false 4 10 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 18 19:22:59 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 21 20:58:17 -0700 2008 Eat This, Not That! For Kids! - the thing that I was most struck by was the fact that the cover the book was pointing toward Spaghettio's as the "eat this" option over Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I couldn't figure out what kind of book (purportedly about healthy eating for kids) would ever recommend Spaghettio's in any way, shape or form. I checked it out of the library on a lark, thinking that it was going to be a waste of time, but I have to admit that a part of me wanted to gawk at it.

I was wrong.

Eat This, Not That! For Kids! addresses the current nutritional state of our kids, and how (for many) it's not good. Obesity rates are up, and for the first time in generations our kids are now projected to have shorter life spans than our own. What this book does is to give nutritional info about fast food, grocery food, school lunches and more but in a really smart way - by comparing it to each other. You're not always learning what the healthiest option is, but you're learning what the better option is.

Why wouldn't you always want the healthiest choice? Well, in an ideal world you would, but it's not bad to know if you end up at McDonald's what your smart choices are. And you could look that info up on the net (McDonald's does post its nutritional info, unlike some other fast food chains) but did you know that their Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips have 133 calories each, compared to just 45 for a Chicken McNugget? Or that you could be adding between 50 and 200 calories to those depending on which sauce you choose?

OK, that's not exactly rocket science, but there's more. Want to know what the twenty worst foods for your kids are? How about Cap'n Crunch - it's one of the biggest sources of empty calories you can feed your child (aside from the smidgen of government-mandated added vitamins). Did you know that Hi-C has more sugar than Coke? Or that Dairy Queen still deep-fries its food in partially hydrogenated oil? Know those cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster? They have 9 grams of fat EACH.

I quickly became addicted to this book.

It gives the nutritional lowdown on fast food restaurants. Did you know that it's not unusual for a kid's meal at a fast food joint to have around 1,000 calories??? (The recommended daily calorie intake for a 12-year-old is 2,000 calories.) At Cosi's (one of the lowest-rated restaurants) the Kids Pepperoni Pizza has 911 calories, 43 grams of fat, and 2,731 milligrams of sodium - as much salt as you'd find in 15 small bags of chips.

Here are some fast food restaurants that won't provide nutritional info for their food (what's up with that?): Olive Garden, Applebee's, IHOP, Outback Steakhouse, and T.G.I.Friday's. This book estimated the nutritional values of many of their dishes through independent research and consultation with food nutritionists in order to figure out what the best options are (granted, these aren't great places to end up eating, but who hasn't?).

In the grocery store, it compares commonly purchased items and gives healthier alternatives. The fun part of this section of the book is paging through and seeing how many familiar items you purchase that are in the "Not That!" page (well, I guess that's the kind of scary part, too). The good news is that they're giving you a healthier option. This section inspired me to purchase Skippy Natural peanut butter instead of regular Skippy (which contains hydrogenated oils) and to take a pass on my usual Sun Chips (not that much better for you than regular chips, I learned). Ranch dressing? No more. I'm moving to Annie's Naturals Buttermilk Dressing (same taste with half the calories). And no more white rice (nutritionally empty). We're going to try quinoa, instead (we'll see how that goes).

A lot of what this book comes down to is that if you had two options, and one had trans fat or more calories or more sodium, why wouldn't you choose the healthier option? This book shows you the healthier option.

Did you know that regular soy sauce has half your recommended daily sodium intake in just one tablespoon? (I can't stop.)

I highly recommend this book. You'll learn a lot about nutrition in a fun and informative way. And it's a service to your kids. There's just so much added sugar and crap in food products for kids today, and you should really know what they are so that you can make good food choices for them. And this book isn't a super-preachy always-do-this and never-do-that kind of book. It just gives you the tools you need to choose wisely.]]>