New Year’s Resolutions: How to Get Your Kids to Eat Vegetables in 10 Minutes Flat!

Jan. 7, 2011 - PRLog -- Well, the latest way to get kids to eat healthy foods is not a new recipe or a strategy to hide healthy foods in pasta or even in ice cream. It’s not even a trick. In fact, your kids will never know what you’re up to . . .  It’s actually a new book written by parents like you and a doctor who happens to be one of the country’s foremost nutrition researchers. It’s called The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach. With colorful illustrations and multicultural characters, this innovative and timely new series is geared towards children ages 3-10, and stars Mitch Spinach, a smart, cool, healthy role model who gains super powers while solving exciting mysteries at Sunchoke Elementary.  http://www.MitchSpinach.com

Many of us have already made resolutions for ourselves to eat better and live healthier lives this year, but what about our kids? Perhaps you’ve been feeling guilty about feeding them fast food once or even twice a week, or relying so heavily on the “lesser” evils of frozen chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. You’re ready for a change but don’t know where to begin?

You’re not alone. According to the latest childhood obesity statistics from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, "an estimated 16 percent of children and adolescents ages 6-19 years are overweight." Even more children are at risk of becoming overweight. And others are just not getting the fruits and vegetables that they need to protect them against disease. In fact, what children eat in the first ten years of their lives is of the utmost importance because a child’s growing body, with its rapidly dividing cells, is at a greater risk when exposed to all types of negative and toxic influences.  As Joel Fuhrman M.D., the medical collaborator on the Mitch Spinach Project, puts it “in adults, our genetic material (DNA) is wound up in a tight ball, like rubber bands on the inside of a golf ball. When we are young and cells are replicating and growing, the DNA unwinds, exposing more of its surface, which makes it more susceptible to toxic or harmful exposures.” That’s pretty serious stuff, and a serious responsibility that you carry as a parent. Your children rely on you to teach them good habits from the start, and eating habits are learned by example just as much as behavior is.

Since its release in September, The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach has been successfully getting kids to eat more fruits and veggies.  After reading the book, 96% of kids actually ASKED their parents or grandparents for fruits and vegetables, specifically those mentioned and eaten by Mitch Spinach, himself, such as spinach, broccoli, mangoes, carrots and flax seeds. So make sure you have plenty of fruits and veggies in the house before you get this book, or at least plan to take a shopping trip with your kids afterwards.

National campaigns focused on childhood nutrition-related health problems and on unhealthy school lunches have brought the gravity of the health crisis involving American children to the forefront. Because every family shares the burden of trying to raise healthy children in a fast-food/junk food filled world, parents are desperate for a hero who not only espouses a healthy lifestyle but also remains cool enough for their children to emulate. We all know that good nutrition fosters academic and athletic performance, but getting children to understand the importance of a healthy diet can be a daunting task. While textbooks and food pyramids are one form of promoting the message, they are not always the most stimulating or successful pedagogical models for the elementary school student. As with any subject, children need fun and entertaining ways to learn material. The subtlety of fiction enables children to learn without even realizing that they are learning. While many children’s books focus on a child’s dislike of a certain food (usually a vegetable), this book series is devoid of that type of negativity and instead transforms healthy eating into a behavior to be copied in order to gain “super” powers like those of Mitch Spinach.

Here’s a little blurb about Mitch Spinach to get you started:

Mitch Spinach seems to be an ordinary kid, but his classmates have begun to suspect something. The notes in his custom-made, temperature controlled Nutripak lunchbox appear to have been written in code. While other kids eat chicken fingers and pepperoni pizza, he mixes up his meal in a battery-powered blender before their curious and envious eyes. He is the smartest, nicest, strongest kid in Ms Radicchio’s class, but he often misses recess when he is called to Principal Lycopene’s office. The truth is that his high-powered organic fruit and vegetable smoothies give him special powers to tackle problems and solve mysteries at Sunchoke Elementary.

Each book in the series contains a “Secrets for Parents and Teachers” section, written by Dr. Fuhrman, and a healthy recipe taken from the book’s adventure for parents and kids to try. The Mitch Spinach website also contains creative lesson plans for teachers of all disciplines and outlines the importance of sound nutrition in the Parents section of the site. Dr. Fuhrman presides over the nutritional and medical aspects of the Mitch Spinach mission, ensuring that the information presented in the book and on the website is based on sound medical and nutritional evidence.

This year, do yourself and your kids a favor. Make a commitment to healthy eating. And all you have to do to take the first step is to sit down with your kids and READ for ten minutes . . . and that’s another thing you’ve been meaning to do more of, isn’t it?

For help getting your kids to want to eat naturally colorful, power-packed foods, check out the new, healthy super-kid on the scene, Mitch Spinach. With colorful illustrations and multicultural characters, this innovative and timely new children’s book series introduces Mitch Spinach, a smart, cool role model who gains super powers from the nutritious plant foods he eats and solves exciting mysteries at Sunchoke Elementary. Order a copy, check out the nutrition facts, recipes, and fun, educational games at http://www.MitchSpinach.com.

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The Mitch Spinach new kids books are a parents kids books top pick. Every parent wants a smart, healthy hero to entertain and motivate their kids to eat more fruits and veggies. The Mitch Spinach kids books are for you. Visit http://www.MitchSpinach.com