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How to Raise an Intuitive Eater: Raising the Next Generation with Food and Body Confidence
With the wisdom of Intuitive Eating, a manifesto for parents to help them reject diet culture and raise the next generation to have a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.
Kids are born intuitive eaters. Well-meaning parents, influenced by the diet culture that surrounds us all, are often concerned about how to best feed their children. Nearly everyone is talking about what to do about the childhood obesity epidemic. Meanwhile, every proposed solution for how to feed kids to promote health and prevent weight-related health concerns don’t mention the importance of one a healthy relationship with food. The consequences can be disastrous and are indistinguishable from the predictable and well-researched impact that dieting has on adults. Weight cycling, low self-esteem, deviations from normal growth, and eating disorders are just some of the negative health effects children can experience from the fear-based approach to food and eating that has become the norm in our culture.
Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson believe that parents want the best for their kids and know a parent’s job is to make them feel safe in the world and their bodies. They want them to grow up to be competent, healthy eaters, living their best lives in the bodies they were born to have. Intuitive Eating is more talked about than ever, and the time is now to make sure parents truly understand what it means to raise an intuitive eater. With a compassionate and relatable voice, How to Raise an Intuitive Eater is the only book of its kind to teach parents what they need to know to improve health, happiness, and wellbeing for the littlest among us.
Kids are born intuitive eaters. Well-meaning parents, influenced by the diet culture that surrounds us all, are often concerned about how to best feed their children. Nearly everyone is talking about what to do about the childhood obesity epidemic. Meanwhile, every proposed solution for how to feed kids to promote health and prevent weight-related health concerns don’t mention the importance of one a healthy relationship with food. The consequences can be disastrous and are indistinguishable from the predictable and well-researched impact that dieting has on adults. Weight cycling, low self-esteem, deviations from normal growth, and eating disorders are just some of the negative health effects children can experience from the fear-based approach to food and eating that has become the norm in our culture.
Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson believe that parents want the best for their kids and know a parent’s job is to make them feel safe in the world and their bodies. They want them to grow up to be competent, healthy eaters, living their best lives in the bodies they were born to have. Intuitive Eating is more talked about than ever, and the time is now to make sure parents truly understand what it means to raise an intuitive eater. With a compassionate and relatable voice, How to Raise an Intuitive Eater is the only book of its kind to teach parents what they need to know to improve health, happiness, and wellbeing for the littlest among us.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2022
238 people are currently reading
3911 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
March 17, 2022
Societies expectations are difficult to manage and so many people think they know how everyone should eat to be at the “ideal“ weight. It’s all lies! There is no one size fits all when it comes to diet and weight loss/maintenance.
If we can teach kids to only eat when they are hungry and to eat what their body craves they should become adults who have the same healthy relationship with food. That’s where this helpful guide comes in. “Intuitive eating is a dynamic interplay of instinct, thought and emotion“
Instinct - To seek out food when we are hungry.
Thought- am I hungry? What sounds good?
Emotion – how do Our feelings impact our appetite, cravings, or need to cope and soothe.
This book is full of great ideas and insight on how to raise kids to have a healthy mental connection with food. Lord knows we all struggle with this issue at some point in our lives. Teach them early!🥰
If we can teach kids to only eat when they are hungry and to eat what their body craves they should become adults who have the same healthy relationship with food. That’s where this helpful guide comes in. “Intuitive eating is a dynamic interplay of instinct, thought and emotion“
Instinct - To seek out food when we are hungry.
Thought- am I hungry? What sounds good?
Emotion – how do Our feelings impact our appetite, cravings, or need to cope and soothe.
This book is full of great ideas and insight on how to raise kids to have a healthy mental connection with food. Lord knows we all struggle with this issue at some point in our lives. Teach them early!🥰
December 16, 2021
Definitely more a manifesto than a how-to, this book makes some valid points, but discusses very little about how to raise healthy children.
The first hundred pages probably didn't need to exist. Those pages repetitively drone on about all the problems with "diet culture," and how it negatively impacts mental health, which it does, but I don't need 100 pages of convincing. They then try to assert that weight isn't correlated with health because it isn't correlated with death, and neglect all of the morbidities associated therewith.
Their tips for feeding children are useful: make sure a variety of foods are available at regular intervals throughout the day. Don't limit the amount of consumption of any food. Destigmatize sugar.
In principle, I agree, but they seem to argue that any restrictions around food are bad. I think every culture had ideas about how, when, and what to eat, and I think that some mores and taboos are valuable and necessary. Maybe in the United States especially we never got to develop our traditional foodways and are thus more susceptible to programming by "diet culture."
The first hundred pages probably didn't need to exist. Those pages repetitively drone on about all the problems with "diet culture," and how it negatively impacts mental health, which it does, but I don't need 100 pages of convincing. They then try to assert that weight isn't correlated with health because it isn't correlated with death, and neglect all of the morbidities associated therewith.
Their tips for feeding children are useful: make sure a variety of foods are available at regular intervals throughout the day. Don't limit the amount of consumption of any food. Destigmatize sugar.
In principle, I agree, but they seem to argue that any restrictions around food are bad. I think every culture had ideas about how, when, and what to eat, and I think that some mores and taboos are valuable and necessary. Maybe in the United States especially we never got to develop our traditional foodways and are thus more susceptible to programming by "diet culture."
March 1, 2022
DNF. Made maybe halfway through (skimming mostly) and gave up. Premise is basically don’t make a big deal about food AT ALL with your kids and figure out your own food stigmas/insecurities first. While I agree that parents need to be examples (more is caught than taught) by not criticizing their own bodies/eating habits, I just couldn’t agree with the rest. Not teaching your kids healthy eating habits but instead assuming the desire/thrill of eating tons of sugar will eventually wane is ludicrous. These are KIDS. Their brains are not fully developed. How many kids go to college and only choose to eat macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets from the cafeteria? Have no idea what a proper portion size is? Who is going to teach them what a balanced diet is if their parents don’t?
Maybe would have gave more stars if I had made it all the way through but my mantra this year is life is too short to muddle through books you don’t enjoy.
Maybe would have gave more stars if I had made it all the way through but my mantra this year is life is too short to muddle through books you don’t enjoy.
April 24, 2022
I thought this book was really helpful for me. For my kids, I already used this approach "light" based on some nutritionist IG accounts I used to follow, and I've been a big proponent of "you don't have to eat it, but it's there," but I appreciated that this book gave a lot of resources and background on WHY food pressure and diet culture are so problematic/dangerous for kids...everyone. It also changed my mind about how we talk about desserts and sweets in our house (i.e., not as "special" or "treats" but just as things we sometimes have in the house and enjoy). This book also helped me reflect on my approach to my own eating and body image, which was a missing piece when I previously thought about food and eating for my kids. This is a book I might want to return to when my kids are in different developmental stages, but I think I have a good foundation moving forward.
March 8, 2022
4 stars because it’s such an important issue. That being said, the book was very dense and repetitive in spots. I was hoping for some more concrete, prescriptive advice. I got this from the library but now I’m wondering if I should purchase it so I can refer back to the parts that resonated. Lots to think about here.
February 6, 2025
Wow. One of my favorite parenting books so far. This isn’t a book solely about raising an intuitive eater, it describes how to cultivate values and an environment where your child feels accepted, loved, and nourished in body, mind and spirit.
This book was very healing for me, as a millennial deeply raised in diet culture. I learned so much as a person, parent and provider.
Another reason this book was 5 ⭐️: the authors did a impressive job at highlighting the intersectionalities in eating/food/health/weight and how it relates to misogyny, racism, ableism, homophobia, etc. I really appreciated the work that the book did to talk about oppressive societal systems that impact how children are raised surrounding eating culture.
This book was very healing for me, as a millennial deeply raised in diet culture. I learned so much as a person, parent and provider.
Another reason this book was 5 ⭐️: the authors did a impressive job at highlighting the intersectionalities in eating/food/health/weight and how it relates to misogyny, racism, ableism, homophobia, etc. I really appreciated the work that the book did to talk about oppressive societal systems that impact how children are raised surrounding eating culture.
July 9, 2025
A bit long but some great points were brought up about diet culture and things i went through and never even realized. I'm going to work on this with my son and changing my language will be difficult. Dealing with the family and others judgement will be even harder
August 24, 2025
so glad we got doctors like lil clary on the front lines of the war with diet culture
February 13, 2022
As a Millennial who was very influenced by diet culture growing up, both directly from the those around me and indirectly by the media and society, (Weight Watchers, Low Fat diet, NutriSystem, Atkins diet, Keto diet, Paleo diet) I've worked hard the past 10 years on breaking free of disordered eating, negative body image and food thoughts.
It’s been so important to me since becoming a parent to make sure I’m not passing these things on to my kiddo, and to ensure that they have a healthy relationship with food, eating, and their body.
This book really helps to guide you in shifting your thinking away from bad food vs. good foods and controlling how much and what kinds of foods your child (and yourself) should be eating to a more intuitive and food neutral approach. It gives you the language to help you change the narrative so you are creating a supportive, judgment free environment while acknowledging, it’s important to still have boundaries and do what works best for your family.
The most important thing about this book is how it embraces intersectionality.
It repeatedly talks about how race, class, ableism affect the access people have to food, how they are treated by society and the medical profession, and that fatphobia fuels a lot of misinformation and manipulation which often leads to disordered eating and mental health issues.
If you are looking to change your feelings about food and model positive thinking to give your children the tools they need to feed their bodies and feel good about themselves, this is a great place to start.
***Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of the audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.
It’s been so important to me since becoming a parent to make sure I’m not passing these things on to my kiddo, and to ensure that they have a healthy relationship with food, eating, and their body.
This book really helps to guide you in shifting your thinking away from bad food vs. good foods and controlling how much and what kinds of foods your child (and yourself) should be eating to a more intuitive and food neutral approach. It gives you the language to help you change the narrative so you are creating a supportive, judgment free environment while acknowledging, it’s important to still have boundaries and do what works best for your family.
The most important thing about this book is how it embraces intersectionality.
It repeatedly talks about how race, class, ableism affect the access people have to food, how they are treated by society and the medical profession, and that fatphobia fuels a lot of misinformation and manipulation which often leads to disordered eating and mental health issues.
If you are looking to change your feelings about food and model positive thinking to give your children the tools they need to feed their bodies and feel good about themselves, this is a great place to start.
***Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of the audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.
January 5, 2022
Though I am not a parent, I am an educator and caregiver for young children. I gravitated to this title because I have struggled with my relationships to both food and my body for nearly my entire life, and I want to do better for the children in my care.
The conversations presented in this book are ideas and behaviors I will strive to incorporate in my classroom; in the way I talk about food and nutrition with my children.
This is a book I will be recommending to families for years to come. Before even finishing my arc, I went and ordered my own copy from my local bookstore.
It will challenge what you think you know about your relationship with food and nutrition and "diet culture," at leaat it definitely did for me, but we are all long overdue for a reset.
The ideas presented in this book are backed by real research, and both authors present the information in accessible language. They're writing to reach everyday people, not just other intellectuals and PhDs. The writing is concise and easy to understand.
More than that, they approach the concept of intuitive eating, while taking a spectrum of factors into account: culture and race, gender identity and sexuality, food insecurity and socioeconomic status. Which, frankly, is not something I see enough of when discussing "health". And these are factors that should definitely be a part of these conversations.
If you are a parent or spend any time with children at all, I highly recommend this book. In fact, I think there is something everyone could take away from this book - after all, who said we cannot raise ourselves to be intuitive eaters?
A solid five out of five stars.
The conversations presented in this book are ideas and behaviors I will strive to incorporate in my classroom; in the way I talk about food and nutrition with my children.
This is a book I will be recommending to families for years to come. Before even finishing my arc, I went and ordered my own copy from my local bookstore.
It will challenge what you think you know about your relationship with food and nutrition and "diet culture," at leaat it definitely did for me, but we are all long overdue for a reset.
The ideas presented in this book are backed by real research, and both authors present the information in accessible language. They're writing to reach everyday people, not just other intellectuals and PhDs. The writing is concise and easy to understand.
More than that, they approach the concept of intuitive eating, while taking a spectrum of factors into account: culture and race, gender identity and sexuality, food insecurity and socioeconomic status. Which, frankly, is not something I see enough of when discussing "health". And these are factors that should definitely be a part of these conversations.
If you are a parent or spend any time with children at all, I highly recommend this book. In fact, I think there is something everyone could take away from this book - after all, who said we cannot raise ourselves to be intuitive eaters?
A solid five out of five stars.
September 27, 2022
This book is about getting to the issues kids face in eating. Babies are born with an intuitive, natural ability. They know when they're hungry and push you away when they're done. Then somehow, over the years, eating gets increasingly confusing, particularly if you have parents who bring in their food issues and how diet culture has affected many parents. This book covers many different topics on how to raise a child to have a healthy relationship with food and body. It's not prioritized in our culture as much as diet and exercise.
The book allows people to slow down and think about their concerns with a child's eating and why it matters to them. In the first part, the book looks at finding the problems and asking why are they a concern? Then, they help parents unpack their own history with food, so they can realize how deep the emotional tie to food is. The "how-to" is a big part but preparing to have a food conversation is a big part too. The idea of this book is that we don't need kids to think about protein, carbs, and fats. We don't need kids to think about food labels and calories. We need to help them feel calm, comfortable, and confident enough to choose the food they need.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...
The book allows people to slow down and think about their concerns with a child's eating and why it matters to them. In the first part, the book looks at finding the problems and asking why are they a concern? Then, they help parents unpack their own history with food, so they can realize how deep the emotional tie to food is. The "how-to" is a big part but preparing to have a food conversation is a big part too. The idea of this book is that we don't need kids to think about protein, carbs, and fats. We don't need kids to think about food labels and calories. We need to help them feel calm, comfortable, and confident enough to choose the food they need.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...
November 20, 2021
What a wonderful resource for parents! This is a thoughtful, thorough book that deeply explores our relationship with food, diet culture, and how to pass along values and behaviors that support comprehensive health to kids.
Instead of merely providing child-focused instructions, nearly half the book is dedicated to parents untangling their own issues, assumptions, and baggage around food, body image, and dieting. This makes for happier, healthier, more responsive parents who can model and teach intuitive eating to their children and help them trust and appreciate their bodies.
The overall approach is very flexible and non-judgmental. No one expects perfection, and a good amount of attention is given to how to handle missteps and moments of human-ness. There are helpful reflection questions, summaries, and scripts to use to handle all sorts of situations.
No one is immune to diet culture and our society's mixed-up messages about food and bodies, so absolutely anyone can benefit from reading this book. Parents of kids of all ages will find clear, useful information to help support their children's development.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
Instead of merely providing child-focused instructions, nearly half the book is dedicated to parents untangling their own issues, assumptions, and baggage around food, body image, and dieting. This makes for happier, healthier, more responsive parents who can model and teach intuitive eating to their children and help them trust and appreciate their bodies.
The overall approach is very flexible and non-judgmental. No one expects perfection, and a good amount of attention is given to how to handle missteps and moments of human-ness. There are helpful reflection questions, summaries, and scripts to use to handle all sorts of situations.
No one is immune to diet culture and our society's mixed-up messages about food and bodies, so absolutely anyone can benefit from reading this book. Parents of kids of all ages will find clear, useful information to help support their children's development.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
Read
April 5, 2022This book packs a lot of information on how Diet Culture has done us dirty and the philosophy behind Intuitive Eating, but I wish it had focused more on the "how to" part of its title with more real-world examples of how families implement its "3 keys" approach to intuitive eating. I'm sure this book will be helpful to those who are new to the topic, but it was too light on the practicalities for my needs.
May 6, 2023
This didn’t have as many anecdotes or how to apply this as I would have wanted, but the few it did have were super useful.
Gold I found in the book:
1. What is the difference between restricting food and setting boundaries
2. My child’s eating does not reflect on my parenting
3. Easiest and most effective ways to promote healthy eating in children is providing variety and good experiences eating with the family
4. Trust your child’s body and teach them to do the same
Gold I found in the book:
1. What is the difference between restricting food and setting boundaries
2. My child’s eating does not reflect on my parenting
3. Easiest and most effective ways to promote healthy eating in children is providing variety and good experiences eating with the family
4. Trust your child’s body and teach them to do the same
November 23, 2023
Great book for me to think more about the language I use for food or body size around my kids. Trying to make everything neutral! Not as helpful for my continuing education in my work setting with obese children.
July 12, 2022
Good overview of intuitive eating, especially if you desire to teach it from a young age. I thought the first few chapters were a bit unfocused and repetitive but the rest was better. Overall I'm totally on board with body positivity and I appreciate this manifesto about the worthiness and value of all bodies, and the important role caregivers have in equipping children to resist the lies of diet culture. I'm not sure I can ride the train all the way to intuitive eating yet, though -- I like some of the principles, but just struggle with the idea that eating should be so internally driven. Maybe I'll change my mind later, I don't know. Good things to think about anyway.
August 18, 2025
Plays out many scenarios and how to respond to them. I'll definitely have to review this when my little one is older!
June 18, 2025
Had some good information that I will continue to do or try to do better with. Some things I just didn’t agree with though, but I did enjoy most of the book.
January 24, 2022
I had really high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it wasn't really what I expected. While the authors do give some good advice, they are also extremely biased and dole out some advice that is simply terrible for some. Having dealt with a long history of eating disorders, I have had to work hard to learn how to intuitively eat. Some of the "advice" in this book is what made my disorders worse and is very triggering for those of us who have actually struggled with it. I'm not sure if the authors haven't experienced or are just seeing it in black and white and only believe what works for them is valid. I could go into great detail, but honestly, get so frustrated spending more brain power on it and had a hard enough time even finishing this book. Sufficeth to say, the advice offered may work for some, but it is simply opinion, and could do the opposite for others. Not setting unnecessary restrictions is great advice, though it is more about how to eat whatever your body wants, not necessarily what is good for your body most of the time. For example, they recommend having all sorts of sweets and treats constantly available so kids can have them when they desire. So if you generally try to offer varied, but overall nutritious whole food, this book may not work for you.
January 4, 2024
DNF... While I agree with many of the authors' underlying conclusions and appreciate that they talked about intersectionality in regards to marginalized communities, I have some serious issues with this book and ultimately had to put it down.
I disagreed with the equating of diet culture and health education, the equating of enforcing moderation to enforcing a diet, and the equating of intuitive eating with a free-for-all. The authors completely neglected (to the point that I read) to discuss the very real issue with their assertion that kids can intuitively manage their own food intake of the fact that we live in a capitalist society in which foods are made to be highly processed with low nutritional value and addictive taste. How are our children supposed to intuitively know how to nourish their bodies in this environment and somehow without any level of guidance or support (because according to the authors that is just as bad and the same as enforcing diet culture on our children)? They even had a problem with the national standards about health/nutrition education in schools.
I do not believe children are inherently capable while living in this society of making healthy food choices without any help. I do not believe that there are no health consequences for unrestricted access to all types of food at all times. I do not believe that our eating has no affect on our health. I do not believe that our children should be making all food choices for themselves.
This strikes me as one of those books written by parents who basically "free-range" their kids and view any parental control as an overstep. I just fundamentally do not agree and believe that parents are there to guide and support and help our children, even when it comes to food, and even when it means teaching them about the nutritional values of food and the consequences on our health or when it means limiting some food until our children's brains are developed enough and they have enough information to make those decisions themselves.
Education is NOT enforcing diet culture. Encouraging healthy eating is NOT diet culture. And NOT allowing completely unlimited amounts of foods with low nutritional value to our children is NOT diet culture or putting our kids on a diet.
This book is just too extreme. Teach your kids to listen to their bodies but ALSO EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THEIR HEALTH.
I disagreed with the equating of diet culture and health education, the equating of enforcing moderation to enforcing a diet, and the equating of intuitive eating with a free-for-all. The authors completely neglected (to the point that I read) to discuss the very real issue with their assertion that kids can intuitively manage their own food intake of the fact that we live in a capitalist society in which foods are made to be highly processed with low nutritional value and addictive taste. How are our children supposed to intuitively know how to nourish their bodies in this environment and somehow without any level of guidance or support (because according to the authors that is just as bad and the same as enforcing diet culture on our children)? They even had a problem with the national standards about health/nutrition education in schools.
I do not believe children are inherently capable while living in this society of making healthy food choices without any help. I do not believe that there are no health consequences for unrestricted access to all types of food at all times. I do not believe that our eating has no affect on our health. I do not believe that our children should be making all food choices for themselves.
This strikes me as one of those books written by parents who basically "free-range" their kids and view any parental control as an overstep. I just fundamentally do not agree and believe that parents are there to guide and support and help our children, even when it comes to food, and even when it means teaching them about the nutritional values of food and the consequences on our health or when it means limiting some food until our children's brains are developed enough and they have enough information to make those decisions themselves.
Education is NOT enforcing diet culture. Encouraging healthy eating is NOT diet culture. And NOT allowing completely unlimited amounts of foods with low nutritional value to our children is NOT diet culture or putting our kids on a diet.
This book is just too extreme. Teach your kids to listen to their bodies but ALSO EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THEIR HEALTH.
February 3, 2024
How to Raise an Intuitive Eater
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
📚 Self Help/Parenting
🎶 Peanut Butter Sandwich - Raffi
One sentence synopsis:
With the wisdom of Intuitive Eating, a manifesto for parents to help them reject diet culture and raise the next generation to have a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.
My review:
I came to read this book because 6 years ago I read the original “Intuitive Eating” by @evelyntribole and @elyseresch and it literally changed my life. It helped me heal my relationship with my body, make peace with my food and eating struggles, and finally live a more healthy and well balanced life.
This book, like its mother book “Intuitive Eating”, is so incredibly important and chock to the brim with helpful and practical information on all things food/eating/nutrition/kids. I’d overwhelmingly recommend it to anyone who has kids and wants to raise them to reject the diet mentality.
I (like most people today) was raised to eat in a completely different way (diet mentality/certain foods are bad, thin=good) than I do now (intuitive eating) so while I consider myself mostly healed in the way I approach food, feeding kids is a whole other ball game. Not putting pressure on what he eats is by far my biggest struggle when feeding my child.
I feel like the first 1/3 of the book was selling me on the concept of Intuitive Eating which I get, but I’ve already subscribed to that concept. So if you’re new to IE that will be helpful. But for me, I’ve been there, done that. I’m ready to know how to get my kid to become one. And for the most part, I feel like it succeeded in that.
I still have a pretty specific question that it didn’t answer (basically “how picky is too picky” and “what do you do if they are 100% adverse to trying new foods”) so I might seek out additional advice.
Overall I’d absolutely recommend this book to every single parent out there! And if you’re not a parent, I’d 100% recommend reading the original “Intuitive Eating” book I mentioned above.
I paired this with my son’s all time favorite Raffi song, which seems fitting since it’s about a food he used to LOVE and now doesn’t eat 80% of the time I serve it 😂
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
📚 Self Help/Parenting
🎶 Peanut Butter Sandwich - Raffi
One sentence synopsis:
With the wisdom of Intuitive Eating, a manifesto for parents to help them reject diet culture and raise the next generation to have a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.
My review:
I came to read this book because 6 years ago I read the original “Intuitive Eating” by @evelyntribole and @elyseresch and it literally changed my life. It helped me heal my relationship with my body, make peace with my food and eating struggles, and finally live a more healthy and well balanced life.
This book, like its mother book “Intuitive Eating”, is so incredibly important and chock to the brim with helpful and practical information on all things food/eating/nutrition/kids. I’d overwhelmingly recommend it to anyone who has kids and wants to raise them to reject the diet mentality.
I (like most people today) was raised to eat in a completely different way (diet mentality/certain foods are bad, thin=good) than I do now (intuitive eating) so while I consider myself mostly healed in the way I approach food, feeding kids is a whole other ball game. Not putting pressure on what he eats is by far my biggest struggle when feeding my child.
I feel like the first 1/3 of the book was selling me on the concept of Intuitive Eating which I get, but I’ve already subscribed to that concept. So if you’re new to IE that will be helpful. But for me, I’ve been there, done that. I’m ready to know how to get my kid to become one. And for the most part, I feel like it succeeded in that.
I still have a pretty specific question that it didn’t answer (basically “how picky is too picky” and “what do you do if they are 100% adverse to trying new foods”) so I might seek out additional advice.
Overall I’d absolutely recommend this book to every single parent out there! And if you’re not a parent, I’d 100% recommend reading the original “Intuitive Eating” book I mentioned above.
I paired this with my son’s all time favorite Raffi song, which seems fitting since it’s about a food he used to LOVE and now doesn’t eat 80% of the time I serve it 😂
December 10, 2022
This was not bad! I saw it on the new shelf at the library and immediately grabbed it because 1) it’s so pretty and 2) I’m all about intuitive eating.
I ended up just skimming most of it but it’s easily skimmable which is a great quality in a nonfiction book- lots of bold sentences and headers.
I already knew most of the things it talked about since I was already into intuitive eating, but some of it was novel to me too. A lot of things really make sense here and further drive home the point.
As far as this food philosophy, it’s all about anti-diet and anti-guilt eating. Our bodies know how to eat from a baby and we need to trust that voice.
It definitely sounds woo-woo, but there’s a lot of data to back this up, and the fact that denying yourself constantly only makes you want it more totally makes sense. I really want to teach my girls these values and this helped me know how.
It made me realize I’ve taught my kids to love food yet shame them frequently when they ask for snacks. No one should be shamed for a natural inclination to snack within reason.
There were some more woo-woo parts of the book that I skipped. And I don’t believe in following your inner voice for everything and never feeling guilty. I just agree with that approach regarding food.
I don’t agree with everything here because it’s all about not demonizing ANY food and I’m more into healthy intuitive eating. Sugar and other harmful ingredients shouldn’t be obsessed over or taken out. I let my kids enjoy treats and never shame them for it. But you can’t be completely neutral with that stuff either. I won’t teach my kids that sugar etc is bad especially while they’re so young, but I will teach them to cook from scratch to avoid those things if possible. The book’s version of “gentle nutrition” is a little too gentle for me.
It has a diversity/liberal slant for sure and that does get annoying. Skipped those parts too. But it’s a great book for people curious about intuitive eating, or just further looking to cement and teach their values like me.
I ended up just skimming most of it but it’s easily skimmable which is a great quality in a nonfiction book- lots of bold sentences and headers.
I already knew most of the things it talked about since I was already into intuitive eating, but some of it was novel to me too. A lot of things really make sense here and further drive home the point.
As far as this food philosophy, it’s all about anti-diet and anti-guilt eating. Our bodies know how to eat from a baby and we need to trust that voice.
It definitely sounds woo-woo, but there’s a lot of data to back this up, and the fact that denying yourself constantly only makes you want it more totally makes sense. I really want to teach my girls these values and this helped me know how.
It made me realize I’ve taught my kids to love food yet shame them frequently when they ask for snacks. No one should be shamed for a natural inclination to snack within reason.
There were some more woo-woo parts of the book that I skipped. And I don’t believe in following your inner voice for everything and never feeling guilty. I just agree with that approach regarding food.
I don’t agree with everything here because it’s all about not demonizing ANY food and I’m more into healthy intuitive eating. Sugar and other harmful ingredients shouldn’t be obsessed over or taken out. I let my kids enjoy treats and never shame them for it. But you can’t be completely neutral with that stuff either. I won’t teach my kids that sugar etc is bad especially while they’re so young, but I will teach them to cook from scratch to avoid those things if possible. The book’s version of “gentle nutrition” is a little too gentle for me.
It has a diversity/liberal slant for sure and that does get annoying. Skipped those parts too. But it’s a great book for people curious about intuitive eating, or just further looking to cement and teach their values like me.
December 14, 2022
This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press - St. Martin's Essentials through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
Eating healthy, and mindfully is one thing, but as Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson conveys exquisitely in How to Raise an Intuitive Eater, we never think about the relationship with food. I am one that is a victim of having an unhealthy relationship with food, treating it less like fuel, and more like an addiction. I have paid the price by telling myself that's not good for you, you can't eat that, etc. The only question I was thinking when I was reading this book, where was this book when I was a kid? If this book existed, would I have all these health problems? Reading this book is a win no matter the circumstance. I now know the real reason to eat healthier (to feel great, and have a healthy relationship with food as fuel), and pass this information along to my children, and other children for generations to come. This book can change the world, and it's already starting to change the way we think and feel about food and healthy eating.
A life-changing, healthy lifestyle, that will change the world for generations to come. This book deserves 5 stars.
Eating healthy, and mindfully is one thing, but as Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson conveys exquisitely in How to Raise an Intuitive Eater, we never think about the relationship with food. I am one that is a victim of having an unhealthy relationship with food, treating it less like fuel, and more like an addiction. I have paid the price by telling myself that's not good for you, you can't eat that, etc. The only question I was thinking when I was reading this book, where was this book when I was a kid? If this book existed, would I have all these health problems? Reading this book is a win no matter the circumstance. I now know the real reason to eat healthier (to feel great, and have a healthy relationship with food as fuel), and pass this information along to my children, and other children for generations to come. This book can change the world, and it's already starting to change the way we think and feel about food and healthy eating.
A life-changing, healthy lifestyle, that will change the world for generations to come. This book deserves 5 stars.
January 13, 2022
While the theme is an important one, the authors don't seem the most qualified to me and that's reflected in the book where too much is just stated as fact with no data to back it up.
January 12, 2022
This book is SO important. Having myself struggled with the diet culture I was raised in, I am now raising 2 children who I want to have total control over their own bodies and what they are putting into them for nourishment. It's so hard to change your views on something when you have been told the opposite your whole life. This book proves that there is a better way and by giving children the tools they need, we can break the cycle and they can trust themselves with the things they eat and know what is best for themselves. It also is a great reminder that children hear and see everything you say and do and that they internalize it and it will effect their future self worth and mental health. The best part of this book is that is explains the science to back up the method. I also appreciated how it went into explaining the mental health implications. What a powerful read!
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to this ARC!
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to this ARC!
June 30, 2022
Are you a parent, caregiver, teacher, or anyone that works with children? If you are, this is a MUST read book!
How to Raise an Intuitive Eater by Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson.
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 5 star
𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Nonfiction/Parenting/Health/Nutrition
𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔: As a soon to be RD, I could go on and on about this book. If you care for children in any way, please take the time to read this book. Yes, this book describes Intuitive Eating and how to raise an intuitive eater, but it is so much more than this. It's a chance for you to look at your own relationship with food and your body. It's full of research to challenge the notions that diet culture has taught you. It's a way to grow and learn without shame or judgement. It's just a beautiful book!
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒇 :
-Are a human that cares for children
-Live in a world of diet culture (hint, hint...that is all of us!)
-Just pick this book up and read it!
How to Raise an Intuitive Eater by Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson.
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 5 star
𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Nonfiction/Parenting/Health/Nutrition
𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔: As a soon to be RD, I could go on and on about this book. If you care for children in any way, please take the time to read this book. Yes, this book describes Intuitive Eating and how to raise an intuitive eater, but it is so much more than this. It's a chance for you to look at your own relationship with food and your body. It's full of research to challenge the notions that diet culture has taught you. It's a way to grow and learn without shame or judgement. It's just a beautiful book!
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒇 :
-Are a human that cares for children
-Live in a world of diet culture (hint, hint...that is all of us!)
-Just pick this book up and read it!
April 4, 2023
The reason this book got 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the repetitive nature; some points are emphasized over and over again. Although I do believe that is because the authors want to make sure the information is gleaned even if someone is skimming the book.
Aside from the repetition, I think the book does a great job of explaining clearly and fully why we need to break away from most of our learned beliefs about food and move toward an intuitive eating approach, both for ourselves and our children. Some of the strategies I was already doing with my son but wasn't sure why; now I have a more complete understanding of what makes up intuitive eating and I feel more confident that this is the right approach for my family.
Aside from the repetition, I think the book does a great job of explaining clearly and fully why we need to break away from most of our learned beliefs about food and move toward an intuitive eating approach, both for ourselves and our children. Some of the strategies I was already doing with my son but wasn't sure why; now I have a more complete understanding of what makes up intuitive eating and I feel more confident that this is the right approach for my family.
December 30, 2022
While I appreciate the importance of this topic and how well researched this book was, it’s simply too long. I have a lot of knowledge surrounding IE and it was difficult for me to get through. I wish parents not exposed to IE could find a more user friendly and time efficient work.
I did receive affirmation, wisdom, and encouragement as a parent who is constantly having stress surrounding mealtime. I’m grateful for those gifts as I navigate nourishing my small children.
I did receive affirmation, wisdom, and encouragement as a parent who is constantly having stress surrounding mealtime. I’m grateful for those gifts as I navigate nourishing my small children.
June 8, 2023
I had high hopes for this book since I loved the original Intuitive Eating book (different authors). But, in addition to the annoyingly redundant and disorganized writing style, it missed the mark in so many ways.
The first 80 pages go on (and on) about the toxicity of diet culture, even blaming "the patriarchy" at one point! An author that feels the need to blame others for so many pages screams "I am insecure about my own body and I feel the need to prove that I'm not responsible for it." It's hard to trust a book about building body confidence when it's clear that the authors don't even have it.
The book tries to prove that being severely obese is perfectly healthy, with the only data point being that "increased risk for death doesn't rise until BMI ranges above about 50." Nobody thought an overweight 30-year-old is going to keel over just from being fat. And death does not measure quality of life whatsoever. While obsessing over your weight will most certainly decrease your quality of life, so will being infertile, diabetic, and not being able to walk without getting winded.
An important part of eating intuitively is gentle nutrition and how food makes you feel, and that is a huge gap that this book only grazes over. The book tells you that it's not okay to say food rules to your kid, like "We only eat whole grain bread in this house." But the next step (that the book doesn't tell you) is what to say about nutrition instead. As an intuitive eater myself, I would say something like, "I usually prefer to buy and eat whole grain bread because it keeps me feeling satisfied for longer." Just avoiding conversations about what makes healthful food make you feel better isn't the way to build resilience against diet culture. A huge part of intuitive eating is recognizing and talking about the virtues of nutritious food, but the book makes it seem like that's impossible without demonizing other foods.
The book warns against sports because it's another opportunity for your child to be exposed to diet culture. Shielding your child from playing a sport they enjoy just because you're worried the coach will push weight loss is a terrible plan. Helping my kids find enjoyable movement I believe is a crucial role of mine as a parent. And exposing them in a small dose to the diet mentality can help them build resilience against it.
The book actually suggests teaching your child flexibility by replacing their routine morning workout with waffles sometimes. I would have been LIVID if my parents said "You can't go climbing this morning because we're having waffles." Sugary waffles make me feel lethargic for the rest of the day while a good sweat session gets my blood flowing and my mind working so I feel energetic and motivated the rest of the day. I prioritize fitness so forcing me to "be flexible" would be trying to control me.
The book provides scripts about food to foster a healthy relationship with food for your kids. But for someone that has done the work to fix their own thought distortions around food, you wouldn't need the scripts. Modeling intuitive eating comes naturally when you eat intuitively. So you're better off reading or re-reading the original book to heal your own perspective about food.
I gave it two stars instead of one because I personally became my healthiest self (and yes, lost 25 pounds for good) 14 years ago when I first rejected the diet mentality and delved into intuitive eating. So I do agree with the message that restriction is not the answer to lasting weight loss. But this book doesn't actually help you teach your kids to be intuitive eaters.
The first 80 pages go on (and on) about the toxicity of diet culture, even blaming "the patriarchy" at one point! An author that feels the need to blame others for so many pages screams "I am insecure about my own body and I feel the need to prove that I'm not responsible for it." It's hard to trust a book about building body confidence when it's clear that the authors don't even have it.
The book tries to prove that being severely obese is perfectly healthy, with the only data point being that "increased risk for death doesn't rise until BMI ranges above about 50." Nobody thought an overweight 30-year-old is going to keel over just from being fat. And death does not measure quality of life whatsoever. While obsessing over your weight will most certainly decrease your quality of life, so will being infertile, diabetic, and not being able to walk without getting winded.
An important part of eating intuitively is gentle nutrition and how food makes you feel, and that is a huge gap that this book only grazes over. The book tells you that it's not okay to say food rules to your kid, like "We only eat whole grain bread in this house." But the next step (that the book doesn't tell you) is what to say about nutrition instead. As an intuitive eater myself, I would say something like, "I usually prefer to buy and eat whole grain bread because it keeps me feeling satisfied for longer." Just avoiding conversations about what makes healthful food make you feel better isn't the way to build resilience against diet culture. A huge part of intuitive eating is recognizing and talking about the virtues of nutritious food, but the book makes it seem like that's impossible without demonizing other foods.
The book warns against sports because it's another opportunity for your child to be exposed to diet culture. Shielding your child from playing a sport they enjoy just because you're worried the coach will push weight loss is a terrible plan. Helping my kids find enjoyable movement I believe is a crucial role of mine as a parent. And exposing them in a small dose to the diet mentality can help them build resilience against it.
The book actually suggests teaching your child flexibility by replacing their routine morning workout with waffles sometimes. I would have been LIVID if my parents said "You can't go climbing this morning because we're having waffles." Sugary waffles make me feel lethargic for the rest of the day while a good sweat session gets my blood flowing and my mind working so I feel energetic and motivated the rest of the day. I prioritize fitness so forcing me to "be flexible" would be trying to control me.
The book provides scripts about food to foster a healthy relationship with food for your kids. But for someone that has done the work to fix their own thought distortions around food, you wouldn't need the scripts. Modeling intuitive eating comes naturally when you eat intuitively. So you're better off reading or re-reading the original book to heal your own perspective about food.
I gave it two stars instead of one because I personally became my healthiest self (and yes, lost 25 pounds for good) 14 years ago when I first rejected the diet mentality and delved into intuitive eating. So I do agree with the message that restriction is not the answer to lasting weight loss. But this book doesn't actually help you teach your kids to be intuitive eaters.
March 30, 2022
While I find much to love in the Intuitive Eating model--it accurately calls out diet culture and weight stigma as every bit as damaging as "obesity" supposedly is--I still find some elements incomplete. One critique I hear about Intuitive Eating is that it still isn't evidence-based enough and hasn't fully hashed out its psychology of eating and how that coheres with "gentle nutrition." I think there's truth to that.
Critics often ask for evidence that, if you let someone freely eat what they want (without any restrictions) that they'll naturally find mental and physical balance on that later. I agree; you can't prove that will be the most likely result. For example, don't most of us still under- or overeat to extreme discomfort at times as adults? Who really "learns" that lesson? Maybe that's just life and human psychology. This book, and Intuitive Eating in general, relies too much on the belief that there should be no food restrictions, so eating balance will occur naturally over time. Perhaps "gentle nutrition" and moderation can co-exist more than Intuitive Eating spends time exploring (when we separate out diet culture)? Yes, having significant choice and variety matters, and it can lead to de-stigmatization and greater joy in food. But, it also feels entirely possible that gentle nutrition is treated too much as an afterthought in Intuitive Eating, when it could support energy levels and mental/physical health significantly.
Nonetheless, yes, mental health matters as much as physical health, and our culture fails to reckon with that amid our "obesity" rhetoric and it's cruelties. Overall, the authors thoroughly address food insecurity, racial and socioeconomic oppression, diet culture, capitalism, and weight stigma. Plus, they emphasize that the how-to, as a parent, is mainly in healing your own relationship with food, diet culture, and weight stigma, as much as you can in the environment we swim in (while we continue to try to change it).
Critics often ask for evidence that, if you let someone freely eat what they want (without any restrictions) that they'll naturally find mental and physical balance on that later. I agree; you can't prove that will be the most likely result. For example, don't most of us still under- or overeat to extreme discomfort at times as adults? Who really "learns" that lesson? Maybe that's just life and human psychology. This book, and Intuitive Eating in general, relies too much on the belief that there should be no food restrictions, so eating balance will occur naturally over time. Perhaps "gentle nutrition" and moderation can co-exist more than Intuitive Eating spends time exploring (when we separate out diet culture)? Yes, having significant choice and variety matters, and it can lead to de-stigmatization and greater joy in food. But, it also feels entirely possible that gentle nutrition is treated too much as an afterthought in Intuitive Eating, when it could support energy levels and mental/physical health significantly.
Nonetheless, yes, mental health matters as much as physical health, and our culture fails to reckon with that amid our "obesity" rhetoric and it's cruelties. Overall, the authors thoroughly address food insecurity, racial and socioeconomic oppression, diet culture, capitalism, and weight stigma. Plus, they emphasize that the how-to, as a parent, is mainly in healing your own relationship with food, diet culture, and weight stigma, as much as you can in the environment we swim in (while we continue to try to change it).
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