Have we got some healthy deals for you!
This week, I've tracked down some free and worthwhile food books, reports, programs (curricula) and lectures for healthier eating and living: "Simon Loses His Tummy,'' by Judith Wurtman, with illustrations by Kathryn Selbert Overview: "Simon is a long-haired dachshund who loves to eat cheese and hates to exercise. Susie tries to feed him diet dog food, but Simon hates it! When Susie goes to summer camp, Simon stays with Susie's friend, Annie. Simon fools Annie into feeding him lots of cheese and letting him take naps instead of walks. But one day, Simon wakes up and finds his tummy gone! There is a furry beach ball where his tummy used to be. "How will Simon find his tummy? In 'Simon Loses His Tummy,' the humorous and gentle message of the importance of eating healthy foods and exercising will appeal to young children as well as their parents.'' Notes: In the spirit of full disclosure, Judith Wurtman is a friend of mine, but I think this book is hilarious and packed with great messages. I was the one who urged Dr. Wurtman to give the book away rather the selling it. Get it while she's still convinced! The target ages for this book are 5 to 11. Where You Get It: https://gumroad.com/l/simonstummy Put a 0 in the "Name a fair price'' donation section. Even better, make a donation, if you so choose. You can also purchase the book from Amazon.com, http://goo.gl/K8JCxe Cost: Free (or with a donation) or on Amazon.com for 99 cents. Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think and Be Active! Overview: This is an interactive after-school education program for children 11 to 13 developed by the National Institutes of Health. It is designed to empower young people to "become aware of -and think critically about -media's role in influencing their nutrition and physical activity choices. Build skills that help them make informed decisions about being physically active and eating nutritious food in daily life.'' Notes: If you have any concerns about the influence media have on your child, this is a great resource, with lessons, activities and more. It's designed to be used in the classroom, but there is no reason you can't do it at your kitchen table. Just creating awareness of the fact that they're being marketed and manipulated to eat unhealthy foods will resonate powerfully with the 11- to 13-year-old mind. Where You Get It: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/msy/Pages/index.aspx Cost: Free Food Day Cookbook: Eat Real: Recipes from Some of America's Best Chefs Overview: This eBook offers "tasty, healthy and affordable recipes from some of America's top chefs, including Dan Barber, Rick Bayless, Nina Simonds and many others.'' The book was published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and has 20 kid-friendly, healthy recipes ranging from oat squares to sesame tofu to fruit kebabs. Where You Get It: http://goo.gl/9cNJKv Cost: Free Pre-K Nutrition Education Curriculum Developed by the Children's Museum of Manhattan and the NIH Overview: "EatPlayGrow is a new health educational curriculum created through an innovative public-private partnership between the National Institutes of Health and the Children's Museum of Manhattan. ... EatPlayGrow's interactive and engaging lessons incorporate art making, storytelling, music and movement activities into fun, hands-on educational lessons about the importance of making positive choices in areas that most affect health: nutrition, physical activity and, based on emerging medical research, sleep. Notes: This is great for parents of 2- to 5-year-olds. Where You Get It: http ://goo.gl/ZH9s8l. Read more about the curriculum and go to the download page: www.nhlbi. nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/tools-resources/eatplaygrow.htm Cost: Free University of California at Berkeley's Edible Education Lecture Series: Edible Education 103: Telling Stories about Food and Agriculture Overview: "As the costs of our industrialized food system -to the environment, public health, farmers and food workers, and to our social life become impossible to ignore, a national debate over the future of food and farming has begun. Telling stories about where food comes from, how it is produced -and how it might be produced differently -plays a critical role in bringing attention to the issue and shifting politics. Each week, a prominent figure in the debate explores: What can be done to make the food system healthier, more equitable, more sustainable? What is the role of storytelling in the process?'' Notes: Lecturers include famed foodies Alice Waters, Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson (The Kitchen Sisters), Jerome Waag, Charlie Hallowell, Samin Nosrat, Harold McGee and Raj Patel. You can also get the first series, "Edible Education 101: The Rise and Future of the Food Movement,'' at http://edibleschoolyard.org/library/edible-education-101-rise-and-future-food-movement Where You Get It:http://edibleschoolyard.org/library/edible-education-103-recorded-lectures Cost: Free Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft-Matter Science Overview: "This public lecture series discusses concepts from the physical sciences that underpin both everyday cooking and haute cuisine. Each lecture features a world-class chef who visited (Harvard) and presented their remarkable culinary designs. ... The lectures then use these culinary creations as inspiration to delve into understanding how and why cooking techniques and recipes work, focusing on the physical transformations of foods and material properties.'' Notes: Available from Harvard University. You can watch the lectures (two years' worth) on YouTube, or register for the course at HarvardX. Where You Get It:www.edx.org/course/harvardx /harvardx-spu27x-science-cooking-haute-639 or www.youtube.com/course?list=PL546CD 09EA2399DAB&category_name =University&feature=edu Cost: Free Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate and founder of DietDetective.com. Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.DietDetective.com. |