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colleenpence's review against another edition
5.0
Co-authored by my friend, Lisa! A great resource for parents.
johnbeeler's review against another edition
3.0
Tries to be too many things. Starts as a critique of the modern, public school lunchroom. Ends as a recipe book. Somewhere in between are suggestions for raising healthy kids that have to frequent a school cafeteria.
Pretty basic stuff here for anyone that is already trying to shop local and organic. Recipes looked delicious though.
Pretty basic stuff here for anyone that is already trying to shop local and organic. Recipes looked delicious though.
lindzee's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn't read. So poorly researched.
For example, they talked about how crowded and crazy lunchrooms are and how the NYC teachers' union had just won the right to not work in the lunchroom, to avoid the craziness. And I'm like, no, they want to not work in the lunchroom so that they actually get a lunchbreak.
For example, they talked about how crowded and crazy lunchrooms are and how the NYC teachers' union had just won the right to not work in the lunchroom, to avoid the craziness. And I'm like, no, they want to not work in the lunchroom so that they actually get a lunchbreak.
specialk046's review against another edition
3.0
Read this book in order to write a paper. Really informative for my paper. At times, I felt like it may be less applicable to the target audience but maybe someone would take a stand against their district's lunch program.
garden_poppy's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book as an adult without kids and still use a bunch of the recipes from it. LOVED it is an understatetment. Easy read too.
sarahjo's review
3.0
Pretty quick read. interesting history of school lunches. Some interesting recipes. not exactly what I was looking for, but informative
100s of studies validate that food dyes and additives are a factor in attention and behavior disorders and can increase the incidence of ADHD. In one of these studies, 73% of children on a diet free from chemicals and dyes and artificial sweeteners showed a reduction in hyperactivity and an increase in attention.
100s of studies validate that food dyes and additives are a factor in attention and behavior disorders and can increase the incidence of ADHD. In one of these studies, 73% of children on a diet free from chemicals and dyes and artificial sweeteners showed a reduction in hyperactivity and an increase in attention.
elephant's review
3.0
I thought this was just going to be a book about lunch recipes or something.
I was suprised, however, to see that it is much more.
It goes into the history of the school lunch programs and tells about several schools and districts that have reformed their school lunch programs into truely healthy learning environments.
I wish that all school lunch programs would be so healthy and wonderful.
The book also has some yummy recipes that I want to try out.
I was suprised, however, to see that it is much more.
It goes into the history of the school lunch programs and tells about several schools and districts that have reformed their school lunch programs into truely healthy learning environments.
I wish that all school lunch programs would be so healthy and wonderful.
The book also has some yummy recipes that I want to try out.
eleneariel's review
4.0
I took this home because I thought it might give me some healthy, easy lunch ideas. Instead it served, in a round about way, to make me realize again that educating our children is more than just school lessons - everything and every part of life is teaching them lessons they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives. Including how and what they eat and the attitude they have towards food.
And thinking abut that led me to thinking about how I would hope to bring children up to see food as a joy and a way of celebrating life, something to be enjoyed but not be a slave to. I would hope that they would grow up understanding moderation, and esteeming quality ingredients and homemade dishes above the packaged and prepared. I want to raise a fearless eater.
... which led me to realizing that I need to whip some of my own habits into shape before I even think about trying to pass them on to a mini-me, so, yeah.
First the book goes through the numbers - 35% of American children are overweight, a number that has doubled since 1970. 25% are obese. 14% have type 2 diabetes. 40% of all cancers are attributed to diet. The USDA-approved National School Lunch Program is woefully unbalanced nutritionally. 85% of children do not sit down to a meal on a regular basis. (this. is. awful.)
A side note in one of the chapters that I found very interesting was the recommendation to skip all the bland rice cereal and, when babies are ready to start on solid foods, offering them small, mashed portions of whatever the rest of the family is eating. Not only is the classic rice cereal heavily processed (raising a child's insulin and blood sugar levels), but eating habits are formed very early in life and keeping children in a diet of bland, simple foods may lead them to seek less variety in their diets as they get older. Despite the fact that pediatricians have recommended these types of bland baby foods, there's no evidence that normally spiced food causes any harm, and if you look around the world, you'll see that the bland food for babies is really only something you see in western cultures.
Speaking of variety in diet, apparently 99% of today's agriculteral production depends on only 24 different domesticated plant species.
Later it speaks about the horror that is the school lunch room (although on a practical level, how DO you produce, healthy, attractive, tasty meals for hundreds of children on a tight budget and with a very limited amount of time? I know most schools are doing the best they can under the circumstances.) and then goes into some detail on several programs that sought to improve school lunches, such as Alice Waters' (of Chez Panisse fame) Edible Schoolyard program, which actually allows kids to grow, harvest, and prepare much of their own food, providing them with not only better lunches, but also a way to get creative in the kitchen.
And thinking abut that led me to thinking about how I would hope to bring children up to see food as a joy and a way of celebrating life, something to be enjoyed but not be a slave to. I would hope that they would grow up understanding moderation, and esteeming quality ingredients and homemade dishes above the packaged and prepared. I want to raise a fearless eater.
... which led me to realizing that I need to whip some of my own habits into shape before I even think about trying to pass them on to a mini-me, so, yeah.
First the book goes through the numbers - 35% of American children are overweight, a number that has doubled since 1970. 25% are obese. 14% have type 2 diabetes. 40% of all cancers are attributed to diet. The USDA-approved National School Lunch Program is woefully unbalanced nutritionally. 85% of children do not sit down to a meal on a regular basis. (this. is. awful.)
A side note in one of the chapters that I found very interesting was the recommendation to skip all the bland rice cereal and, when babies are ready to start on solid foods, offering them small, mashed portions of whatever the rest of the family is eating. Not only is the classic rice cereal heavily processed (raising a child's insulin and blood sugar levels), but eating habits are formed very early in life and keeping children in a diet of bland, simple foods may lead them to seek less variety in their diets as they get older. Despite the fact that pediatricians have recommended these types of bland baby foods, there's no evidence that normally spiced food causes any harm, and if you look around the world, you'll see that the bland food for babies is really only something you see in western cultures.
Speaking of variety in diet, apparently 99% of today's agriculteral production depends on only 24 different domesticated plant species.
Later it speaks about the horror that is the school lunch room (although on a practical level, how DO you produce, healthy, attractive, tasty meals for hundreds of children on a tight budget and with a very limited amount of time? I know most schools are doing the best they can under the circumstances.) and then goes into some detail on several programs that sought to improve school lunches, such as Alice Waters' (of Chez Panisse fame) Edible Schoolyard program, which actually allows kids to grow, harvest, and prepare much of their own food, providing them with not only better lunches, but also a way to get creative in the kitchen.
lauriereadslohf's review
4.0
I've been following Chef Ann via her informative blog and her weekly podcast and think she is doing some very important work in regards to waking up the country about children's dietary habits and was thrilled when I received the ARC in the mail.
I became interested in the subject when my 2nd grade daughter began developing migraines that made her so ill she'd turn as pale as a ghost, get nauseous, and be unable to do much of anything but take a nap in a dark room until it passed. They were so bad at one point that she seemed to be spending more time in bed or in the school nurse office than in class. After many attempted fixes including limited activity, stress, ear-plugs, her migraines are under control without medication. The main culprit appeared to be the food I was feeding her. Particularly processed snacks like Cheetos & Doritos which are laden with MSG, a major migraine trigger, I soon discovered. I always thought MSG was something used only as a filler in Chinese takeout. Boy, was I mistaken. Aspartame is another biggie used in everything from low-cal puddings to bubble gum. I have since changed our entire dietary habits excluding nearly all of the processed junk (and was that ever painful!) with the exception of organic cookies, snacks and the limited few items that don't contain MSG, *natural* flavor, yeast extract and all of the other names the big food processors "hide" MSG under. And I was stunned to see just how much of this stuff was being served in school.
Lunch Lessons begins by outlining everything that is wrong with our current food system. It clearly explains what children should be eating and explains why children need to stay away from additives, corn syrup, fast food, trans fat, etc. Did you know that children born in 2000 and after who are following the current trend of the fast food, prepared food nation, are facing a shorter life span than their parents? I didn't but it makes since with obesity and diabetes on the rise in the young.
There is a chapter devoted to outlining the caloric needs of a growing child, which food groups are actually necessary for correct development and a helpful chart explaining portion sizes and the number of servings to eat per day based upon the child's age. The book is filled with tools to help anyone learn to change their eating habits and lifestyle (and it is a huge lifestyle change) and I'd bet even those without children would find it a very useful reference and jumping off point for dietary change.
The middle section of the book tells about several schools systems who bravely changed the menu by eliminating pre-packaged processed food and brought in whole foods from local farmers. The stories, especially the comments from the children, are inspiring and hopeful. What surprised me the most were the positive social experiences these children enjoyed while tending to a garden and preparing their healthy meals.
The recipe section is filled with lunch options I've never before considered. I tend to get stuck in a rut with whole grain bread, natural PB&J, turkey cold-cuts, etc. and I'm not sure if my kids will go for some of the more radical options like couscous but I'm going to give it a shot. I never thought of packing home baked mac & cheese or chicken pot pie but those are two faves I'm betting will get them more excited about lunch.
The only negative, and it's hopefully present only in the review copy, is the fact the flow of the text is constantly interrupted by boxes of other information. It's a bit of a pain to be all wrapped up in an idea and then to have to turn a page to get to the end of the article and then have to back track to read the info. in the boxes (similar to reading a magazine).
This is a book that will remain in personal collection and one I'm betting I'm going to be picking up on a weekly basis as I prepare my meals.
Update: I made the Chicken Pot Pie & the potato (minus the chive) biscuits. It took me a mere 2 1/2 hours (she says very sarcastically) what with all the chopping and cooking but my son LOVED it. He had two helpings and ate it again for dinner the 2nd night. It came out more like a hearty chicken soup with biscuits on top rather than the crusty frozen pot pies I used to "bake" but the kids didn't seem to mind and it was so cheap to make! Next time I'm skipping the potato biscuits and dropping some dumplings in instead.
I became interested in the subject when my 2nd grade daughter began developing migraines that made her so ill she'd turn as pale as a ghost, get nauseous, and be unable to do much of anything but take a nap in a dark room until it passed. They were so bad at one point that she seemed to be spending more time in bed or in the school nurse office than in class. After many attempted fixes including limited activity, stress, ear-plugs, her migraines are under control without medication. The main culprit appeared to be the food I was feeding her. Particularly processed snacks like Cheetos & Doritos which are laden with MSG, a major migraine trigger, I soon discovered. I always thought MSG was something used only as a filler in Chinese takeout. Boy, was I mistaken. Aspartame is another biggie used in everything from low-cal puddings to bubble gum. I have since changed our entire dietary habits excluding nearly all of the processed junk (and was that ever painful!) with the exception of organic cookies, snacks and the limited few items that don't contain MSG, *natural* flavor, yeast extract and all of the other names the big food processors "hide" MSG under. And I was stunned to see just how much of this stuff was being served in school.
Lunch Lessons begins by outlining everything that is wrong with our current food system. It clearly explains what children should be eating and explains why children need to stay away from additives, corn syrup, fast food, trans fat, etc. Did you know that children born in 2000 and after who are following the current trend of the fast food, prepared food nation, are facing a shorter life span than their parents? I didn't but it makes since with obesity and diabetes on the rise in the young.
There is a chapter devoted to outlining the caloric needs of a growing child, which food groups are actually necessary for correct development and a helpful chart explaining portion sizes and the number of servings to eat per day based upon the child's age. The book is filled with tools to help anyone learn to change their eating habits and lifestyle (and it is a huge lifestyle change) and I'd bet even those without children would find it a very useful reference and jumping off point for dietary change.
The middle section of the book tells about several schools systems who bravely changed the menu by eliminating pre-packaged processed food and brought in whole foods from local farmers. The stories, especially the comments from the children, are inspiring and hopeful. What surprised me the most were the positive social experiences these children enjoyed while tending to a garden and preparing their healthy meals.
The recipe section is filled with lunch options I've never before considered. I tend to get stuck in a rut with whole grain bread, natural PB&J, turkey cold-cuts, etc. and I'm not sure if my kids will go for some of the more radical options like couscous but I'm going to give it a shot. I never thought of packing home baked mac & cheese or chicken pot pie but those are two faves I'm betting will get them more excited about lunch.
The only negative, and it's hopefully present only in the review copy, is the fact the flow of the text is constantly interrupted by boxes of other information. It's a bit of a pain to be all wrapped up in an idea and then to have to turn a page to get to the end of the article and then have to back track to read the info. in the boxes (similar to reading a magazine).
This is a book that will remain in personal collection and one I'm betting I'm going to be picking up on a weekly basis as I prepare my meals.
Update: I made the Chicken Pot Pie & the potato (minus the chive) biscuits. It took me a mere 2 1/2 hours (she says very sarcastically) what with all the chopping and cooking but my son LOVED it. He had two helpings and ate it again for dinner the 2nd night. It came out more like a hearty chicken soup with biscuits on top rather than the crusty frozen pot pies I used to "bake" but the kids didn't seem to mind and it was so cheap to make! Next time I'm skipping the potato biscuits and dropping some dumplings in instead.
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