Book Review

Early Sprouts: Cultivating Healthy Food Choices in Young Children

by Karrie Kalich, Dottie Bauer, and Deirdre McPartlin
Review by Cathe Olson

We all know about the obesity epidemic in the United States. Many, including myself, believe that the problem has a lot to do with eating too many processed food and not enough whole foods, especially vegetables. Early Sprouts endeavors to combat this trend by planting "the seeds for healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime."

Early Sprouts is a research-based nutrition curriculum designed to help young children learn about and eat vegetables. The curriculum gets students growing, harvesting, and preparing fresh foods and teaches them the importance of good nutrition. The theory behind the Early Sprouts curriculum stemmed from research indicating that it takes five to ten exposures to a new food for children to become comfortable with its taste and texture. To get this multiple exposure, Early Sprouts focuses on six vegetables: carrots, swiss chard, green beans, tomatoes, butternut squash, and bell peppers. These vegetables can be grown in most regions of the United States and are easy to grow.

The curriculum incorporates subjects like math and science, and includes kid-friendly recipes like Bell Pepper Couscous Castles, English Muffin Pizzas with Homemade Sauce, and Banana Squash Smoothies. Most recipes require some kitchen equipment, such as an oven, blender, food processor, etc. The program is designed for 2 1/2 to 5-year-olds but could be adapted to primary grades as well. According to the authors, their tests have shown that the Early Sprouts cirriculum has increased participants' willingness to try vegetables. An Early Sprouts Cookbook will be published in July, 2011.

Get your copy of Early Sprouts: Cultivating Healthy Food Choices in Young Children (See all Curricula Books)

Author of Simply Natural Baby Food, The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook, and Lick It! Creamy Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love Check out my website at www.simplynaturalbooks.com and my blog at http://catheolson.blogspot.com.shtml

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