You don’t need to be a pediatrician or a nutritionist to raise kids who are healthy eaters, but like all things when it comes to parenting, it’s always a good idea to get more information, advice, and support. Whether you’re looking for information about how to get your kids to eat their vegetables, how to get picky eaters to try new foods, and how to navigate issues like food allergies, sensory problems, and food marketing, there are plenty of books to choose from. This list of books about kids’ nutrition and healthy eating can give you a ton of tips to help you raise healthy eating kids.
BEST BOOKS ABOUT KIDS’ NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
I pulled together this list of books about kids’ nutrition and healthy eating because they have high ratings, are written by leading childhood nutrition experts, or because I’ve enjoyed reading them myself. So whether it’s when your child is napping or when you’re relaxing at night, crack open one of these books and start reading!
1. THE PLANT-BASED BABY AND TODDLER, BY ALEXANDRA CASPERO & WHITNEY ENGLISH
Studies show following a plant-based diet has a ton of health benefits, but if you’ve got babies and toddlers, knowing what to feed them and what a healthy plate looks like can be tough.
In their new book, The Plant-Based Baby and Toddler: Your Complete Feeding Guide for 6 months to 3 years, Alexandra, Caspero, MA, RD, RYT and Whitney English, MS, RDN, CPT founder of the Plant-Based Juniors online community, you’ll learn how to build healthy meals, ensure your little ones are getting the nutrition they need, and how to deal with picky eaters. The book also has 50+ recipes designed for babies and toddlers.
Related: 10 Ways To Get More Plant-Based Foods Into Your Kid’s Diet
2. THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FAMILY COOKBOOK, BY STEFANIA PATINELLA, ET AL.
On the “Food Issues” podcast episode #007, I interviewed Dr. Maria Mascarenhas, co-author of The Anti-Inflammatory Family Cookbook: The Kid-Friendly, Pediatrician-Approved Way to Transform Your Family’s Health about food as medicine and anti-inflammatory eating for kids.
In the book, Dr. Mascarenhas and her co-authors take a deep dive into the benefits of the anti-inflammatory approach, offer tips for encouraging kids to try new foods, and provide 100 simple, easy, and kid-friendly recipes.
3. ADVENTURES IN VEGGIELAND, BY MELANIE POTOCK
An international expert of picky eating and feeding disorders, Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP presents a three-step approach to get kids to love vegetables in her book, Adventures in Veggieland: Help Your Kids Learn to Love Vegetables―with 100 Easy Activities and Recipes.
With 100 kid-tested activities and healthy, delicious recipes, your kids will love preparing the healthy meals in this book.
4. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE BROCCOLI, BY DINA ROSE
I’ve interviewed Dr. Rose in the past for Fox News and I’m a big fan of her philosophy on feeding. So when it comes to the best books about kids’ nutrition and healthy eating, I knew I had to include her book, It’s Not About the Broccoli: Three Habits to Teach Your Kids for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating.
Instead of focusing on nutrition and what your kids are eating, Dr. Rose covers the three habits all kids need to learn to be healthy eaters as well as advice on how to teach them.
5. HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH EXTREME PICKY EATING, BY KATJA ROWELL & JENNY MCGLOTHLIN
All kids have their fair share of picky eating behaviors, but if your kid seems like an extreme picky eater, definitely order Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating: A Step-by-Step Guide for Overcoming Selective Eating, Food Aversion, and Feeding Disorders.
Written by Katja Rowell, MD, a family doctor and childhood feeding specialist, and Jenny McGlothlin, MS, CCC-SLP, a certified speech-language pathologist, this book has a ton of strategies to help you deal with poor appetite, anxiety, sensory challenges, feeding issues and so much more.
Related: Is Your Kid An Extreme Picky Eater?
6. RAISING A HEALTHY, HAPPY EATER, BY NIMALI FERNANDO & MELANIE POTOCK
Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater: A Parent’s Handbook: A Stage-by-Stage Guide to Setting Your Child on the Path to Adventurous Eating, written by pediatrician Nimali Fernando, MD, MPH and feeding therapist Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP, you’ll learn how to get more adventurous at mealtime, deal with picky eating, and how to cope with feeding difficulties, mealtime behaviors, and more.
On the “Food Issues” podcast episode #011, I interviewed Dr. Fernando about “Feeding Kids When Food Is Everywhere.” Listen to the episode here.
7. THE PEDIATRICIAN’S GUIDE TO FEEDING BABIES AND TODDLERS, BY ANTHONY PORTO & DINA DIMAGGIO
The Pediatrician’s Guide to Feeding Babies and Toddlers: Practical Answers To Your Questions on Nutrition, Starting Solids, Allergies, Picky Eating, and More (For Parents, By Parents), by Anthony Porto, MD, MPH and Dina DiMaggio, MD is another great title to read if you’ve got questions about kids’ nutrition and picky eating. The book is a guide with a ton of practical advice from experts—and parents—as well as stories from other parents, recipes, and the latest pediatric feeding recommendations.
8. FEARLESS FEEDING, BY JILL CASTLE & MARYANN JACOBSEN
Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters From High Chair to High School, by Jill Castle, MS, RDN and Maryann Jacobsen, MS, RD includes everything you need to know about feeding kids and their overall development, how to serve balanced meals, encourage healthy eating habits, and how to put an end to mealtime challenges.
9. BORN TO EAT, BY LESLIE SCHILLING & WENDY JO PETERSON
If you’re interested in learning more about baby-led weaning, definitely check out Born to Eat: Whole, Healthy Foods From Baby’s First Bite by Leslie Schilling, MA, RDN and Wendy Jo Peterson, MS, RDN. In this book, you’ll get advice, how-to’s, and plenty of recipes to get your baby off to a healthy start.
10. THE CLEAN-EATING KID BY JENNY CARR
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m a proponent of feeding kids real food not only because it’s important for their growth and development but because it can help prevent the chronic health conditions we’re facing in the U.S.
When it comes to a list of the best books about kids’ nutrition and healthy eating, therefore, I had to include The Clean-Eating Kid: Grocery Store Food Swaps for an Anti-Inflammatory Diet by Jenny Carr.
This book is written for parents of kids with conditions like anxiety, asthma, food allergies, and obesity and explores the idea of anti-inflammatory eating and cutting sugar from your kid’s diet, plus a ton of grocery store swaps for favorite kids’ foods.
11. KID FOOD, BY BETTINA ELIAS SIEGEL
Kid Food: The Challenge of Feeding Children in a Highly Processed World, by a nationally published writer and advocate Bettina Elias Siegel is hands down, one of the best books about kids’ nutrition and healthy eating. The book takes a deep dive into the multitude of factors that make it difficult to raise healthy eating kids. Elias Siegel challenges the idea that kids will only eat kid-friendly foods and explores why kids are offered special treats at every turn.
Be sure to listen to my interview with Bettina Elias Seigel for the “Food Issues” podcast about food marketing, advertisers and kid influencers.
12. TRY NEW FOOD, BY JILL CASTLE
If you’ve done everything in your power to get your picky eating kids to try new foods but nothing has seemed to work, then get a copy of Try New Food: How to Help Picky Eaters Taste, Eat & Like New Foods by Jill Castle, RDN. A workbook, resource, and guide, this book will give you effective, research-based strategies you need to transform your picky eater into an adventurous foodie.
13. CURE YOUR CHILD WITH FOOD, BY KELLY DORFMAN
Written by nutritionist Kelly Dorfman, MS, LDN, Cure Your Child With Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments explores what science reveals about the connections between food and chronic conditions kids face. Dorfman talks about the issues associated with dairy and gluten, brain foods like fish, and how zinc deficiency can cause picky eating.
14. A PARENT’S GUIDE TO INTUITIVE EATING, BY DR. YAMI-CAZORLA-LANCASTER
I’ve been reading more about intuitive eating so after reading A Parent’s Guide to Intuitive Eating: How to Raise Kids Who Love to Eat Healthy, by Dr. Yami Cazorla-Lancaster, I knew I had to include it in this list of best books about kids’ nutrition and healthy eating.
The book includes easy strategies to help raise children who have a healthy relationship with food and how to eliminate stress, anxiety, and mealtime battles. I tried one of Dr. Yami’s strategies, a food play drawer, which is essentially a kid’s stash of treats with no restrictions and it’s been a game-changer for my kids. They know that treats aren’t forbidden and the food will always be there and it doesn’t have the power it once did.
I even had the chance to be a guest on Dr. Yami’s podcast. You can listen to the interview here.
15. GET YOUR KIDS TO EAT ANYTHING, BY EMILY LEARY
In Get Your Kids to Eat Anything: The 5-Phase Programme To Change The Way Your Family Thinks About Food, by Emily Leary, founder of the blog A Mummy Too, you’ll learn a new way of approaching feeding your kids, easy ways to bring more variety in your kids’ diet, plus tons of recipes and activities.
What books about kids’ nutrition and healthy eating have you found to be helpful? Let me know in the comments.
16. FROM MAC & CHEESE TO VEGGIES, PLEASE, BY JENNIFER SCRIBNER
If your kids will only eat a handful of foods, then check out From Mac & Cheese to Veggies, Please: How to get your kid to eat new foods, end picky eating forever, and stay sane in the process by Jennifer Scriber, NTP. In this book, you’ll learn how various factors contribute to picky eating, proven methods to get your kids to be more healthy, adventurous eaters, and how to create a plan for feeding your kids.
17. 101 HEALTHIEST FOODS FOR KIDS, BY SALLY KUZEMCHAK
When you’ve got picky eaters, you want to make the most out of every meals but you may not know the best foods to focus on.
In 101 Healthiest Foods for Kids: Eat the Best, Feel the Greatest – Healthy Foods for Kids, and Recipes Too! by Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, you’ll learn the healthiest foods to feed your kids, how to get your picky eaters to try new foods, and get answers to questions about nutrition topics like protein, juice, and multivitamins.
HAVE YOU READ ANY BOOKS ABOUT KIDS’ NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING THAT YOU HAVE TO BE HELPFUL? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS.
Thanks so much for including my book!
Absolutely!