How can I make sure that my child is well nourished? How can I restore good relations between parents and children in our family?”

Only people with a first-hand experience with fussy and picky children can fully grasp the challenge for the family. In this guide, three renowned professionals join forces to help families deal effectively with the issue:

Pavlos Sakkas, a professor of psychiatry, analyses step by step how the family meal may well turn into a conflict between child and parents, emphasises the danger of the ever-lurking anorexia nervosa and shows how to eliminate these issues.

George Moustakas, a paediatrician, offers helpful information and tips for children's nourishment and redeems the reputation of tasty foods such as butter, chocolate, salt, etc.

Eirini Togia, the internationally famous and global award-winning chef better known as "Rena tis Ftelias", shares Mediterranean-style recipes that appeal even to the fussiest children.

The guide is also a source of practical, hands-on tips and insights described through real-life personal stories of adults who had been fussy themselves or who had picky children. The experts’ comments on the stories shed more light and reveal hidden aspects.

Finally, the book provides useful advice gleaned from recent academic studies, surveys, and researches, a world bibliography, and guidelines from the National Health System in the UK (NHS Choices).

Editor's preface

It is not by coincidence that the authors and the editor of this book are all of the Mediterranean origins. In this part of the world, food is a severe issue! The same applies to the family. And they are best expressed together on the occasion of a joyful family feast.

So, in the Mediterranean culture, a picky or fuzzy eater is a matter of concern that is worthy of attention. A holistic approach was the concept of the first edition, published earlier this year in Greece. It aimed to help expand a child’s appetite as well as to highlight the family dynamics that may trigger this kind of behaviour.

The success of the first Greek edition as well as substantial research evidence suggesting that these issues are, after all, common around the world, led us to this enhanced international publication in the English language.

Introduction

If you are reading this book, there is a good chance you may feel challenged by a child’s eating behaviour.

What is a fussy or a picky eater? Is there a difference with neophobia? Yes, there is.

What is the primary root of the problem? Parents' behaviour and their relationship with their children.

Do you know that if you change the colours and taste, with appropriate preparation, of the main foods that are usually rejected by picky children, the same children will eat them up?

These are only some of the topics covered in the following chapters of this guide: Fundamental rules for parents to obtain and increase skills in building consistent and straightforward behaviours in their children with delicacies and children-friendly decorated dishes.

Parents' anxiety control and their knowledge about the phenomenon and its types and what is normal or not remain a key. Because the solution requires knowledge of the problem for the parent to ask for help promptly from a doctor who is the only person and professional that can help solve this issue.

This is the goal of this guide which covers eating difficulties from toddler age through to adolescence in five sections.