It features heart-healthy recipes that are written in easy terms a junior chef can understand, and are designed so children can make them on their own or with an adult s help. The recipes were submitted by students at James B. Edwards Elementary School, which is in a business-education partnership with MUSC Children s Hospital. Also, most of the cookbook s art is the handiwork of students. But the cookbook has a far more important goal than simply teaching kids to cook, said Lisa Giles, a registered dietitian who co-wrote the book. American children are more overweight than ever before, largely because of too much processed and fast food, and too many inactive hours in front of the television or computer screen, she said.
Childhood is the perfect time to change all that.
To Cook Book was developed to help parents in their daily efforts to teach children how to eat right. Peter C. Gazes, M.D., professor of medicine, said there are national studies that show children as young as 2 years of age can have high cholesterol levels and the beginning signs of heart disease, especially when there is a strong family history of the disease. That s no wonder when you consider that kid-pleasing foods such as hamburgers can have as much as 30 to 40 grams of fat apiece. It s extremely important to develop good eating patterns early, Gazes said. It s what you re reared with that stays with you later on.