When her children began to face health issues due to food allergies, Erica Reid took matters into her own hands by working alongside professionals and experts to help find a cure for the allergies that plagued them. After she started to see results from her experience, she felt that it was only fair to help others by sharing the lessons that she learned, and in turn wrote "The Thriving Child." Continuing her desire to help, she created the cookbook, "Shut Up and Cook!"