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Nutrition curriculum


desertflower
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I like Mollie Katzens books. She is well known for her vegetarian cookbook, which has been reprinted a couple of times (Mousewood Cookbook), but she has both vege & nonveg cookbooks. Her childrens Books are fantastic http://www.molliekatzen.com/kids.php

They have the adult info & recipe, followed by the pictoral version for children.

 

I like to go at nutrition from three points of view:

 

1. Getting the kids in the kitchen as early as possible and letting them explore with healthy ingrediants, followed by cookbooks like Katzens & https://www.amazon.com/Kids-Kitchen-Independence-Confidence-Montessori/dp/1477542043 .& https://www.boffinsbooks.com.au/books/9781741966787/wholefood-for-children-nourishing-young-children-with-whole-and-organic-foods

 

2. From a body point of view (perhaps its because two of my kids have t1 diabetes). Showing what roles parts of the body have (Pancreas, Liver, Stomach etc), do experiments showing how the didgestive system breaks food down and how cells convert glucose into energy. Then follow with the best nutrients you are looking for (iron, vitamins etc) and what foods are high in them (like dark leafy greens), and then a comparison on how different foods break down (lettuce vs potato chip/crisp), and what foods like processed deli meats & highly processed foods in general do to your body (glucose storing, teeth, digestive problems etc)

 

3. Have the kids hanging around when I'm in the kitchen, and I talk, talk, talk, but also leave plenty of spaces for the to ask there own questions, which I happily answer (even if I have to admit I don't know the answer and stop chopping/prep for a moment to google, and re-explain). I make raw prey model foods for my animals too, and have my own seperate meals from the family, and everyone here tends to have their own allergies, so all the info on how different bodies process the foods and different diets work their way into the conversation too.

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Nutrition 101 is a book you can use for K-12. Its an awesome resource. It doesn't just teach "eat your veggies", but what the specific benefits are for eating each veggie. I bought it when the price was $99. It has dropped in price, but I still feel like it was worth the price.

http://growinghealthyhomes.com/nutrition-101-choose-life-book/

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Barefoot Meanderings has one but I'm not sure it has pictures. It's from a Paleo point of view.

 

 

I have it and just want to mention that I think it's fine as a Nutrition curriculum, but definitely not a full "Health" curriculum (it doesn't market itself as one, but I was hoping it would be!).  I think that eclecticmum's ideas about expanding into body science are a great way of making "Nutrition" into a "Health" ... we are doing something similar informally.

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I've taught my kids the basics over and over and over:

 

Get back to the way it was when it was pulled/plucked/grown/raised from the earth- beef, veggies, nuts, salads, beans, whole grain brown rice, fruits

 

Avoid too many carbs...even too many brown carbs can be a bad thing

 

Have one totally vegetarian meal per day 

 

If they weren't eating it 250 years ago, somewhere, it's probably not so great for you :)

 

Keep things that come from a box to a minimum 

 

And then after they grasp all of that, then I start talking about balancing, protein, complex carbs, and talking about energy, muscle mass etc. so they can make their own healthy choices. :)  

 

I am in no way an unschooler but this is one area where I just can't get them to grasp anything from a book, whereas I'm seeing great gains from gently talking about this for 12 years :)  

 

My 15 yo rarely needs correciton to balance his diet.

 

My 13 year old (my foodie) has cravings for too much meat or too much white carns and I gently help her to balance that out by making suggestions (she cooks wonderful from scratch amazing meals for herself twice a day.) :)

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I've taught my kids the basics over and over and over:

 

Get back to the way it was when it was pulled/plucked/grown/raised from the earth- beef, veggies, nuts, salads, beans, whole grain brown rice, fruits

 

Avoid too many carbs...even too many brown carbs can be a bad thing

 

Have one totally vegetarian meal per day 

 

If they weren't eating it 250 years ago, somewhere, it's probably not so great for you :)

 

Keep things that come from a box to a minimum 

 

And then after they grasp all of that, then I start talking about balancing, protein, complex carbs, and talking about energy, muscle mass etc. so they can make their own healthy choices. :)

 

I am in no way an unschooler but this is one area where I just can't get them to grasp anything from a book, whereas I'm seeing great gains from gently talking about this for 12 years :)

 

My 15 yo rarely needs correciton to balance his diet.

 

My 13 year old (my foodie) has cravings for too much meat or too much white carns and I gently help her to balance that out by making suggestions (she cooks wonderful from scratch amazing meals for herself twice a day.) :)

 

Oh I wish I could do that.  But unfortunately, I'm not knowledgeable in this area to feel confident in my ability to convince them what is good for them.  My oldest child believes me, but unfortunately, my middle child doesn't.  My middle child loves for me to read to her and fortunately believes everything she reads.  That's why I'm looking for a curriculum.  :) 

 

Thanks for your input.  Always good to hear other ways to teach. 

 

 

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I like Mollie Katzens books. She is well known for her vegetarian cookbook, which has been reprinted a couple of times (Mousewood Cookbook), but she has both vege & nonveg cookbooks. Her childrens Books are fantastic http://www.molliekatzen.com/kids.php

They have the adult info & recipe, followed by the pictoral version for children.

 

I like to go at nutrition from three points of view:

 

1. Getting the kids in the kitchen as early as possible and letting them explore with healthy ingrediants, followed by cookbooks like Katzens & https://www.amazon.com/Kids-Kitchen-Independence-Confidence-Montessori/dp/1477542043 .& https://www.boffinsbooks.com.au/books/9781741966787/wholefood-for-children-nourishing-young-children-with-whole-and-organic-foods

 

2. From a body point of view (perhaps its because two of my kids have t1 diabetes). Showing what roles parts of the body have (Pancreas, Liver, Stomach etc), do experiments showing how the didgestive system breaks food down and how cells convert glucose into energy. Then follow with the best nutrients you are looking for (iron, vitamins etc) and what foods are high in them (like dark leafy greens), and then a comparison on how different foods break down (lettuce vs potato chip/crisp), and what foods like processed deli meats & highly processed foods in general do to your body (glucose storing, teeth, digestive problems etc)

 

3. Have the kids hanging around when I'm in the kitchen, and I talk, talk, talk, but also leave plenty of spaces for the to ask there own questions, which I happily answer (even if I have to admit I don't know the answer and stop chopping/prep for a moment to google, and re-explain). I make raw prey model foods for my animals too, and have my own seperate meals from the family, and everyone here tends to have their own allergies, so all the info on how different bodies process the foods and different diets work their way into the conversation too.

 

I'm so glad you posted this.  I was just looking for a cook book for kids.  I just bought Cook Me A Story book a couple of weeks ago.  Hoping to start this soon.  These type of books may be what I was looking for a month ago.  :)

 

 

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Nutrition 101 is a book you can use for K-12. Its an awesome resource. It doesn't just teach "eat your veggies", but what the specific benefits are for eating each veggie. I bought it when the price was $99. It has dropped in price, but I still feel like it was worth the price.

http://growinghealthyhomes.com/nutrition-101-choose-life-book/

 

Sounds like what I need. Have to think about it since it's $60.  Thanks for the advice!

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