Superfoods for Children

by Michael van Straten, Barbara Griggs, Kareen Taylerson

How to boost your child's health and brain power, from conception, to baby and toddlerhood, and through the teenage years. Nutritious food is essential for healthy development. Now, with Superfoods for Children, you can prepare delicious and nourishing meals for every occasion and introduce your child to healthy eating habits for life. Over 100 top superfoods. One of the most important requirements for growth and strengthening the immune system is a nourishing diet. Key nutritional needs are outlines for each age group, and there is a comprehensive guide to the 130 top ingredients that form the building blocks of healthy eating for children. From super vegetables and salads to super nuts and fish, here you have all the information you need to feast your growing children on the very best foods available. Healthy eating always. From inviting breakfasts and satisfying suppers to healthy alternatives to fast food and instant snacks for refrigerator raiding, weekly menu plans are carefully adapted for each stage of your child's development. Also, there is advice on the links between diet and allergies, behavioral problems and common eating disorders. Packed with helpful tips on what foods to keep on hand and constructive advice on basic hygiene, this it the ultimate family guide to healthy eating.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2001

About the author

Michael van Straten is an osteopath, naturopath, acupuncturist and nutritional consultant. He’s also one of the UK’s most respected medical authors, broadcasters and journalists and has written more than 40 books, which have sold over a million copies worldwide.

A pioneer of modern complementary medicine, Michael has cared for an amazing list of royalty, stage, film and TV Stars; Pop and Classical Musicians and Sporting personalities from tennis players and Olympic athletes to racing drivers and footballers.

Reviews

[Ebookwormy1]

I suppose if I searched long enough I could find some practical ideas in this book. But I'm returning it to the library.

"Stir-fried broccoli with ginger and garlic" is listed as a lunch option (healthy, but hardly filling), while "Hot Pancetta Savories" is a snack. Nevermind that the savories have pancetta, mozzarella cheese, butter AND olive oil. The facing snack page has "Welsh Rarebit" with butter, cheddar cheese, and creme fraiche (what is that?). These are very high calorie options for snacks, and one would be better with the broccoli.

Parents should not be deceived. Although this book makes lots of attempts with international titles and ingredients: exotic/ ethnic/ non-American does not make healthy.

And the condescension is annoying. Thanks for telling me my meals should be well planned with an eye toward healthy serving selections and sizes. "Danger foods for four to five year olds are still the high-sugar snacks, breakfast cereals, and soft drinks that you have been keeping from your toddler. If you don't buy them they can't eat them -- and they're not healthy at any age" pg. 89.

This bit from page 164 is priceless, "The last meal of the day is a great opportunity for you and your children to quickly and easily prepare a nutrition-packed meal together and eat with one another in a relaxed atmosphere." One wonders if the authors ever had children under the age of 14 in the house, much less more than one at a time.

Six Superfoods to focus on getting into your elementary school child include: "Sardines: Another great brain-food, because they are loaded with iron and zinc plus lots of calcium. Persuade children to enjoy eating the bones" pg 93 (yeah, right!). Yet a quick check of the index indicates this is the ONLY mention of sardines in the entire cookbook. No recipes, no tricks, no make it yummy by, just get your kid to eat it. Thanks, hypocrites. Instead we have recipes for Rarebit and Pancetta snacks. Nonetheless, the authors have to nerve to assert, "Every recipe in this book is nutritious, delicious and healthy" (page 118). I beg to differ.

A lot less pretense and a lot more budget, time and health minded practicality would go a long way to actually helping parents cook better meals for their children. Too bad, I'm sure some of the recipes, somewhere in here, are good.

[Emily]

This is the kind of book I would like the own for the reference material and recipes. I didn't love the writing beyond the nutritional information, it was a little too steeped in an overly organic opinion that was written in a way that turned me off to it.

Again, I really loved the nutritional information and easy meal suggestions and recipes, and may check it out from the library multiples times because of this. It got me very excited about feeding my family wholesome, nutritious foods.

[Mandy]

I enjoyed reading the first section of the book regarding which foods were "superfoods", and it was an easy read. I realize the importance of eating organic, however not everyone can afford to do so.
The second section with meal plans and recipes was quite unrealistic. What child is going to eat sardines with mayo, or spinach, as a snack?? I have read other books in the past that provide superfood-containing food that children will actually eat.

[Suki]

The recipes aren't normal easy recipes, but some of them were good (all the ones we've tried so far have been good anyway). They don't tell you what a serving size is. An adult serving? A child's serving? The info about the super foods was a good read.

[Mamafeelgood]

Not all that great. Totally not what I was looking for but would be good if you want to know what nutrients are inside of what food.

[Katy]

There are some ingredients that I have never heard of before. Not sure I can get my kids to eat as much fish and lamb as they suggest. Good book and good ideas though.

[Kristin]

This book was ok, but some of the recipes were absurd! What kind of kid is going to eat sardines with mayo? I would not even eat that.