Child-Nutrition Books

I purchased this book because I was looking for a cookbook where it is easy to spot not only GFCF recipes, but also egg free recipes as my son has an egg allergy in addition to being on the GFCF diet. I was very excited to see that at the top of each recipe is states which allergens were present in each recipe. Much to my dismay, many of the recipes which state they are egg free are in fact not egg free when you scroll down and read the ingredients. These mistakes defeat the whole reason I purchased the book. The recipes I tried that are truly egg free were good.

This book is great, it has more than just great recipes, it teaches you about the reasons the food is bad or good for autistic people. It taught me alot about different alternitives to the bad foods we are putting in our children. It has al the foods my picky little girl will only eat, and now she can safely eat them.

I bought this for the recipes and was impressed with the first 80 or so pages about gluten and other foods and their associated problems. I found out why my son's ears always seemed to turn red! It's easy reading and with every page I said, "Oh, that's me or my son and now it makes sense."

I'm thinking about buying a 2nd copy to give my neighbor so she will see the light.

The recipe section was just okay. I love to cook so I'm just adapting my current recipes.

I enjoyed this book both for the informational perspective in the first half and the recipes in the second. I have a VERY picky son and I think there are some interesting(and surprisingly easy) recipes I'll definitely try. Also inspired me to come up with a few new recipes of my own.

This was my first GFCF cookbook, so I really valued that the first chapters focused on the significance of the special diets, the biology and chemistry behind them, testimonials, and even saying the diets didn't work for everyone. On the downside, sometimes the charts provided were a little confusing and I found some conflicting info. On one chart it said to avoid lactose (pg 35), in another section it said lactose is ok in a casein free diet (pg 44). Maybe I missed something. There is a good variety of recipes. It's not just a kid's cookbook. They include everything from making your own pizza crust to asparagus vichyssoise. There are really good dessert recipes too. You may have to go to a specialty store to get some of the ingredients like xanthan gum and ghee. (they didn't have those at my local store anyway) All in all, I think besides looking up the occassional recipe online, this is the only cookbook I'll need.

I bought my copy of this book 11 years ago just after the birth of my first child. Two more children later and I still refer to it constantly. Every symptom and concern is covered and the guidelines are easy to follow. I constantly recommend the book to other new parents and give it as a gift often.

This is the greatest parenting book as it pertains to childhood illnesses. It goes into nearly every imaginable illness kids get, and gives the parent lists of symptoms to watch for, as well as instructions for each. It advises the parent as to which symptoms require a doctor's office visit, vs. symptoms which can be treated at home.

This, along with the book "Meditations For New Mothers," are my two favorite books to give at baby showers.

Our pediatrician told me to get this book shortly after my first child was born. I was a newby and everything was an emergency to me. This book makes an easy and ready reference to know what is an emergency, when to call the doctor, and when your child is just doing what is normal. I have three kids and still refer back to it as each child has been different.

This is a reference for everything from chicken pox and eczema to discipline strategies and how to deal with a picky eater. Hands down the best book for parents. It has saved me a fortune in unnecessary doctor bills.

This book is an absolutely wonderful reference, and I recommend it for any home with children! It was given to me as a shower gift by a Nurse. The information is never overwhelming and is always helpful. It contains information on just about everything you can think of from physical illnessnes to sleep problems, nutrition, discipline and behavior, etc. When my child was having problems sleeping through the night, my pediatrician gave me a handout, and I noticed it was a xerox copy from this book!! The suggestions worked like a charm for my son's sleeping, and I've been using the book exclusively ever since. It has never steered me wrong. Definitely buy this!

I am a mom of three and this is the shower gift I have used more than anything else. The corners are bent and the front cover is missing as I use this ALL of the time. There is practical information for everything from disapline to disease. I buy this book everytime I'm invited to a baby shower as I know it's a must for every new mom.

I am a big fan of the Sears Parenting Library. This is a great book for parents needing ideas on getting their family to eat healthier. It is a good start for families who eat too much junk- and fast-food. It emphasizes whole foods in their natural state, which I wholeheartedly agree with.

I love the Sears family for promoting Attachment Parenting and helping parents make informed decisions regarding their children's health. However, this book does not bring anything new to the table in terms of scientific information on nutrition. It holds the party line on popular nutritional myths, like saturated fats being dangerous and animal meats being unhealthy. Science and history do not support these conclusions. On the contrary, saturated fats are especially essential to children's development, and consumption of animal foods is the only way to ensure proper levels of certain critical nutrients.

For parents interested in the very latest on raising healthy children from preconception forward, I recommend Healing Our Children: Because Your New Baby Matters! Sacred Wisdom for Preconception, Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting (ages 0-6) by Ramiel Nagel.

I can't praise this book enough. It explains, in detail, why certain things are worse for you than others (i.e. hydrolized fats, refined carbs, etc). The chapter are short and structured well so you can finish a chapter quickly and if you leave the book and come back there are no problems understanding what you read.

This book is great. I appreciate the thorough information it gives you to really have a good understanding of how different foods cause your body to respond. It also gives straight forward advice on substitutions and recipes that are realistic for a family to use.

Super informative and he writes so you can truly understand what he is saying. I find it encouraging too. :)

I'm a big reader and this is BY FAR the best book I have read ever!! There's a lot of information in it so get your highlighter out and highlight top points to help remember. There is so much information about becoming more nutritious but Sears simplifies it in a way that you will completely understand. He teaches you how to read lables and shows you how the market tries to trick you with their nutritional labels on the product. I actually got angry with the market a few times because I thought I was eating a healthy product but in fact it wasn't any better than the origina. I recommend this book to ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY whether or not you have children. You will have a completely different look upon nutrition after reading this book. Loved it!!

My husband ordered this book when we decided to put my son on a gluten-free diet. I was looking mainly for a gluten-free cookbook with some helpful hints included. Half the book is about the author's story and theories about why the diets in this book should be followed. For the most part I don't agree with her theories. The cookbook part is okay but so far has not really been the taste of my family. Also there are a lot of recipes for muffins and desserts which I don't really need because stores have a lot of gluten-free snacks. I am really looking for more meals I can cook my family.

I bought several books/cookbooks re: going GF/CF and this is the one I find myself using the most. I especially like the author's comments/suggestions on how to make the recipes easier or get better results. My son is in the process of being diagnosed with ASD and in the two weeks we have been GFCF we are seeing exciting results.
I also want to add that I made the Pearsauce bread recipe using applesauce and adding nutmeg and raisins and took it to a work potluck... nobody knew it was GFCF and they loved it!!!!! Several people wanted the recipe. Also a great resource for what to avoid and a sample letter to teachers/therapists that I found helpful! Can't wait to get her other book!

I found this book to be extremely informative and would recommend it to anyone considering a special diet.

This was the first book I read before starting the GFCF diet. It gave a ton of information. Some easy to understand, some, I hate to admit, went over my head unless I really had the opportunity to concentrate! The one thing I strongly disagree with is the assertion that this diet is not much more expensive than what you're spending now in cow's milk, etc. It totally is- even if you bake from scratch. All the specialty flours, etc. really add up. The switch to rice milk is a bleep on the checkbook balance compared to the switch to gluten free cooking and eating.
All in all, I'm very happy with this book. Some recipes are better than others, but the wealth of over all information in this book is great. I would definitely do a search for better prices, though! I found it for around $30.

I recommend this book for the GF/CF recipes. My only problem with the book was there were typos, apparently not proofread very well for spelling. If you want more in depth reasoning behind the diet, I suggest the book Unraveling the Mystery of Autism... by Karyn Seroussi.

Loving kids doesn't mean feeding them Mc Donalds and Ice Cream to make them feel good like my wife and I have done for years.

My wife and I are borderline obese if not obese and are kids and even our dog were starting to look like us.

What a nightmare!

By doing some of the things in this book we've been able to get a hold of our families runaway lethal eating habits.

I lost 10 pounds in 1 week by just increasing my fruit and green leafy food intake alone and cutting out milk.

Nothing extreme and no starving. Just eat lots of fruit, fresh veggies, raw nuts and seeds and beans.

Thanks Dr. Fuhrman.

This changed the way I thought about food, how I feed my kids and my husband. It changed my view in so many different aspects. i got a group of ten people together and we all did the six week plan. It was super difficult, but an awesome experience knowing that I could control myself in that way.

This is the fist book I've read that was written by Dr Fuhrman, so his theories were very new to me. I'm not sure what to think of his theories, to avoid meat and dairy all together. I will need to do more thinking and researching before I decide whether I want to follow his advice or not, but it was an interesting view point. The book did make me look at what I eat, and realized that fruit, veggies, and nuts were only a small part of my diet, so I'm trying to eat more of them. I give it 4 stars because although I don't agree with everything he says, I did find the book interesting.

This book contains a lot of valuable info for those who may not be in the know about sugar, processed foods, or artificial ingredients. I do feel that there is a bit of fear-mongering, but in today's world I would rather see a little of that than what I see many parents feeding their kids (especially when these same parents are constantly wondering why their kids are sick all the time!). For those of us who are health-conscious and raising our children to be so as well, this is a lot of "preaching to the choir" - but a little reinforcement never hurt anyone.

One caveat - he does advocate using soy milk and other soy products. I am not 100% anti-soy, but I feel that one needs to use soy sparingly, and as un-processed as possible.

Just an FYI for those who are not familiar with Fuhrman, he is an advocate of a raw diet... while there are some cooked recipes in this book, and even a couple with meat, a lot of them are raw.

I've tried a bunch of the recipes and my family enjoys them. The date-nut pop-ems were a huge hit with my toddler and she requests them often.

This is one of the BEST books I have read on nutrition and living healthy. The other BEST book I have read in the same regard is Eat To Live by same author Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Both books are a "must read". Dr. Fuhrman offers practical, straightforward informantion and anyone can comprehend and apply to their daily lives. His plan is simple and makes complete sense as we are faced with daily pressure to eat fast food,junk food and foods loaded with sugar, fat and preservatives. Some nutritous food may not always be as convienient as fast food but nutritous food won't kill you, fast food and junk food (empty calories) will. I plan to read all Dr. Fuhrman's books and apply his plan to my daily living.

Our pediatrician recommended this book to start feeding our new baby. I love every page of it! I always hoped to be able to whip things up the way my mom did when we were kids... I just read this book and have come to find ALL of my mom's little tricks are in here. Now, I have all the tricks too. Milk carton blocks, homemade play dough, bugs on a log snacks.... Can't wait until I can buy this for another new mother!

I always give this gift to new Moms. I have my own copy that is 21 years old and falling apart. My kids still use it to make dough and play dough - even the 21 year old college student who uses the dough as a stress reliever during finals!

This book was recommended to me by my mother--who used it as a resource when feeding my sister and I! Lansky's information has stood the test of time, and while she has updated the material she has not erased the good old practicality that my mother enjoyed when she used it 28 (okay, almost 29) years ago. My daughter is a very picky eater--by which I mean not so much restrictive food preferences as a basic lack of interest in eating whatsoever--and this book has some good stick-to-one's-ribs ideas for foods that pack a significant nutritive punch. Lansky's writing style is down-to-earth and conversational; she is helpful and informed without being overwhelming.

I have an old and worn copy of this book that I used for my sons (now 34 and 32 years old). I bought a copy of this one and "The Taming of the C.A.N.D.Y. Monster" book for my daughter-in-law to use with my grandson who is 21 months old. It is chock full of ideas for food, crafts, etc. and was very helpful to me when I was a young mother.

I had my first child in February and shortly after my Mom gave me her all of her Mommy secrets... It was this book. I grew up eating all this stuff and doing all of these things and I loved every bit of it. Now that I have my own Baby it has been so wonderful to revisit the wonderful recipes from my childhood. Whats even better she left me all of her little notes of leave this out and add this here and there. I'm looking forward to using it as much as she did.

Don't skip over this book just because you don't have kids! I got this book as a gift 5 years ago and it is definitely the most well-used cookbook in my kitchen. Lots of tasty one-dish meals and good leftovers. I like to make something on Sunday and stretch it through the week, and I come back over and over to certain recipes like Red Lentil Soup and Red Bean and Quinoa Chili. And the Luscious Beet Salad with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds has converted me and multiple friends from beet-haters to beet-lovers! I also find that the recipes are very easily adaptable so you can substitute or add what you have on hand, and that the tips, techniques and ingredients in the book have generally contributed to me becoming a better and healthier cook.

Quit feeding your children fast food. These recipies are great and great tasting, my kids love them.

I was hoping for something with easy recipes that the whole family could enjoy together, but this is not it. A lot of the recipes are really unsuited for babies, and they instead give "baby" versions at the end that consist of reserving one of the ingredients (e.g., brown rice) and pureeing it plain--not exactly nutritious. (These are often followed by "children's" versions that necessitate picking out selected ingredients that may--or may not--appeal to kids.) There are too many grain-based recipes for my taste (deep-fried millet croquettes...red bean quinoa chili) and a lot of nuts (bad for babies), sea vegetables and permutations of soy (tofu, tempeh, tamari) which I personally am not interested in serving due to all the recent scrutiny of soy products as hormone disruptors (also a possible allergen for babies). It is really sort of an Asian-inspired/macrobiotic vegetarian cookbook (Tempeh Bacon is one of the recipes). "Whole Foods," in my mind, should feature fresh, minimally processed, natural, localized ingredients, but this seems to require endless trips to the health food store to purchase products such as seitan and kudzu. There is a lot of great nutritional information at the beginning of the book discussing babies and breastfeeding mothers, and some seemingly good sugar-free desserts, but I am sort of disappointed that the majority of the recipes are not palatable for the whole family (or easily modifed so that older babies can enjoy what everyone else gets).

This is a good book if you are looking for recipes for a family, however, I thought that it was lacking in recipes and information as first solids for babies (which is what I expected). I think it's it great for families with children 2 years and older. The recipes are focused on adults first, then younger children, then babies. So, if you are looking for recipes exclusively or primarily for babies-- this is not the right book.

"Feeding the Whole Family" by Cynthia Lair really is for the WHOLE family - and that includes infants and young children. Lair, a certified Health and Nutrition Counselor, devotes a whole chapter on starting your baby on solid foods. From there, she gives practical tips and advice on how to attract your children to healthy food. Lair also discusses the importance of whole, organic foods and well-balanced meals.

And then it's on to the recipes. A cool feature is that almost all of the recipes give suggestions for how it can be prepared for a baby. Many also include variations to make the dish more appealing to children. The cookbook includes the following sections:

Basic Grain and Bean Cookery: A good reference for basic cooking of whole grains, pastas, and beans.

Bustling Breakfasts: Recipes include Whole Grain Baby Cereal, 5-Grain Morning Cereal, Nut and Seed Granola, Buttermilk Banana Pancakes, Tofu Vegetable Breakfast Burrito, and Tempeh Bacon - no eggs here!

Lively Lunchboxes: This section has great ideas for kids lunches. We loved the Sesame Noodles and I am looking foward to trying the Tempeh Avocado Sushi Rolls, Mad Dog Rice Salad, Quick Lemon and Garlic Quinoa Salad, and Apple Miso Almond Butter Sandwich.

Soothing Soups: We loved the Red Lentil Soup with East Indian Spices, Split Pea Soup with Fresh Peas and Potatoes, Creamy Broccoli Soup. I still want to try the Thick Potato Cauliflower and Dulse Soup.

Substantial Suppers: The Pan-Fried Tofu and Greesn with Almond Ginger Drizzle was a huge hit with my family. Still on my list to try is Polenta Pizza, Black Bean Tostados, Nut Burgers, Seitan and Shiitake Mushrooms in Cashew Mirin Sauce. This section does contain some non-vegetarian recipes for salmon, shrimp, rainbow trout, and chicken.

Vital Vegetables: There are lots of recipes for greens as well as many salads. Our favorite so far is Susan's Succulent Supper Salad. The dressing is so good - actually it has become my staple dressing.

Fresh Breads and Muffins: I just made the Homemade Whole Grain Bread yesterday and that's when I knew I had to get this review written. It was probably the best bread I have ever made - soft, light but still hearty. It rose perfectly and tasted great. There are also some recipes for muffins and pizza dough.

Sauces and Stuff: Recipes for sauces, gravy, dressing, marinade, ghee and curry paste.

Wholesome Desserts: Lair gives an explanation of alternative sweeteners, plus tips for replace eggs and white flour in baked goods. The Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies were great - crispy and delicious. I'm dying to try the Blueberry-Strawberry Tart but the kids keep eating the berries before I get around to making this. There are lots of cookie and cake recipes. The frostings are kind of unusual - I haven't tried any yet.

Natural Drinks and Brews: Teas, nut milks, cold and hot drinks.

As you can see, this a very comprehensive cookbook- full of helpful information and delicious recipes. Though it is mostly vegetarian, there are a few meat recipes - so this cookbook is great for anyone wanting to eat a whole foods diet.

Maybe it's a little too long? Maybe the text (like many books of this genre, it just lists the words, nothing else) isn't captivating enough? Perhaps it's the illustrations? I just don't know.

I do like that there's a guide in the back explaining the history of every bit of produce listed in this book (this book only mentions plant foods, so it's great for veg*ns), with a pronunciation guide.

Just wish the girls liked it as much as I do. I knocked off a star for that.

This book was a terrific find and our first introduction to the world of Lois Ehlert's illustrations. She beautifully illustrates fruits and vegetables as the alphabet marches forward. I began reading the oversized boardbook version to my baby son when he could only enjoy the visual play...then I used it to help introduce new fruits and vegetables into his diet and now we use the words for practicing new syllables, and building vocabulary. In contrast to others, I love that the fruits and veggies are a less realistic, a little abstract or stylized. I get to point out the real ones in contrast and he begins to use his imagination to associate the two. He happily brings it to me to read or to point out whatever new word he wants to learn. Babies and children have preferences just like adults. I wouldn't judge a book because my son wasn't interested...it could become his favourite in another month or it might not. I do know that through this book and my son's enjoyment of it, I have been interested in more of Elhert's books and building our library for when his interests expand since she has demonstrated such a delightful way of exploring a subject.

Everywhere we turn we find Lois Ehlert books. From our local library to our boys' school book bag, Lois' books keep popping up. As I write this, our twin 4 year old boys are downstairs with their daddy getting ready for sleep while they guess away with enthusiasm at the contents of Eating for Alphabet book, all fruits and veggies. The illustrations are wonderful; the large type is perfect for children who are learning their letters and words. What is best about several of this inspired writer's books is the focus on growing the foods we eat and imparting that to our kids. Our boys' first choice is Lois' Vegetable Soup book. Eating the Alphabet is a close second. In this crazy, over-processed world, all of Lois' books are fun, inspired and offer the gift of a much easier and simple-pleasure world for our children to enjoy and cherish.

This book is great for infants on up! It is bright and introduces fruits and vegetables not always encountered in baby food. Our toddler is now learning her alphabet and it is perfect! It also has given her ideas of new things to try.

My son will read just about anything. He devours books. But not this book. This is probably the only book on our bookshelf that has never requested we look at or read. This book has no text, just watercolor paintings of the fruits and veggies. But the images are not all that easy to differeniate from one another. If, like an infant, you had not yet experienced this produce, I think that you would be unlikely to link the pictures in the book with the real thing in the grocery store or garden. I was disappointed with this book, as is my son, apparently.

This book is a great tool to have if you are ever wondering how to boost your children's immunity. Rules to live by for families!

I like the basic concepts of this book. I think we can improve our immunity with choices that we make with nutrition, etc. However, I don't agree with the advice of rice, barley cereals being the first choice for foods other than breast milk. If you look at the childs digestive system, it is very weak and immature. These cereals are only going to smother the digestion causing inflammation. I like to start with puree of white root vegeatables.
All of this said, I do own the book and encourage parents to read it and begin to think with these concepts.

Everyone knows how vague pediatritions can be as far as nutritional recommendations. This book was such a relief to read. It is a guideline for daily nutrition as well as a reference for "sick days". It is specific regarding amounts of dairy, vegetables, fruit, meat, and supplements in a child's diet. It is very easy to read and is sectioned off so you can refer back to certain time periods in a child's development (pregnancy, baby, toddler, school-age, etc..) In addition to his knowledgable chapters on dietary recommendations, he includes a chapter of recipes to implement his suggestions. I have tried some of these recipes with great success. I highly recommend the pancake recipe! My son has not been ill as of yet and his digestion has improved greatly! I am so happy I purchased this book and I would not only recommend it, but buy it for any of my expecting girlfriends!

The book Superimmunity for Kids has eyeopening information on the connection between kid's health and their eating habits. Easy to read, easy to comprehend and easy to implement.

HI, I was just browsing through this book online and I came across the paragraph on jaundice and breastfeeding. This information was supremely inaccurate on this particular subject. The book says that breastfeeding makes jaundice worse and that you will have to stop nursing for your child to be cured of it. I am a very well read La Leche league member and breastfeeding is well known to reverse jaundice by helping your baby to excrete the bilirubin build up. The more often you nurse the faster your baby gets rid of the dead red blood cells. It is the best treatment for jaundice despite was this book says. Stopping brestfeeding during the crucial first weeks is dangerous for your baby's nutrition and immunity and bad for mom in terms of losing your milk supply and suffering engorgement or mastitis. Other than that topic I didn't read the rest of the book so it may otherwise be a good book.

I have a picky eater. I think he may be pickier than the children in How to Get Your Kids to Eat... But Not Too Much by Ellyn Satter. I don't know if her advice really speaks to my problem. It's helped make it less of an issue and that may be helping him to eat more and get ready to try different foods.

Basically, Satter's premise comes down to this: "It's my job to give him healthy meals and snacks but it's his job to eat it." It sounds simple enough and maybe by reading this book I've decided that my son's eating really isn't so much of a problem. I'm learning to let him do his thing and since I've done that he's started putting different foods in his diet and he's starting to eat a bit more. It's making meal times less stressful so I'll give it that.

The other thing I took out of this book is scheduled snack times. Maybe he's just not hungry when he comes to the table. I'm trying to work snacks into a schedule but I don't want to be too quick to do so. I'd rather he not notice that there seems to be something changing.

I'm hoping that the book has helped me to be a better parent with food. I know it's an issue for me and I don't want it to be an issue for my boys too.

How to Get Your Kid to Eat: But Not Too Much

I am a big fan of Ellyn Satter's work. I have read all of her books and have gained something new from each one. If you have already read Child of Mine, you will notice a repeat chapter or two, but overall new information that supports good child feeding practices.

Never hurts to review the division of feeding technique. It can take awhile for new habits to "stick" and learning to trust your child is difficult.

I have used this technique with both my children successfully. Many surprised people comment on how well my two year-old eats! No mealtime issues for us.

I am a registered dietitian and highly recommend this book. I have heard the author speak too and believe in her methods.

I use this book in my practice to loan out to new mothers and also as a reference.

We hear it all the time that most children are picky eaters and go through food jags. However, as often as we hear it, when your child does it there is still stress. First time parents have a difficult time dealing with the ups and downs of their child's food intake. This book is a great resource and provides some really practical advice on how to make mealtime less stressful for everyone. It is written by a registered dietitian with a good deal of experience counseling parents and children. I got this book during my child's second year, so the advice she gives on the younger years I did not utilize and skipped over. What she suggests does work, and I find I just don't get uptight about how much he's eating. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.