Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Health: Birth Through Age Six
This book tastes great and it's good for you, too.Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Health: Birth Through Age Sixis based on the principle of "metabolic programming," the scientifically rooted idea that foods eaten in early childhood directly affect the function of individual cells that control strength, intelligence, the immune system, and other vital functions. Think of it as a convoluted molecular take on the old maxim "You are what you eat." Genetics and other external factors also play a role, of course, but those factors are beyond our control. What goes on the dinner table, however, is not. The point of this book is to help parents teach their kids tolikehealthful foods, thus getting them into a lifelong habit of eating well and staying healthy.There is a fair amount of science in this book, but the clear writing and good organization make it go down easy. Particularly helpful are the numerous graphs and boxes that highlight such topics as the best sources of calcium and iron (and why too much iron is dangerous), the differences between breast milk and formula, the eight key nutrients for different ages, and how to identify and even prevent allergies and intolerance to certain foods. The recipes, sample meals, healthy snacks, and tips for dealing with finicky eaters are alone worth the price of the book.Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Healthis an invaluable guide to ensuring that not only will your kids eat their vegetables, they'll even ask for seconds.--Shawn Carkonen