Simple & Savvy Strategies for Creating Healthy Eaters Paperback – July 16, 2009

The book delivers what I expected from the title, and more. For the size of the book, Beverly presents an enormous amount of information related to feeding a family, covering details from the max number of days to store breast milk to the proper cooking temperature of a beef roast. All the factual information she presents aligns closely with the latest research on the subjects, lending the impression that she isn't just a nutritionist, but a good one.

The book is very readable. My wife picked it up and read through it in an evening, and I did the same. Our children are 3 and 5, so the sections regarding infant feeding weren't relevant. I read them anyway, because I wanted to compare her advice with what we experienced. Everything presented was spot-on, describing situations better than I would have. For example, when first time parents ask me when to introduce solids, I've always answered, "don't worry, you'll know." Beverly describes it perfectly, "...moves his head easily and watches intently as you eat. He may reach for your food or make sounds while you eat. Your child is telling you..."

We found ourselves bargaining with our 5 year old to get her to eat foods that were not her favorites. My wife and I have differing inclinations for dealing with it. I lean towards punishment, "no vegetables, no dessert." She goes out of her way to present them with only foods they will eat. We know both inclinations have negative future returns and we needed some fresh strategies. This book delivered.

I'm withholding the fifth star because the book is filled with grammatical errors, starting in chapter 1, sentence 3. Most of the errors would have been caught by a text editor with grammar checking enabled. Even a final pass by a proofreader should have caught most of them. While the writing and content is excellent, the editing of the book is amateur.

I use to tell people the only baby book you WILL ever need is Baby411, now I tell them to buy Simple and Savvy TOO! I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old and I attribute all of their FANTASTIC eating habits to Beverly! They eat hummus, veggies, fruits, SALAD, brown rice, seafood, sushi, edamame...pretty much everything. (Not big fans of carrots but then again neither are their Mom and Dad!)

Beverly's book is wonderful and we refer to it often, but long before her book she was a lifesaver. She was the nutritionist in my 5 year old's infant class. I could not understand why we needed a nutritionist when we were all holding babies who were breast-feeding or drinking formula...but 5 years later I can tell you it all makes sense! Healthy eaters are created YOUNG with first foods and introductions (and repeated introductions) to a wide variety of foods.

I had no idea hummus could be baby food. Or that I could scoop avocado into my child's mouth right from the source! Beverly takes the guess work and headache out of feeding your little ones...makes it fun...and most of all makes great sense!

We are not perfect and our kids get their fair share of sugar and what we call "fun foods" (like McDonalds) but it sure nice to not have to rely on chicken nuggets and hot dogs in order to get my kids to eat.

Beverly also has lots of tips and tricks for those who missed the window early on....it is never to late to start your kids on a healthy path and relationship with food!

You will love this little gem of a book!

I'm amazed every time I open this book at how chock full of fantastic information it is! Beverly Pressey lays it all out in a clear, concise, and highly readable way - everything from snack ideas and healthier treats to serve at birthday parties to strategies for picky eaters and translations of food labels. She provides a wealth of information about proteins, carbohydrates, and different types of fats, as well as clear guidelines for milk and juice. Within the first few pages of the book, infant feeding is fully covered, then allergy issues are quickly addressed, and the rest of the book is devoted to eating strategies, nutritional information, and meal ideas. This is not a recipe book, since Ms. Pressey is keeping it simple for parents with busy schedules. Instead she offers suggestions for grocery planning and quick-serve foods that can be combined to make healthy meals.

The rules around eating are clear as Ms. Pressey lays them out: you as the parent decide what to serve and when to serve meals, and your child decides what foods from the selection to eat and how much. There is no force-feeding, deception, bribes, or trickery in the eating strategies she discusses. If you don't want your child to eat a particular food, you don't offer it. If the child decides not to eat much at a meal because he doesn't like the food, then he will be hungry and will make up the calories in the next meal. You don't have to give in to their favorite foods just to get your children to eat. This is marvelous news!

I haven't seen any other book on this topic that covers so much material, gets to the point so quickly, and is so easy to read. I think every new mom and a lot of frustrated moms would use this book again and again. It's a great gift for baby showers and also a good 1st birthday gift idea.