One complaint that is heard often in GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet) circles is that the children are picky eaters. You hear that the child will only eat french fries, and macaroni and cheese and you might think, “What? If that were MY child, that would not happen.”
Or maybe you are a grandparent whose grandchild is super picky and you just wish you had a few days with the child because obviously the mother is spoiling the child.
Well, I can tell you it is not as simple as that, and thankfully not because I've had first-hand experience. However, I have heard many stories from overwhelmed and frightened parents whose children have issues with food. I have wished to have something to point people towards, to gain more of an understanding of why children are picky and to begin recovering. It is not just being willful and disobedient, there is very likely something else going on that is causing the problem.
I can tell you from my own personal experience, that I am a much less picky eater, having done GAPS, so I know it has a lot to do with gut health.
Today, I am reviewing an e-book called Why My Child Won't Eat, which is written by my friend and affiliate partner, Mary Voogt. Mary has up close and personal experience with children who are picky eaters!
And finally, I have that resource I can point people to, which can help them with their children who won't eat, or have eating issues.
Mary has three children and has had unique and different feeding challenges with each one. She has learned to get her children to take a bite without struggling and she wants to help you do the same!
In the first chapter, Mary shares the eating experiences with each of her children. This is very helpful, it's almost like she's submitted her resume. This gal has been in the trenches, she's experienced the tummy aches, the daily battles, the meltdowns, tantrums, and the poor sleep. She's had issues with nursing infants, all the way up to her ten year old. 
In Chapter 2, Mary is going to touch on what she means by real food, and in Chapter 3, she's going to address the topic of gut healing because if you find that your child has allergies, oral aversions or any other ongoing eating challenge, it most likely is related to gut health.
In Chapter 4, Mary will tell you how to observe your child for reactions. If your child is super picky, is underweight or constantly scratching, it is very likely that they have some allergy issues. Mary is going to share a list of reactions your child can have including physical, mental and neurological. You'll learn of some ways for testing for allergies, and Mary will also discuss oral sensory processing disorder (SPD), tongue and lip ties.
In Chapter 5, Mary will discuss feeding infants from birth to one year of age. You might be thinking it's simple, just fix a bottle, or breastfeed the child. But if your child has allergies or feeding issues it is not that easy. Mary is going to talk to you about your diet, too, and how it can affect your baby.
Chapter 6, Mary's focus is on toddlers, and what she refers to as the “most pivotal stage of feeding a child has…” In this chapter, Mary is going to help you to get your child to eat anything. She shares all her tried and true tips and tricks. She shares that she used these tips to get her toddler from a point of literally eating one or two bites of food a day, to eating three full meals and snacks.
Chapter 7 is about feeding children past the age of two. Mary shares new strategies to implement as your child gets older than will make meal times more enjoyable and less of a battle! In this chapter Mary reminds us that “true picky eating is not due to strong will or defiance. It is caused by an inflamed gut.” It really helps me so much when I know someone is ill, to be extra tolerant of their behaviors. 
Chapter 8 will be a discussion on health tips for the whole family, and how important it is that the whole family is a part of the healing process. After all, if one of your children is a picky eater, likely the others are. You may even be a picky eater yourself, and didn't realize it.
Chapter 9 will offer cooking tips, and Chapter 10 is where the recipes begin! At the very end of the book, Mary shares resources for books, websites, articles, and where to sources real food products.
“Don't let food restrictions overwhelm you. There is plenty of good, nourishing food for everyone. You just have to get creative sometimes. You can do it. I'm here to help.” ~Mary Voogt Just Take a Bite
As I mentioned, I am an affiliate for Why My Child Won't Eat. If you purchase using my link, I will earn a portion of the sale price. Click here to get your copy now: Why My Child Won't Eat e-book
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