Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children

Helpful book for moms of young kids. Arrived in great condition and on time.

This book goes beyond good ideas for kid's lunches' recipes. The author calls for parents to become active in the school system, to prevent waste, to educate children about food and proper nutrition. This is a no-hype, no-false-promises book. It educates and calls for action. I respect the author for doing that. Another no-nonsense book that I also highly recommend is Can We Live 150.

This book which I bought for my son for his son is excellent. So much so I am going to order one for my self. Many ideas for lunches and easy recipes which are delicious.

Lunch Lessons begins by stating everything that is wrong with the American diet. It clearly explains what children should be eating and explains why children need to stay away from additives, high fructose 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 childs age. The book is filled with tools to help anyone learn to change their eating habits and lifestyle (because 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 is about several school 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 experience 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, turkey hot dogs, etc. I'm not sure if my kids will go for some of the more radical options like couscous (especially my meat loving son) 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. 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.

I commend Ann Cooper and Lisa Holmes on their approach to raising awareness to our Nation's archaic method of feeding children. Ann Cooper does not only preach about the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) needing major reform, she is out there in the trenches taking action. This book brings attention to benchmark school systems and provides ideas to help foster change. This is a great read for parents who want to know what is going on in the changing landscape for School Nutrition; Extremely beneficial for school food service providers in hopes to get them on the "bus" to reform; A must read for School Administrators that hold the "purse strings" which dictate our childrens diets; and for anyone else that is concerned with the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and lack of "real food" that is promoted to children. Chet Thompson, Certified Chef de Cuisine Culinary Concept Developer