Readers familiar with the popular Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! will find this book similar in formatexcept this time the content is aimed at kids.
The book consists of seven chapters. Here's a brief rundown of what you can expect from each:
-Chapter 1 covers "8 rules of kid's nutrition" which includes such advice as "never skip breakfast" and "snack with a purpose"
-Chapter 2 discusses choosing the right foods at fast food restaurants such as Arby's or Applebees
-Chapter 3 talks about "menu decoding". Since the book can't cover every restaurant you'll ever eat at, it teaches the reader how to read a typical menuwhat to look for, what choices to make. It does this by going over general menus of Chinese restaurants, Mexican restaurants, etc.
-Chapter 4 goes over making proper buying choices at restaurants. Here the reader is taught how to read labels.
-Chapter 5 covers eating at schools, which means, of course, the school cafeteria. Vending machines choices are also included because most schools (unfortunately) have them.
-Chapter 6 discusses eating at home. A nice touch here is the sample menus and recipes.
And last but not least, Chapter 7 talks about exercise. Included are sample activities to keep your kids fit. I personally suggest trying a pedometerkids like to fiddle with them and counting steps is fun too.
All-in-all, I found this to be a great little book and actually quite fun to read with its many pictures. With good knowledge in hand, the only other obstacle a parent faces is getting their kids motivated to carry out the advice in the book.
In parenting as in life, it's all about making good decisions. The trick is knowing which choices are the right ones. This small colorful book tells you very simply which food choices are the right ones. It not only tells you, but also shows you with hundreds of color photos. Although it is supposedly for kids, the information is useful -and fascinating -for anyone.
We've all heard the scary statistics about the rise in obesity, especially in children. Food marketers are doing everything they can to keep that trend alive. According to the Federal Trade Commission, kids ages 2 to 11 will see 26,000 TV ads this year, 22 percent of them marketing food. "The message -that junk food equals instant happiness -is one that sticks with a child for all his life." Eat This Not That! gives sound advice on how to combat this problem.
The first chapter has eight simple rules for kids and families to follow:
Rule #1: Never Skip Breakfast. Ever.
Rule #2: Snack with Purpose. (A good idea: popcorn; not the kind saturated with butter and salt, but natural popcorn. Another good idea: Kids must ask permission for a snack, but never need permission to reach for a piece of fruit.)
Rule #3: Beware of Portion Distortion. (A good idea: Buy smaller bowls and cups.)
Rule #4: Drink Responsibly. (A good idea: Keep cold, filtered water in a pitcher in the fridge.)
Rule #5: Eat More Foods and Fewer Science Experiments. (A good rule of thumb: The shorter the ingredient list, the healthier the food.)
Rule #6: Set the Table (A good idea: Keep mealtimes as structured as possible.)
Rule #7: Kick the Sugar Habit. (A good idea: Eliminate foods with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup at the top of the ingredient list.)
Rule #8: Eat the Rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple foods have a multitude of benefits.
You'll be surprised, finding out whether some foods are on the good or bad list. Learning that Applegate Farms organic uncured turkey hot dogs are on the Eat This! side isn't so surprising. But José Olé shredded steak taquitos? Breyer's Double Churn creamy vanilla bean ice cream? It seems "Double Churn" is Breyer's code word for low-fat, which makes this dessert a go. Oscar Mayer bacon scores a Yes, while Oscar Mayer turkey bacon scores a No, because of the extra sodium in the supposedly more healthful turkey option.
I had to wrestle Eat This Not That! out of my 14-year-old daughter's hands to write this review. She was captivated, poring over it exclaiming on the different foods we now eat that we should swap for others. She wailed when she saw the Cadbury Creme Egg as the very worst in the "Worst Candy" section. And she can kiss those Hershey's Kisses goodbye. Oh no! Sun Chips are on the Not That! list! Some of her favorites were on the Eat This! list, though: Marshmallow peeps, Tootsie Pops, Boca burgers, Eggo Nutri-Grain low-fat waffles, MultiGrain Cheerios, Egg McMuffins and Kraft Tangy Italian spaghetti dinners.
I could go on and on about this book. It covers school cafeteria food, fast-food restaurant food, vending machine snacks, kid-friendly recipes, how to read nutritional labels, holiday meals and fun exercises for kids of different age groups. Each food lists its complete nutritional information, including the portion size, calories and grams of fat and sugar.
Other books I recommend on this topic: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, and Deceptively Delicious.
Here's the chapter list:
1. Feeding the Future; The 8 rules of kids' nutrition
2. At Their Favorite Restaurants; The best and worst meals at 40 fast-food and chain restaurants
3. The Eat This, Not That! Ultimate Menu Decoder; Strategies for eating right at any restaurant
4. At the Supermarket; The complete Eat This, Not That! For Kids! grocery list
5. At School; How to survive and thrive in the cafeteria and beyond
6. At Home; Making your home the healthiest in the neighborhood
7. A Legacy of Fitness; Shed pounds with your kids with these fun family activities
Buy Eat This Not That! for Kids!: Be the Leanest, Fittest Family on the Block! Now
I bought the kids version of Eat This, Not That because I regularly eat kids meals at restaurants. My theory was, if its for kids, the calories have to be less and the portions better controlled, right? No!
This book showed me that not only do the kids meals often have just as many if not more as the adult meals, but in the wrong combinations and can quite bad for you.
For example, I often eat the PB&J at Panera Bread, with the squeeze yogurt on the side. Organic peanut butter and grape jelly, organic yogurt...what could go wrong? 470 calories, 17g fat and 19 grams of sugar is crazy!
Who knew that McNuggets are better for you than the hamburger in a Happy Meal? Not me.
It is great that the book has easy to make substitutions and ideas to get the most nutrition you can out of a fast food meal. This is a great book for any family to keep in the car for those meals on the go. Everyone can make the most informed choice possible!
Read Best Reviews of Eat This Not That! for Kids!: Be the Leanest, Fittest Family on the Block! Here
This book, like the original is entertaining, but not exactly the best nutritional advice. It is important that the reader understand that the Author of both of these books compares similar products and decides which is better between the two. That being said, something listed in the "Not That" page such as Danimals Yogurt on pg 169, is not necessarily worse to eat then the Nacho Doritos on page 186 listed under "Eat This". If you understand the authors intent, this book may help you to choose between two very similar products. Realize, however, that "Good" and "Bad" are relative in relation to the two particular products being compared.
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I absolutely love this book. I thought I was making healthy food choices before (and I was, for the most part). But this book opened my eyes to some shockingly bad food choices I was making. It also surprised me to find out how deceptively some food was marketed as healthy when it was anything but. (Organic "health food" cereal with as much sugar as a soda, for instance .. who would have thought??!!!)
I'm so glad I bought it .. you will be, too! I was so impressed that I even bought extra for other family members!
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This is a great cookbook for those wondering what they can eat after learning they are lactose intolerant or must maintain a gluten-free diet. The answer is: A lot of nourishing food that also is healthy. The author does an excellent job of introducing recipes to non-cooks who in these days of chosing prepared food from the grocery aisle no longer remember how mom or grandma boiled an egg or mashed potatoes from scratch. That's where the healthy comes into play. No additives in these recipes, just as advertized, it's home-style cooking and it's delicious.
