My first two children, now 18 and 16, were boys. God blessed us with a daughter 12 years ago, and now that we are entering those special “young adult” years with a girl, I’m once again venturing into exciting new waters.
This year for science, we are going to study foods and nutrition (with some baking/cooking lessons on the side to practice what we are learning.) I’ve put together a list of resources we’ll be working through together.
The Guide to Healthy Eating (Book and Lecture DVD) by David Brownstein
A VERY basic overview of the subject. Large type, question/answer format, great for beginners. Our daughter watched the DVD lecture week one of school and really enjoyed it. When we went grocery shopping together at the end of the week, I spied her looking at labels.
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
If you can only have one resource on this subject in your home, this would be the one to have.
The Family Meal Table and Hospitality by Nancy Campbell
A solid, Bible-saturated treatise that thoroughly covers the subject both philosophically and practically. Each chapter has Bible study questions
The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin
Find out what the Bible says about food…and how recent scientific breakthroughs and discoveries back it up. Has a practical, 40 day diet plan that has potential to help your body achieve good health.
The Reformation of Food and the Family conference audio downloads
Twenty-six audio teachings dealing with a panorama of food issues ranging from “Food as Medicine” and “Feeding a Large Family,” to “Redeeming the Earth” and “What You Need to Know About Detoxification.”
So now it’s your turn! What have you done with your older daughters in this area of food and nutrition? And if you don’t have older daughters yet, what resources have you gleaned insights from that you’d recommend for the rest of us?
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Thanks, Natalie. We look forward to exploring these resources. My mother calls good food preventative medicine!
I am so excited to be doing the same thing with my kids for science this year. I have three daughters in a row, 16, 14, and 12. We will be using Nourishing Traditions, The Maker’s Diet, What the Bible Says About Healthy Living and various articles and so forth. I am praying that my daughters gain a real vision for healthy living.
I was just thinking today about the amount of time I spend in the kitchen: 5 to more hours! So I asked myself if it was worth it and why did I do it? Couldn’t I maybe spend more time doing something else and serve my kids pre-packaged food? The answer was no!
Food and nutrition are important to our family. I grew up in a family where my Mom stayed at home and cooked for us. Although my Dad loved to complain (he never learned to be appreciative!) my Mom did an awesome job. Everything she made was delicious. My Grandma (her Mom) was an exquisite cook too (still is at 84). So for me it’s natural to be in the kitchen creating healthy food for my family.
I have 3 daughters: 9, 5 and 2.5 y.o. They are in the kitchen with me everyday. They know why we have green smoothies everyday. Why we eat blueberries and fruit everyday. They know why we don’t drink milk and how bad junk food is. Dyes and artificial flavorings are not treats but threats to their health! They know why we began growing our own garden this year. they have learned to enjoy green beans, kale, okra, tomatoes, peppers. Even my DS7 wants to cook and learn. He now eats anything green although he still not a fan.
I have Sally’s book and have found that the net and YouTube are great resources for so much information. I would suggest reading on Raw Food and green smoothies. Green for Life is a great book.
Back when I was a teenager I was a vegetarian for a few years. While I don’t advocate a 100% vegetarianism or a raw food diet, I believe that we should probably be eating 50-80% raw plant food for good health. I am no longer vegetarian but I don’t eat hot dogs (that’s no meat!)
I believe our daughters and sons will follow our footsteps regarding healthy living. you are what you eat and believe.
Thank you for sharing your ideas and tips! We’re still a work in progress over here when it comes to nutrition and a healthy kitchen, but we keep moving forward, if just in baby steps. I’m afraid I can’t let go of hot dogs just yet…maybe someday.