Feed Your Kids Well : How to Help Your Child Lose Weight and Get Healthy

Rating:
Summary: Wish I was fed that well
Review: Doesn't include most fruits or vegetables? Unless you believe the only fruit worthy to be served to a child is fruit juice or that the only vegetable fit for a child to eat is a potato, this diet isn't terribly exclusive in terms of vegetables or fruit. Lettuces, berries, broccoli, asparagus, melons, cauliflower, spinach, green beans, pumpkin, are all fair game on this diet.

Dr. Pescatore's diet is high in whole grains, unprocessed-preservative laden meats, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts and healthy oils. He cuts out refined sugar, refined grains, and processed foods. That's pretty darned healthy!

As for unrealistic and to hard do for a busy parent, sure it's easier to slap a piece of processed cheese, a couple pieces of nitrated cold cuts between two slices of nutrient deficient white sandwich bread or grab a kiddie meal at a fast food place call it a meal. But is it healthy for your child? Will it teach your child healthy eating habits? Too many people cop out on themselves and their children all in the name of "convenience" and at the risk of their health (then they go and sue fast food restaurant chains for their health problems).

Dr. Pescatore's diet is similar to Dr. Atkins'. Furthermore, Dr. Atkins and Atkins Nutritionals never recommended their diet for children and teenagers due to their different nutritional needs. So this book is a must read for people on Atkins who want to introduce their children to a low carb lifestyle safely and effectively.

Rating:
Summary: Good Advice on Feeding Kids of All Ages but.......
Review: Dr. Pescatore's book opens with an affecting autobiography. He relates how he was grossly overweight as a child and all of the anguish that brought him, especially at school. His solution was drastic: He ate/drank nothing except diet soda for 40 days during one Lenten season! He lost 60 pounds and never looked back.

I guess his experiences prompted him to write this book to spare other children from the hell he went through. He does a good job.

Basically, he tells parents to drastically reduce the carbohydrates in their and thier cildren's diets. He rightly gives the thumbs down to fruit juices (the equivalent of soda, he says), pasta, refined sugars, processed foods, and too many starchy vegetables like potatoes. He also warns against phony fats like margarine and vegetable shortening.

The healthy diet he espouses contains meats, natural fats, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, limited amounts of fruits and grains, eggs, and dairy (if not allergic). Thank God he blames sugars and refined foods for the ills afflicting our young and not natural fats!

He also has a good section on how to approach common childhood illneses like asthma, acne, and ADD.

Drawbacks? A LOT of his recipes call for using soy protein powder or soy flour--a hotbed of anti-nutrients like phytic acid (which binds to minerals in the digestive tract, preventing their absorption) and protease inhibitors (which hinder digestion). The phytoestrogens in soy can also affect hormonal levels in children so I would not be including in my children's (or my own) meals.

Another drawback is basically a contradiction: In the chapter on food sources, he recommends feeding your kids organic meat and dairy foods. Then in the next chapter, he tells parents to remove all the visible fat from meats and chicken skin from any chicken served, not because he thinks fat is bad, but because the fat is where pesticide residues concentrate. This may be true, but if you're buying and serving organic meat, there won't be any pesticide residues in the fat! It sounds like he's trying to be politically-correct about fat which is strange given that he definitely is in favor of MORE healthy fat in a child's diet.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty darned good for an Atkins follower...
Review: I am a nutritionist who beleives in copious amounts of complex carbs from fruit and vegetables in our diet...in balance with proteins and good fat. So, I am not a believer in the Atkins high protein/low carb diet... Dr. Pescatore is a protege of Dr. Atkins, who has moved on from him. His book reflects that progression and is full of really helpful points about the dangers present in the foods our children eat. He includes a personal and poignant perspective about the damage that obesity does to our kid's health and self esteem. He is a powerful advocate for our children. I encourage anyone who reads this to add raw fruits and vegetables in great quantities to their children's diets to make up for all of the bad foods, bad fats, bad additives, low quality meals, and lack of essential fats in their diets. Look at what he has to say about the weakness of fruit juices [vs fruits], no-fat and lowfat milk, hydrogenated fats, and on page 72, about 1-2 teaspons of sugar. As the mother of a 7 year old, I really was glad to find his book. Buy it and read it.

Theresa W. Cook
NutritionMadeSimple.net

Rating:
Summary: WOW! What a difference!
Review: I started on the Atkins diet program in September of 1999. I began loosing weight rapidly, but was frustrated by the fact that my 7 year old son was still gaining weight. I knew he had the same reactions to carbohydrated that I did. I wanted to put him on the program, but refused to do it on my own for fear I would hurt him. After discovering the book How to Feed your Kids Well, I started my son on the program. He lost 17 pounds rapidly, and we have maintained his weight loss for 4 months and still counting. He has the energy of two of his former selves. He rides his bike for hours without complaint, and is anxious to run and play for the first time ever. The best part is that he is no longer teased or called fat. He is happy. I know that this has changed our lives forever. I thank Dr. Pescatore for helping me help my child safely.

Rating:
Summary: UNREALISTIC AND UNCLEAR
Review: I was very disappointed with Feed Your Kids Well. This is an Atkins/Low Carbohydrate type diet that excludes most fruits and vegetables. The book is filled with list of "off limit" foods and only 6-7 time consuming recepies. All meals must be made from scratch and everyday children should be eating eggs for breakfas! What if your child does not like eggs? The author is unclear on what children should be eating. His suggestions seem unrealistic (especiall for working parents) and his exclusion of most fruits and vegetables seems more of a "fad diet" than a healty solution to a difficult problem many parents with little time face.