The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood: Ten Ways to Get Your Family on the Right Nutritional Track by William Sears
Reviewed by Shannon Wortham, Community Health Education Center Intern
The Sears family has written a virtual parenting library with over thirty books covering the gamut of parenting topics from pregnancy nutrition to disciplining your toddler. This book is a fine addition to that library. In this book, William and Martha (as well as their sons James and Robert) discuss nutrition and how to eat right in a fast food world. The other topics covered in the book include tips to deal with problem food areas such as carb or fat to dealing with eating habits like grazing. The impetus for this book was William Sears' experience with colon cancer. He retells how this life threatening event caused him to re-evaluate his dietary habits and by extension, the habits that his pediatric patients were being taught. After combing through mountains of research, he arrived at a healthy approach to food.
This book argues that our modern food choices are strongly contributing to a rise in obesity, diabetes, certain cancers, fatigue, and even such conditions as attention deficit disorder. The cure is to become educated about the food we eat, make smarter choices, and teach our children early. The book includes information on the right kind of fats and carbohydrates, on the timing of certain foods (carbohydrates make you tired so don't eat them before any period when you need to be alert.) The Healthiest Kid talks about the types of vitamins, minerals, and essentials (amino acids, omega 3s, carbs and others).
Sears says it is okay not to be perfect. In fact, if your kids get the occasional yucky food feeling, it can remind them why your family eats healthy foods.
Community Health Education Ctr RJ206 .H34 2006 Non-circulating
To view this title or other health-related books visit the Community Health Education Center (CHEC). The CHEC is located on the ground floor of the VCUHS Gateway Building on the MCV campus.