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End the Mealtime Meltdown: Using the Table Talk Method to Free Your Family from Daily Struggles over Food and Picky Eating
“For parents who are committed to raising a generation of healthy eaters, this is an important tool!” —Susan Albers, PsyD, New York Times bestselling author of Eating Mindfully
Restore joy at your dinner table using the innovative Table Talk Method!
But I made it just the way you like it. If you eat your broccoli, you’ll grow up big and strong. No dessert unless you finish your dinner!
Sound familiar? If you’re the parent of a “picky eater,” you’ve likely tried everything to get your kiddo to eat their veggies. And like many other parents, you might have noticed these ideas fail. Your child may not become a gourmand overnight, but the good news is there are ways to help them explore new food—and restore some much-needed mealtime peace.
Written by a dietitian and mindful eating expert, End the Mealtime Meltdown serves up the familiar yet largely unexamined phrases parents say to kids at mealtime, and shows that what you say to your kids can actually sabotage your efforts to instill healthy habits. With this practical guide, you’ll discover the communication skills you need to end conflict at the dinner table—for good.
In the book, you’ll
Specific guidance on what NOT to say to kids as they eatAcknowledgement that conflict at the dinner table is a normal part of parentingSpecific words, scripts, and detailed instruction on how to encourage conversation that positively impacts eating behavior and developmentReal-life stories showing how the Table Talk Method can ease parent distressInstructions on how to tailor this approach to fit your individual needsTools to help kids develop a healthy relationship with body and food that will last a lifetime If you’re craving better ways to deal with turmoil during meals and instill a healthy curiosity about food in your family, this go-to guide is your lifeline.
Restore joy at your dinner table using the innovative Table Talk Method!
But I made it just the way you like it. If you eat your broccoli, you’ll grow up big and strong. No dessert unless you finish your dinner!
Sound familiar? If you’re the parent of a “picky eater,” you’ve likely tried everything to get your kiddo to eat their veggies. And like many other parents, you might have noticed these ideas fail. Your child may not become a gourmand overnight, but the good news is there are ways to help them explore new food—and restore some much-needed mealtime peace.
Written by a dietitian and mindful eating expert, End the Mealtime Meltdown serves up the familiar yet largely unexamined phrases parents say to kids at mealtime, and shows that what you say to your kids can actually sabotage your efforts to instill healthy habits. With this practical guide, you’ll discover the communication skills you need to end conflict at the dinner table—for good.
In the book, you’ll
Specific guidance on what NOT to say to kids as they eatAcknowledgement that conflict at the dinner table is a normal part of parentingSpecific words, scripts, and detailed instruction on how to encourage conversation that positively impacts eating behavior and developmentReal-life stories showing how the Table Talk Method can ease parent distressInstructions on how to tailor this approach to fit your individual needsTools to help kids develop a healthy relationship with body and food that will last a lifetime If you’re craving better ways to deal with turmoil during meals and instill a healthy curiosity about food in your family, this go-to guide is your lifeline.
- GenresNonfictionParentingFood
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2022
20 people are currently reading
1204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 9, 2022
This book changed the game of struggle with kids. I used it with mine, and although we are way from perfect it’s changed the tenor of the conversation at the table. It’s great to have prompts and ideas to try. And the author uses real life examples and isn’t judgy or lecturing. It’s an easy quick read with lots of useful info.
September 3, 2022
It sounds like a bunch of vague philosophy to cajole your kid into eating. I am very skeptical that asking my 7 year old to identify what she notices about the color, texture and scent of her food will convince her to eat a greater variety of things. That being said, I will try anything.
February 23, 2022
There is some good advice in this book about how to have more positive mealtime interactions with your kids. I like the idea to focus on the five senses and ask open-ended questions. I have definitely done ALL of the things the book says you are not supposed to do: bargaining, begging, "you didn't even try it!", etc. It does seem like we are making some mealtime progress by putting some of these ideas into action.
I think that helping kids have positive associations with foods should be accessible to everyone, and this book just doesn't hit the mark for this. It's too long and repetitive, and the language could be simpler. It could have been a long blog post. I don't think most people have time to read this much about how to talk to their kids about food, or to journal about it. Regarding the language, as an example, one sentence is "gastronomic intelligence is an intrinsic attribute that everyone has the capacity to strengthen". I'm not sure it needs to be that complicated.
Thank you to New Harbinger Publications and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I think that helping kids have positive associations with foods should be accessible to everyone, and this book just doesn't hit the mark for this. It's too long and repetitive, and the language could be simpler. It could have been a long blog post. I don't think most people have time to read this much about how to talk to their kids about food, or to journal about it. Regarding the language, as an example, one sentence is "gastronomic intelligence is an intrinsic attribute that everyone has the capacity to strengthen". I'm not sure it needs to be that complicated.
Thank you to New Harbinger Publications and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 27, 2022
Like everyone else reading this book, I have a mini me fussy eater. A 5-year-old who is reluctant to eat many things, mealtimes are known to end in tears without any food eaten. My hopes for End the Mealtime Meltdown was maybe a little different - my fussy eater is currently being assessed for ASD and more than anything, I wanted to educate myself and understand what goes through the minds of children when it comes to their relationship with food.
End the Mealtime Meltdown gave good advice and it made me change my way of thinking and approaching things in the future. "Appreciating new flavors and food takes time and practice much like learning the shapes and sounds of letters." Sounds obvious, but this was something I'd never thought of before, and the book is full of quotes like this which I've highlighted and saved for future reference.
I did think the book was slightly long winded and could have been condensed slightly, however overall I got what I wanted from reading.
End the Mealtime Meltdown gave good advice and it made me change my way of thinking and approaching things in the future. "Appreciating new flavors and food takes time and practice much like learning the shapes and sounds of letters." Sounds obvious, but this was something I'd never thought of before, and the book is full of quotes like this which I've highlighted and saved for future reference.
I did think the book was slightly long winded and could have been condensed slightly, however overall I got what I wanted from reading.
November 20, 2022
This book is a part of my nutrition reading this month. It was a good choice. I read this as much as I read any self help book though- which is skim through and find the practical pointers that are relevant to my family. There are a few inspiring views to try. My takeaways-
Talk about the food at the table instead of about how your child is eating/not eating the food.
Add curiosity and questions to your mealtimes instead of coercion. It redirects their attention so the unpleasant food becomes interesting, which can lead to trying it.
Talk about the food at the table instead of about how your child is eating/not eating the food.
Add curiosity and questions to your mealtimes instead of coercion. It redirects their attention so the unpleasant food becomes interesting, which can lead to trying it.
May 19, 2022
I skipped around a lot, but this book gave a lot of good advice that I am going to be trying with my very picky six year old. We have done a lot of the don't do's that are talked about in the book. I had to highlighted so many of the different quotes that I am hoping to use this summer. It changed my view on how kids look at food, and hopefully we will be able to open our daughter's choices of food.
July 19, 2022
Very helpful, practical advice. You can start the exercises in this book right away. Great advice not only for mealtime, but life as a parent in general. The importance of being curious and connected is the essential message.
May 2, 2024
Loved the concept but the book itself could have been better organized and more concise.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews