The reason I began to read this book (Eat This, Not That! for Kids!) is because my sister had high blood cholesterol and high blood fats. It is on nutrition, and most of the book is on what to eat at certain places, including at restaurants, school, and home. Specifically, the major sections are on: 8 rules of kid's nutrition, what to get at specific restaurants (there are a lot of these), what to get at groups of restaurants (Family, mexican, italian, etc.), at the supermarket, at school (Cafeteria, vending machine, packed lunches), at home, and exercise.
A lot of the restaurant information was helpful. I have three warnings: Don't get Chipotle's rice (160 calories, 4 grams fat {0 saturated}, 330 mg sodium, 30 grams Carbs), Chili's awesome blossom (over 2000 calories and over 2000 mg sodium, this nonspecific information is because the adult one is with my sister and she's at college), and DO NOT GET Chili's Pepper Pals® Country-Fried Chicken Crispers. This is the worst kid's meal in america, with 1110 calories, 82 grams fat (15 saturated), and 1980 milligrams of sodium. Anything on Chili's kids menu is better than this, including the corn dog and little mouth burger, but the quesadilla is rather unhealthy. A lot of the book has healthier substitutions for certain foods.
The Supermarket information was also helpful. Surprisingly, Sun Chips are recommended against. Baked! Lay's are better, apparently. Also, no apple chips. They are not incredibly bad, but Nabisco Garden Harvest Toasted Chips Apple Cinnamon are better. Also, these are surprising not thats: Apple Cinnamon cheerios, Yogurt burst Cheerios, Quaker Natural Granola Oats, honey & rasins, Raisin Nut Bran, Wheat Chex, Kashi GOLEAN Crunch! Honey Almond Flax, and these last three are going to be surprising: Nature's Path Envirokidz organic gorilla munch, Kellogg's Smart Start Cereal (There is no FDA definition for strong Heart), and... Kellog's Raisin Bran! (I am telling the truth. Raisin Bran is high in sugars.) A lot of stuff at the supermarket that acts like it's healthy is not incredibly healthy.
Anyway, there are also some healthier-than-usual recipes that are in the book, including Fettucine Alfredo. NO CHEESE FRIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2800 calories and 160 grams of fat per appetizer is way too much. Make homemade cheese fries instead of getting them at someplace like Denny's or Chili's. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but I will try them at some point.
Anyway, I liked this book. Many of these have images to help find what to get. I would recommend this book for parents looking for what to get for their kids, but parents should also look for the regular version of Eat This, Not That!, which is designed for adults.
I'm really excited that you have a chance to share all the good information you have on nutrition. I'm looking forward to following your blog.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I really enjoyed that Thai restaurant in the Woodlands. What's the best thing to have there?
I also have a question. Which is healthier- onion rings or french fries or does it depend on the restaurant?
ReplyDeleteEdejean, I actually have no idea what the best thing to have there is, but, knowing about similar cases, it's probably some vegetarian dish. (That doesn't necessarily mean that it is, though.) Good choices include: summer rolls (not spring rolls), chicken satay, green papaya salad, tofu (no frying, tofu soaks up oil), and pad thai.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous (Sorry, it won't say who you are unless you are signed in to a blogspot account when you comment), onion rings are usually healthier, but there are bound to be exceptions, like for the general rule that appetizers usually make good entrées, but Chili's Awesome Blossom (removed from the menu now) had 2700 calories.
Your blog is very interesting. Yes, I have found that supermarket foods that state that they are low-fat are quite often high in sugar or sodium. I am glad that you stress label reading.
ReplyDeleteI posted an earlier comment, but it was not accepted. I just wanted to say this is a good informative blog. I agree that reading labels is a great nutrition skill. Low fat foods that are said to be healthy can have high sodium and sugar content that are not so healthy!
ReplyDelete"Wolfy", you are correct. Lowfat foods can have a lot of sugar or sodium. By the way, your other comment actually is on the blog. I don't know why it didn't show up on your computer.
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