioned book about the uphill battle Americans often have in raising healthy eaters. I especially liked her detailed guidance on what we can do about it. Though some parts are too bogged down in facts and figures for the casual reader, this is still a lot of great information. I recommend it not just for anyone with kids, but anyone interested in the nutritional well- being of the next generation.

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siegel covers the challenges of healthfully feeding children in the USA, as well as why we have these challenges and what we can do about them. You will learn about the historical and political events that have gotten us to where we are today.

You can really tell the author used to work in law, by the way she connects the dots and draws conclusions. I enjoyed how informative yet succinct enough the writing was, and that all the sources are clearly stated.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched and effectively communicated findings. The information presented meets the reader wherever they find themselves on the educational continuum of “kid food.” This resource offers strategies and insights to help kids and parents/ caretakers with food choices and improved navigation of a variety of food environments. I highly recommend.

[Jennifer Horak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and well-researched. This book answered a lot of my questions like “How did we get here?!” with the kid food situation in our culture. Some good suggestions for changing things, and an awesome list of resources in the back. This book is mostly geared toward the “kid food” situation in schools.