Broccoli Boot Camp Resources

In 2018, Dr. Laura Seiverling co-authored a book, entitled “Broccoli Boot Camp: Basic Training for Parents of Selective Eaters” with Dr. Keith Williams, the director of Penn State’s pediatric feeding program.

Broccoli Boot Camp is a comprehensive guide for parents of children who are selective or picky eaters, and can be used with children with or without special needs (e.g, autism or Down syndrome). It presents commonsense behavioral interventions to successfully expand children’s diet variety and preferences for healthy foods.

The book starts with the simple premise that when children are encouraged to taste and consume tiny portions of new foods, repeatedly and with lessening resistance, they learn to accept and enjoy the foods as part of their regular diets. Real-life, compelling case studies and abundant research findings support the authors’ advice on how to overcome a child’s selective eating. The book describes ways to increase compliance, factors to consider when choosing an intervention, and strategies to shape behavior.

Finally, five intervention plans are presented with step-by-step procedures, modifications, and tips on maximizing success. Parents can choose the intervention which works best for their family’s circumstances. The book also contains forms to track data, incentives, and meals, and a behavior contract to use with older children. Broccoli Boot Camp gives parents the tools they need to promote healthy eating for their child as well as improve the family mealtime experience!

Below you will find several datasheets that may be helpful in tracking a child’s progress as one of the Broccoli Boot Camp Interventions are put into place.

Food Exposure Datasheet

Taste Session Datasheet

Mealtime Datasheet

Order Broccoli Boot Camp here