Just Add S.P.I.C.E.

Do you like reality television shows that focus on healthy lifestyle changes but find yourself yearning for more information on how those transitions took place? Then you'll enjoy Just Add S.P.I.C.E. because it picks up where reality television shows leave off.

Just Add S.P.I.C.E. is a documentary geared towards families with children between the ages of 3 and 6. But unlike Super Nanny or The Biggest Loser, you won't find clips of melt-downs and chaos in the home. Instead, the show is monotone in nature and focuses on in-depth instruction with visual follow-up.

The video showcases four families.

The narrator (a soothing male voice) gives a brief overview of what's going on with each family as we watch the families move throughout their days.

Then Ronnie Leiderman, the show's host, takes the time to explain her S.P.I.C.E. program and what steps are needed to implement her program into that family's specific lifestyle.

Once we see the families grab the basics of Ronnie's program we fast forward two months to see how the program has changed the way the families see food and interact with each other.

One thing that will be instilled in your brain is the acronym S.P.I.C.E. While I found the explanation of the acronym valuable, I have to say that after hearing it once, it could've been edited out with the other families. It's too repetitive to share the complete explanation with each family within such a short video.

Another thing I found annoying about the video is that it doesn't transition easily from one segment to the next. You literally have to hit the "play" button for each section. And the bonus sections don't feel like bonuses at all; they're more like clips that were edited out of the main features.

That being said, there is a lot of valuable information within the video. Information like:

• Eating together allows parents to model healthy eating habits.
  
• Eating together as a family increased healthy communication and builds stronger family bonds.
  
• Increased physical activity will help remove negative behaviors.
  
• Keep healthy snacks within your child's reach at all times and allow them to snack on these items without having to ask permission which teaches children to make healthy decisions on their own.
  
• Keep unhealthy snacks out of your children's reach and require them to ask permission to eat these items.
  
• Increase positive behaviors by encouraging children. Notice the good behavior and acknowledge that behavior.
  
• Ignore children's negative behaviors when it's safe to do so by distracting and redirecting.
  
• Organize physical environment and remain consistent to avoid power struggles.
  
• Respond to your children, the same way, under specific behaviors.
  
• Make food preparation fun by creating structured activities that focus on both ingredients and cooking.
  
• Limit the amount of junk food in the house. A well-stocked junk food cabinet is only going to reinforce their desire for that type of food and make it difficult to reinforce the healthier choices.
  

Aside from seeing the families eating healthier, you see a positive change in how the children interact with each other and with their parents. And though we don’t see a whole lot of fighting amongst siblings or between the parent and the children in the film, both the narrator and Ronnie make it a point to state that there is far less fighting and that behavioral change is due to the choices the parents made based upon the S.P.I.C.E. program. In case you're wondering, here's what the acronym means:

S – Structure = Physical Environment
P – Praise = Encouragement
I – Inspire = Role Model
C – Consistency
E – Enjoy = Time Together

Ready for a lifestyle change? Order Just Add S.P.I.C.E.: A Recipe for Happy Healthy Kids 3-6 today.

Disclosure: I was given a sample to review. This is "my opinion" of the product. I was not paid to give a positive review.