If you have kids, work with kids or are ever responsible for feeding kids – you need to grab this book. “Eat This, Not That for Kids!” is the second in the series, written by Men’s Health magazine editor-in-chief David Zinczenko. 
The book is a fun, colorful and highly informative read that points out the hidden truth behind more than 1,000 “kid” foods you find at the supermarket and on kids’ menus.
We think it’s best read with your children, so they can learn about nutrition right along with you- rather than just accept the food prepared for them. When you both better understand nutrition and what you’re putting in your bodies, it’s easier to encourage one another.
Eat This, Not That for Kids! takes a hard look at everything from the cereal aisle, to what your kids pack in their lunch boxes, to what the waitress delivers at a restaurant.
In the cereal aisle, they identify seven cereals you should be stocking your pantry with- based on lowest calories, fat, sugar and highest fiber. For the same criterion, they identify seven cereals your kids shouldn’t ever eat.
If you send your kids to school with a sack lunch- are you watching what you pack? School lunches are notorious for providing kids with high-calorie, high-fat, high-sodium processed foods. Packing a lunch gives the opportunity to provide children with wholesome, nutritionally balanced meals that will give them the energy to run and think their way through the day. They advise whole grain sandwiches with lean meats like turkey, snack that go further than cookies and chips like veggies, fruit and nuts, and drinks like milk, water or 100% juice.
The next time you go out for dinner, see how the restaurant scored on the Eat This, Not That for Kids! Restaurant Report Card. They investigated 43 major U.S. chain restaurants based on calories/meal, soda alternatives, nutritious vegetable side dishes, and even took away points for having trans fats. Here’s a list of a few restaurants that made the grade and failed to live up to expectations. Some of the restaurants received Fs because it’s their official policy not to publish nutrition information (that’s an entirely different rant for a different post).
Chick-Fil-A: A (the only solid A on the list)
Subway: A-
Wendy’s: A-
Olive Garden: F
IHOP: F
Applebee’s: F
TGIFriday’s: F
A fair number of Bs went to KFC, McDonald’s and Panera; Cs went to Taco Bell, Burger King and Au Bon Pain; Ds earned by Chipotle, Dairy Queen and Baja Fresh.
Ensuring kids make healthy decisions about the food they eat starts at home. This book makes it simple and fun for parents to educate themselves and their children about the healthiest ways to eat. Other features in the book include “Drink This, Not That,” “Ten Healthy Foods that Aren’t,” and “The 8 Foods You Should Feed Your Kid Every Day.”
See our full review of Eat This, Not That for Kids!
See the original adult-size Eat This, Not That review
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The book described “super powers” attributed to each type of vegetable and fruit, which really hooked the kids into eating different ones.
this is the most stopedest book i have ever heard of in my libe