Health & Nutrition

Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food

Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food By Jessica Seinfeld"It has become common knowledge that childhood obesity rates are increasing every year. But the rates continue to rise. And between busy work schedules and the inco

It has become common knowledge that childhood obesity rates are increasing every year. But the rates continue to rise. And between busy work schedules and the inconvenient truth that kids simply refuse to eat vegetables and other healthy foods, how can average parents ensure their kids are getting the proper nutrition and avoiding bad eating habits?

As a mother of three, Jessica Seinfeld can speak for all parents who struggle to feed their kids right and deal nightly with dinnertime fiascos. As she wages a personal war against sugars, packaged foods, and other nutritional saboteurs, she offers appetizing alternatives for parents who find themselves succumbing to the fastest and easiest (and least healthy) choices available to them. Her modus operandi? Her book is filled with traditional recipes that kids love, except they're stealthily packed with veggies hidden in them so kids don't even know! With the help of a nutritionist and a professional chef, Seinfeld has developed a month's worth of meals for kids of all ages that includes, for example, pureed cauliflower in mac and cheese, and kale in spaghetti and meatballs. She also provides revealing and humorous personal anecdotes, tear-out shopping guides to help parents zoom through the supermarket, and tips on how to deal with the kid that "must have" the latest sugar bomb cereal.

But this book also contains much more than recipes and tips. By solving problems on a practical level for parents, Seinfeld addresses the big picture issues that surround childhood obesity and its long-term (and ruinous) effects on the body. With the help of a prominent nutritionist, her book provides parents with an arsenal of information related to kids' nutrition so parents understand why it's important to throw in a little avocado puree into their quesadillas. She discusses the critical importance of portion size, and the specific elements kids simply must have (as opposed to adults) in order to flourish now and in the future: protein, calcium, vitamins, and Omega 3 and 6 fats.

Jessica Seinfeld's book is practical, easy-to-read, and a godsend for any parent that wants their kids to be healthy for a long time to come.

Bob Greene, author of The Best Life Diet:
"I found the techniques for adding vegetables to meals extremely creative and the recipes fantastic! Deceptively Delicious is a must have for your healthy kitchen."

Questions for Jessica Seinfeld

Amazon.com: My seven-year-old inspects the food on his plate like a hawk (if there was a hawk that only ate bagels and macaroni). Anything with the least bit of color goes untouched. What's a mom or dad to do?

Seinfeld: Two of my three children were exactly the same way. The vegetables, which I worked hard to prepare, not only went untouched, they were often insulted ("Eeewww...!"). And the harder I pushed them to eat good food, the harder they pushed back. We were literally ruining each other's meals.

That conflict was the inspiration for the book. I realized I wasn't going to win the power struggle, so I decided to join them on their turf. I started with the foods they would eat (chicken nuggets, tacos, macaroni and cheese) and I added a pureed vegetable of the same color. So if your child only eats macaroni and cheese (or noodles and butter), you should add cauliflower or yellow squash puree, which utterly disappears. Everyone wins: they get the nutrition they need and you get the satisfaction of doing a better job as a parent.

Amazon.com: That same picky second-grader will often try something new one time and declare he likes it, but the next time we serve it, he seems to have lost his spirit of adventure and won't eat it again. Any advice?

Seinfeld: First and foremost, remember that not every meal you prepare for a child will be a success. Kids at this age are naturally testing preferences, pushing boundaries, and changing their minds. That's part of their development and those are urges not worth battling. As I learned the hard way, the more pressure you apply, the more kids will "hate" certain foods. And, while it would be nice if kids had a "spirit of adventure" when it comes to food, I've found it's best to eliminate adventure and stick to the basics--foods they already love, laden with added nutrition they don't know is there. Finally, be consistent, firm and patient. I have a rule in my house: you don't have to eat what's on the plate, but what's on the plate is all that's being served. Eventually, they come around.

Amazon.com: Are your kids interested in cooking yet? Are there ways to introduce healthy eating habits with the child helping in the kitchen?

Seinfeld: My children are interested in baking because they love any excuse to be around sweets. But I make sure whatever we bake has pureed veggies in it and is actually low in refined sugar. So my children actually think baking cakes, brownies, and cookies with sweet potatoes, carrots, or beets is the proper way to cook.

Amazon.com: What are your kids' favorite recipes in the book?

Seinfeld: Every recipe in this book is a favorite. I've tried out countless creations on my kids, and if they didn't love them (which happened frequently!), they didn't make it into the book. But, if pressed, I will say they are crazy about the tacos, the chicken nuggets, the brownies, the pancakes, and my birthday cakes. [See her recipe for delicious brownies made with carrot and spinach.]

Amazon.com: I have to ask it, since I know many readers will: do these recipes require a squad of personal chefs to prepare, or can a busy mom or dad without seven years of Seinfeld residuals put them together by themselves?

Seinfeld: I'm a busy mom with three kids, a job, and a husband who travels constantly, but I'm uncompromising when it comes to my kids' health and nutrition. Leaving that to someone else is out of the question. My parents had three kids and both worked too, and we always managed to eat healthy meals as a family. That's the standard I've always wanted to meet. So when I started creating recipes from my pureed veggie experiments, I had three criteria: my kids had to love the food, the preparation had to be quick, and the process had to be simple. Believe me, if I can do these recipes quickly and easily, ANYONE can.

Amazon.com: How are the reading skills of Sascha, your oldest child and pickiest eater? Have you blown your cover by publishing your secrets?

Seinfeld: My daughter is almost seven and she not only can read, she's fully aware that her mother cooks with vegetables all the time. Two years ago, she was a picky four-year-old who thought she hated vegetables. But once she was converted and started seeing those purees going into the desserts she loves, she started to ignore the fact that they were going into the rest of her foods as well. Now it's the only kind of cooking she knows. So, to anyone with young children--start cooking Deceptively Delicious food when they are young! It's much easier than trying to change habits later on.

Super Baby Food

Ruth Yaron cares deeply about what your baby is eating--so much so that her bestselling Super Baby Food is encyclopedic in both scope and size. Ounce for hefty ounce, this manual/cookbook/reference guide is worth its weight in formula, packed as it is with detailed information on homemade baby food, nutritional data, feeding schedules, cooking techniques, recipes, and other invaluable feeding tips. Yaron builds her compelling argument for making baby food at home on the simple premise that food profoundly impacts health, especially when an infant's developing digestive tract is involved. Parents will learn why babies should start out on rice porridge, bananas, avocados, and sweet potatoes before advancing to more difficult-to-digest foods such as wheat cereals and milk products. While Yaron's passionate stance and vegetarian bias may turn off some parents, others will be grateful for her strict attention to potentially harmful additives and chemicals. No matter what their eating philosophy, most parents will appreciate the economy and surprising ease of making baby food at home. This is not gourmet cooking; all you have to do is learn how to boil water and operate a blender. For veggies, simply steam some vegetable chunks and blend. For baby porridge, just grind some whole grains in a blender and boil. It's that simple. And when you're feeding your baby, simple is best. --Sumi Hahn

ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING you should know about feeding your baby and toddler from beginning solid foods through age three years. How and when to start your baby on solid foods, with detailed information on the best and safest high chair, spoons, bibs, and other feeding equipment.

Which foods to introduce to your baby during each month of his first year, with details on proper food consistency, amount, and temperature. How much you can expect your baby to eat and drink during the months of her first year with information on her digestive system at each age. Interesting details on your baby's physical, emotional, intellectual, and psychological development as it applies to self-feeding and mealtimes; how you can increase your baby's or toddler's self-esteem and self-confidence during mealtimes.

The age you can expect your baby to start finger feeding, drinking from a cup, eating table foods, and self-feeding with a spoon and fork. If you choose to make homemade baby food, this book will give you the knowledge and confidence to make your own healthy and safe homemade baby vegetables, fruits, cereals, meats, and other Super Baby Foods. Extensive information on food allergies; foods considered choking hazards; foods likely to cause digestive problems in young babies; and safety precautions to prevent burns and poisoning.

Thousands of money-saving and time-saving child care and kitchen tips. How to make meals fun! Food decorating! Cute cake patterns! Toddler party snacks and favors! Many other entertaining ideas! More than 350 quick, easy, delicious, nutritious, and sometimes entertaining recipes for babies and toddlers, including imitation homemade recipes for: Pop Tarts, Grape Nuts and other breakfast cereals, instant breakfast drinks, hot chocolate mix, Shake-N-Bake, Pam, Fruit Roll-Ups, Stove-top Stuffing Mix, homemade vanilla extract, Hamburger Helper, and more. So much cheaper and healthier (no preservatives needed!) to make for your toddler and family! Recipes for homemade play dough, finger paints and brush paints, bubbles for blowing, and dozens more children's arts and crafts recipes and ideas. Ideas for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, birthday parties, and homemade toddler toys and gifts.

All about nutrition and your baby, including nutrient tables of all major vitamins and minerals with convenient baby-sized portions to help you be sure that your baby is getting proper nourishment. How to save money by making homemade yogurt, fruit leather, and how to grow sprouts, fruit plants, and herbs in your kitchen for fun and food. Easy, economical recipes for homemade baby accessories, such as baby wipes, diaper cream, and many more.

Baby-safe and environmentally-friendly recipes for household cleaning products, such as baby-safe drain cleaners, furniture polish, window cleaners, and more. These recipes cost only pennies to make and are so safe that most are actually edible!! Tips for removing crayon, spit-up, and urine stains from baby clothes, carpets, and furniture. This book is the most complete and well-researched baby food book on the market today. Even though it is 600 pages, it is cleverly designed for the busy parent to read only a small part each month as baby grows.

Top 100 Baby Purees: 100 Quick and Easy Meals for a Healthy and Happy Baby

Babies grow more rapidly in their first year than at any other time in their lives, so how you feed your newborn will be one of the most important decisions you make for your new baby.

Making your own baby food is not only more economical than buying commercial brands, it also assures that your child consumes only the freshest, top-quality ingredients. British television personality and children's nutrition expert Annabel Karmel's essential collection of best-ever purees grants new parents their wish: one hundred quick and easy recipes that will make for a healthy and happy baby. From first tastes and weaning, right through to meals for older babies, all the recipes are suitable for children aged six months and older. And with all these fruit and vegetable favorites, and innovative fish, meat, and chicken purees, the dishes are so tasty you will want to eat them yourself!

In addition to easy and delicious recipes, Top 100 Baby Purees also includes information on:

• Weaning your baby and transitioning to solid foods
• Food allergies
• Time-saving food preparation tips
• Freezing and reheating your homemade baby food
• Tricks on finding the hidden nutrition in everyday foods

Featuring a preface by Dr. Michel Cohen, New York pediatrician and author of The New Basics: A-to-Z Baby & Child Care for the Modern Parent

Blender Baby Food: Over 125 Recipes for Healthy Homemade Meals

Making nutritious, homemade baby food has never been so easy!

Baby food doesn't have to come in jars, and making your own at home is not difficult. Baby food is strained, puréed or mashed adult food - just a different version of the food you prepare for yourself.

Here are three good reasons to make baby food at home:

1. Knowing what's in it, therefore ensuring healthy and wholesome meals.
2. Tailoring the texture to your baby's preferences.
3. Shaping baby's tastes and helping him/her learn what fresh foods taste like.

Whether choosing to make all baby's food at home, or just some of it, the blender is a great way to offer new flavors in a baby-friendly texture. Once a child begins to eat table food, there is always an occasion for a fruit smoothie or a nutritious blended dip.

Here's a sampling of the deliciously easy recipes:

• Six Months and Older: Peach and Pear Bananarama, Melon Madness, Zucchini and Nectarines, Roasted Vegetable Purée
• Eight Months and Older: Vegetable Paella, Humus for Beginners, Chicken with Red Peppers and Corn, Beefy Broccoli
• Nine Months and Older: Lemon Raspberry Yogurt, Over the Top Applesauce, Spinach and Tomatoes with Ricotta, Fisherman's Pie
• Twelve Months and Older: Orange Banana Smoothie, Very Berry Pears, Broccoli and Cauliflower Melt, Veggie Cream Sauce

All the recipes in Blender Baby Food are accompanied by suggested age guidelines. Also included are lots of great tips for making baby food, storage and freezing guidelines as well as the appropriate way to thaw and reheat food. Plus, none of the recipes calls for any of the salt, sugar, starches or fillers found in many commercially prepared baby foods. Blender Baby Food helps parents give their baby the best nutritional advantage.

Superfoods: For Babies and Children

All parents want the best for their children, to give them the perfect start in life, and that includes the food they eat. However, choosing the freshest foods and preparing them in the most beneficial and appealing ways is not always an easy task. In SuperFoods, bestselling author Annabel Karmel shows you how to combine creativity with delicious ingredients in order to provide your child with a healthy foundation. You'll find recipes that not only taste great but also maximize the nutritional power of certain foods to boost your child's health and well-being. And Annabel, a mother of three who has written fourteen bestselling books on healthy food for children, knows better than anyone not only what children should eat but what children will eat. From advice on steaming carrots to detailed weekly menus for every stage of development, Annabel's unwavering expertise will teach parents how to provide the nutrition their children need.

SuperFoods is both a cookbook and a reference manual, helping parents recognize the varied nutritional value in even the simplest foods. Eating by color -- Annabel's advice for choosing produce -- encourages parents to use foods in tempting combinations. With a focus on the basic components of your child's diet -- carbohydrates, proteins, and fats -- Annabel provides easy instructions for crafting balanced meals.

SuperFoods will guide you through your child's first five years -- from first foods for your baby to tasty meals for fussy toddlers, from scrumptious lunch-box ideas for school-children to irresistible family suppers. Food is both nourishment and nutrition, and Annabel Karmel's SuperFoods puts fun back in the equation.

In addition to a variety of delicious recipes and invaluable advice, SuperFoods also includes:

• More than 130 recipes suitable for children of all ages -- from the best first foods to tasty family meals.
• Menu charts to help you plan ahead -- most recipes are suitable for freezing.
• Information on how to avoid food allergies and common childhood complaints such as colic, constipation, and eczema. Suggestions for healthy convenience foods to keep in the pantry.
• Tasty recipes that harness the power of SuperFoods to promote growth and energy and boost immunity and brain power.

And much, much more!

Superimmunity for Kids : What to Feed Your Children to Keep Them Healthy Now, and Prevent Disease in Their Future

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

"Feeding is a metaphor for the parent/child relationship overall," says Ellyn Satter, author of How to Get Your Kid to Eat ... But Not Too Much. Satter stresses her "Golden Rule" of parenting: parents are responsible for what is presented to eat and the manner in which it is presented. Children are responsible for how much or even whether they eat. Early chapters describe basic feeding principals. Satter then stresses ways to develop and maintain normal eating patterns from birth through adolescence, and provides solid information (and information on "solids") to both empower and relieve all parents worried about how their child eats. Later sections focus on feeding problems, obesity, special needs children, and eating disorders. How to Get Your Kid to Eat ... But Not Too Much may be the most sensible and accessible book on childhood feeding on the market.

Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods

The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers: The Most Comprehensive Problem-Solving Guide to Breastfeeding from the Foremost Expert in North America, Revised & Updated Edition

An Amazing Resource for Nursing Moms

Although breastfeeding is the natural and healthy way to nourish your baby, it’s not always easy. Many new mothers are scared away from nursing because of difficulty getting started and lack of information about what to do when things don’t go as planned. In this fully revised and updated edition of The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, two of today’s foremost lactation experts help new mothers overcome their fears, doubts, and practical concerns about one of the most special ways a mother can bond with her baby.

In this comprehensive guide, Dr. Jack Newman, a leading authority on infant care, and Teresa Pitman, a La Leche League leader for more than twenty years, give you the facts about breastfeeding and provide solutions for the common problems that arise. Filled with the same practical advice that made the first edition a must-have for nursing moms, the new edition features updates on:

• Achieving a good latch

• What to do if your baby refuses the breast

• Avoiding sore nipples

• Ensuring your baby gets enough milk

• Feeding a colicky baby

• Breastfeeding premature and special-needs babies

Just Take a Bite

"Just Take a Bite" takes parents and professionals step by step through he myths about eating to the complexity of eating itself, which leads to an understanding of physical, neurological and/or psychological reason why children may not be eating as they should.