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"Hi Karen, I've just received your newsletter and have to add my comment re: your "Don’t tell them it’s healthy" book. I received it the other day, sped read it and tried it out on my 3 yr old girl today who has point blank refused any veggies unless she is unaware she's eating them e.g. in a (very labour-intensive) pattie. When I read your paragraph about your girl eating a whole bowl of vegies once you marketed them the right way to her, I thought "Oh, I wish, but there's no way Sophie would swallow that". Well, today at lunch time I presented her with a bowl of stir fried vegies with rice and sold it to her... And, blow me down with a feather - SHE ATE THE ENTIRE BOWL!!!!!!!!!!! After lunch she asked if we could have vegies at dinner too. I really hammed it up and made it funny and she laughed a lot but she was really taken by the ideas and then really proud of herself for eating "like a big girl". I'm just thrilled and hope it continues! Tomorrow I will start on her brother and how fast vegies will make him run ... Thank you for your book, it’s just what I needed!"
Patricia, via email
“For someone who struggles to read a page a month of any book I just gobbled down your book. Thankyou for taking the lolly argument out of my life! I love saying is "is it lolly day?". The dreaded bday party lolly bags...
How about starting the "dont tell them it's healthy lolly bag"?
"Brainy" bread has had a big impact. Ed who is 6 is very excited about the human brain and the rest of the body. Over night he went from white bread to grain bread. We talk a lot about the brain and nerves getting together, sending out different messages to the different parts of the body. It's lots of fun! Veggies are coming along slowly. Carrots, beans, peas and corn are the regulars. Salad is the killer. Bit by bit he is increasing the amount of lettuce on his home cooked burgers. Now if you could work out a way to market "sleeping through the night" to my 11 month old... Thank you thank you thank you."
Robyn Bernstein, mother of two
"Hi Karen,
Could not wait for the book (Don't Tell Them It's Healthy) to get delivered to my door so I could start reading it. And it was fantastic! I loved it! I am still laughing just thinking about when I told my 4yr old girl about power fruit. I was still reading the book when she came into my room:
daughter: mummy, I'm hungry (afternoon tea time)
mother: what would you like to eat?
daughter: give me 4 choices.... (because she is 4)
mummy: let's have some fruit
daughter: no, that's boring, what's another choice?
mummy: come on let's have some kiwi fruit
daughter: oohhhh
mummy: did you know that fruit gives you lots of power?
daughter: power????
mummy: yeah, power fruit gives you lots of energy so that you can run faster, and jump higher too
daughter: what else?
mummy: and it gives you power so that you can swim faster and dance for longer
daughter: yeah see watch me run fast..... (running on the spot!)
mummy: wow, that's fantastic, lets go get afternoon tea now and let's see how much more energy you will have then!
And off we went! seriously, it was amazing, and we have been talking about it for weeks now! And she will come out with things like "yeah lets have some power fruit so I can dance for a really long time". And when we are at the markets, she picks the "power fruit" that she would like to eat. And as for vegies, it is working well too. And for "sometimes food", you made a lot of sense. I would constantly say no to certain foods saying that we can only have them sometimes, but I never explained when that would be. So their "treat" for the week is "Nutella sandwich Tuesday" which is only to be on grain bread (white bread no longer exists in our house). This also works fantastic. No more "Can I have a Nutella sandwich today?" which I was dealing with almost every lunchtime... I am so glad that I was able to read your books."
Jasmin Santosuosso, via email
“I have a 3 year old daughter who was an incredibly picky eater. She would not eat vegetables and I'd have to bribe her with treats to get her to eat anything healthy at all. I was starting to become obsessed with her eating habits and nutritional intake. My focus was becoming quite draining for me and I'm sure my little girl was picking up on my intense meal time energy. I was so relieved to read "Don't tell them it’s healthy", and to know there was practical help out there for us parents of fussy eaters. I felt supported and inspired by Karen's words and advice, and as I spanned the pages of the book I felt the stress lifting from my shoulders. I could not wait to take my new and creative outlook on food to the dining table. I am really thrilled to say that Karen's tips and advice have substantially improved my daughter's eating habits and made meal times fun. Food is now an inspiring substance for both my daughter and myself and I'm sure my little one feels empowered by choosing to eat vegetables that will "make her dance like Angelina Ballerina!" Thank you Karen for making meal times fun again.”
Penne Dennison, television presenter and mother of two
"A healthy child is a happy child and in our busy world filled with fast food options, I want to make sure my daughter Charlotte’s nutritional requirements are met. Don’t Tell Them It Is Healthy is full of simple, practical tips to ensure Charlotte eats a balanced diet and will also help give her the life skills to make her own healthy eating choices."
Dr. Katrina Warren, television presenter, vet and mother of one
“Our children are suffering from the effects of too much junk food, but simply damning the stuff is unlikely to help many to change their poor eating habits. It's so much better to look for positive suggestions and this book has some wonderfully creative ideas that could really turn your child on to healthy foods. Read it and benefit from Karen's practical experience and her infectious enthusiasm.”
Dr Rosemary Stanton, Nutritionist OAM
“Don't Tell Them it's Healthy is truly original. It is easily digested and unique in that it offers true benefits for both parents and children. The phrases that we have had ingrained into our psyche since childhood such as "Eat all your dinner if you want desert" seem to become an automatic negotiating habit when raising our own children. This makes no sense considering these sort of demands often result in stress on both the parent and child. The simple and effective alternatives that Karen's book provides for parents struggling to get their children to eat healthy foods on a daily basis not only work! but also empower the child so we can treat them as intelligent beings. Don't tell them it's healthy begins the process of educating and enabling children to make their own food choices, that will become imperative to their health and self-esteem in teenage years. Pink porridge, fresh fish and vegetables, kiwi fruit, tuna and salad wraps and mashed orange potato are now amongst the most frequently requested foods in our house on a weekly basis by my two children (aged 7 and 3). Thanks Karen!”
Louise McGregor, Mother of Morgan, 7 and Sophia, 3, QLD.
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