The Dinner Diaries - a book review

I recently finished the book The Dinner Diaries: Raising Whole Wheat Kids in a White Bread World by Betsy Block. I bought it because the title really reflects what we're trying to do as parents. The book is about a mother of two - including one very picky kindergartener - trying hard to make her family's diet both ethically sound and super healthy.

The book is chocked full of information - vitamins, eating locally, eating sustainable foods, whole grains, fish, and more - but it's written in a conversational, anecdotal way. It was funny, sometimes a little disheartening (since I'm after some of the same goals), and sometimes inspiring reading of her family's trials as they worked to change their diet. The kids (and sometimes the husband) were resistant to all of the changes and compromises had to be made along the way. I loved that even though the book was about very high-minded eating concepts, it never felt preachy. It's just a book about one mother's quest to do what she feels if right for her family.

I learned a lot from the book, and it's a great jumping off point for my own nutritional education. As much as I enjoyed the book, though, I did find myself skimming a few sections - especially sections that I wasn't as interested in for my own family (like eating locally - a wonderful thought, but not one that I'm going to put into practice in my current location) - and sometimes wishing for more in depth information. Still, for what it was, I thought it was an enjoyable and humorous book, and it will stay on my shelf for me to refer back to.