I enjoyed the Adult version of this book, so I purchase the child version to share with my kids and teach them about eating.

The book is well designed in that it does seem to keep them focused on learning about the subject matter and what to look for to try to eat healthier, though unfortunately it is often difficult to eat "healthy" due to all the things kids face these days, such as vending machines and fast food.

It seems to have helped in that my children seem to be considering their eating choices, and making (or agreeing to) better ones than before.

Love this book for its visuals and categorized format. I think this book is a useful nutritional guide for kid foods.

I brought this book into my seventh grade science class and my kids cannot take their eyes off it. The photographs of all their favorite foods immediately capture their attention. The nutrition information is well-researched, thorough, and positively encyclopedic. This book is a must for all parents.

I brought this book into my seventh grade science class and my kids cannot take their eyes off it. The photographs of all their favorite foods immediately capture their attention. The nutrition information is well-researched, thorough, and positively encyclopedic. This book is a must for all parents.

I accidentally ordered this volume instead of the original one that I guess was intended for adults. Even though I don't have kids, this was still a good read. I don't have to worry about school lunches anymore, but there was some great info on vending machines. After a few days, I gave it to my co-worker (with kids) and bought the original version.

This is a great book and really informative. Some of the items in the book were very surprising (some shocking!) so it's good to know what you are feeding your children!

This book is great. My children, aged 13 and 11 are interested and are more aware of healthier eating choices.

As others have pointed out, this is a guide to foods available in restaurants, many of which are not terribly healthy (one of the "Eat This" choices consists of nothing but fried food). However, since kids often like this junky food, it's a great tool for helping them read the fine print and discover why the all-fried-food meal on the "Eat This!" page is, believe it or not, slightly better for you than the meal on the "Not That!" page. It has a magazine-y look with photos of foods and dialogue bubbles with a digestable amount of information. You can use it with your child to talk about what constitutes a "healthier" food vs. a "healthy" food.

A waste of money. This is all about FAST food......which is NOT what kids should be learning about. Very disappointed in this book.
I purchased the "adult" version as well,,,,,,, and it, too, is a waste of money. this book is JUNK, just the the food it describes.

Really am enjoying this book. I carry it with me wherever I go and it helps me and my kids make smart food choices. It really opens your eyes to the kind of food you are eating. My kids have been amazed at some of the things they have learned. Like how many calories are in some of the restaurant meals.

I was amazed at the amounts of fat and trans fats in some of the items I was feeding my kids. I'm defitely making healthier choices for them now.

good book to try and help you with good eating habits. we bought both the kids version and adult and has helped us while we have been out eating fast food.

I thought the book was helpful in showing the nutrition value of the food at some of the places we eat when we go out. We have changed some of our habits because of this book. We eat out less and we try to make better choices at the places we choose to visit.

As soon as the book arrived, my 9 year old son started going through it and told me what I should and shouldn't buy, before I even had a chance to pick it up and look at it! I think the colorful pictures got his attention. We keep it out as a reference and refer to it frequently.

This book is a must have for parents! I thought certain things I fed my kiddos were "healthy", but I found out that it was not always the case. This book is very informative, and I have learned a lot! Even my four year old son is wanting to make healthier choices thanks to this book.

This is a handy guide for the real mom to make more educated choices for kids' meals.

I really liked this book. The book reviews many of our local restaurant and fast food chains. It gave information on smarter choices to make for meals. It was small enough to fit in my purse and we were able to take it to our usual restuarants and choose better options. The book also gives great tips for the grocery store. They also discuss the food groups and sort of change it a little to what are kids should really be getting. I like the book because it doesn't just say "Fast Food Bad" and make me feel bad for letting my child eat it, because that's not a reality for me. Instead the book just helps our family make some better choices that fit our existing life style.

I bought this book for my sister and she has trouble putting it down. She takes it with her everywhere. it is worth it every penny! Enjoy

He focuses too much on fat and calories. Kids need to think about nutrition and many fats are essential for development. Kids need to be swapping fresh foods for boxed and canned.

Book Review: Eat This Not That For Kids!
From: www.BasilAndSpice.com

Have you ever visited a middle school cafeteria? Unbeknownst to parents, some school districts allow children to purchase three ice creams every day for their lunches! And our children are getting fatter.

David Zinczenko--Editor-in-Chief of Men's Health, and Matt Goulding--Food and Nutrition Editor of Men's Health are trying their hand at helping parents swap out unhealthy foods for healthy ones. Their new book Eat This-> Not That! For Kids (Rodale, Aug '08) promises to help parents and kids "navigate the onslaught of sugary cereals and 'happy' meals that kids love while saving their families hundreds of unnecessary calories." Like the original Eat This-> Not That! (Rodale, '08), the kid version will work with major restaurant chains, grocery stores, at home, and the worst location--the school cafeteria.

Zinczenko and Goulding researched the best and worst kids' food choices across the country. Then they compiled:

* 10 rules of good nutrition
* The school-cafeteria survival guide
* The 20 worst kids meals in America

Fascinating food facts from the book:

* Your child will ingest 93 grams of fat (almost double the recommended daily allowance) in an Outback Steakhouse meal.
* Chuck E. Cheese will provide 1,426 milligrams of sodium (more than a day's worth for the average kid) in one slice of pepperoni and sausage pizza plus two bread sticks.
* Two pieces of KFC's Extra Crispy Chicken is will total 810 calories.
* Skip fettuccine alfredo and caesar salad, and make your own batch of spaghetti and meatballs with a green salad, and save 360 calories and 23 grams of fat.
* Kids will view more than 5,000 food commercials this year.

Zinczenko and Goulding touched briefly on these issues before. Their original book has a listing of children's drinks to avoid, and which are ok to consume. For example, do drink Yoo-Hoo's chocolate drink for 110 calories and 1 gram of unsaturated fat. "Keep these on hand in case you need to bribe the kids," they write. Avoid Hershey's Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk--one bottle equals 200 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat.

Hot on the trail of these successful books is another Eat This->Not That! For Supermarkets (Rodale, Dec. 2008). 5 Stars

What a fantastic book!!! My 6 year old daughter is on her way to becoming obese, and this book is a great tool in our fight against a life time of trouble. Her mom's side has a strong history of obesity and diabetes and it is almost inevitable that she will follow the family history. This book helps me put a stop to that cycle, and I can already see the results from the small changes we have made as a result of this book.

I bought a copy of this book for my daughter & daughter-in-law so that they could see the effect of some of the food items that they feed my grandchildren!!! It helps to know which of the items in restaurants are the best for kids--usually not the ones they tend to order!

Great as a wake-up call and hopefully will begin to curb the childhood obesity problem that is occuring today.

Maybe my review won't be as helpful for most people, but this is a great book for GAINING weight too. Two of my children have cystic fibrosis and need high fat, high calorie, high salt diets (they sweat out much of their salt which can cause heart problems).

I used this book to choose the "THAT" items for my CF kids, and the "THIS" items for my 3rd child who doesn't have it. It's great because it doesn't just focus on calories - also salt, fiber, vitamins, etc. We don't eat out a ton, so I anxiously await the "supermarket" version coming out in Dec.

I absolutely love this book. I thought I was making healthy food choices before (and I was, for the most part). But this book opened my eyes to some shockingly bad food choices I was making. It also surprised me to find out how deceptively some food was marketed as healthy when it was anything but. (Organic "health food" cereal with as much sugar as a soda, for instance .. who would have thought??!!!)

I'm so glad I bought it .. you will be, too! I was so impressed that I even bought extra for other family members!

I have the "grown up" version of this and love it. I got this one and my 9 year old son references it constantly. Easy to read and very infomative.

I have the "grown up" version of this and love it. I got this one and my 9 year old son references it constantly. Easy to read and very infomative.

I bought the kids version of Eat This, Not That because I regularly eat kids meals at restaurants. My theory was, if its for kids, the calories have to be less and the portions better controlled, right? No!

This book showed me that not only do the kids meals often have just as many if not more as the adult meals, but in the wrong combinations and can quite bad for you.

For example, I often eat the PB&J at Panera Bread, with the squeeze yogurt on the side. Organic peanut butter and grape jelly, organic yogurt...what could go wrong? 470 calories, 17g fat and 19 grams of sugar is crazy!
Who knew that McNuggets are better for you than the hamburger in a Happy Meal? Not me.

It is great that the book has easy to make substitutions and ideas to get the most nutrition you can out of a fast food meal. This is a great book for any family to keep in the car for those meals on the go. Everyone can make the most informed choice possible!

Readers familiar with the popular Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! will find this book similar in format- except this time the content is aimed at kids.

The book consists of seven chapters. Here's a brief rundown of what you can expect from each:

-Chapter 1 covers "8 rules of kid's nutrition" which includes such advice as "never skip breakfast" and "snack with a purpose"

-Chapter 2 discusses choosing the right foods at fast food restaurants such as Arby's or Applebees

-Chapter 3 talks about "menu decoding". Since the book can't cover every restaurant you'll ever eat at, it teaches the reader how to read a typical menu- what to look for, what choices to make. It does this by going over general menus of Chinese restaurants, Mexican restaurants, etc.

-Chapter 4 goes over making proper buying choices at restaurants. Here the reader is taught how to read labels.

-Chapter 5 covers eating at schools, which means, of course, the school cafeteria. Vending machines choices are also included because most schools (unfortunately) have them.

-Chapter 6 discusses eating at home. A nice touch here is the sample menus and recipes.

And last but not least, Chapter 7 talks about exercise. Included are sample activities to keep your kids fit. I personally suggest trying a pedometer- kids like to fiddle with them and counting steps is fun too.

All-in-all, I found this to be a great little book and actually quite fun to read with its many pictures. With good knowledge in hand, the only other obstacle a parent faces is getting their kids motivated to carry out the advice in the book.

This book describes an amazing way of thinking about weight control for your kids. Not necessarily by giving up eating out, but learning to make better food choices both at home and at restaurants. The author's point out that making smart food choices is all about having the knowledge. This book can help you to help your children make better choices.

This book definitely gives you the inside look at the nutritional value of foods in your child's favorite eating joints as well as advice on what to choose when they are facing a variety of options.

I plan on keeping this copy handy for both my shopping trips and at restaurants. It is a great reference. And it's not just for kids...this book helps me as well!

This book describes an amazing way of thinking about weight control for your kids. Not necessarily by giving up eating out, but learning to make better food choices both at home and at restaurants. The author's point out that making smart food choices is all about having the knowledge. This book can help you to help your children make better choices.

This book definitely gives you the inside look at the nutritional value of foods in your child's favorite eating joints as well as advice on what to choose when they are facing a variety of options.

I plan on keeping this copy handy for both my shopping trips and at restaurants. It is a great reference. And it's not just for kids...this book helps me as well!

Just a great little book with lots of pictures to show you the best strategies to use when feeding your kids. In an age where childhood obesity and diabetes is rampant, this is a good book to read.

This book is terrific like the adult version. It is a great help for kids to look for themselves at how to make wiser choices without just hearing from their parents. Also, many people are on the run and don't take the time to read labels, so this is helpful to carry with you to make wiser choices. Carry it in the car so your child can choose before you order fast food or restaurant food. Kids love to make their own choices and they feel good about themselves when you trust them to make a wise choice. The price is right for something that can help cut calories with small incremental changes.

I received this book as a gift from someone who knew how much I liked the first one - and this one is even better! It's bright and clear and easy to understand, and gives great suggestions for making healthier options appealing to kids. My little one isn't quite on solid food yet, but I can't wait to use all this info with her as she grows up!!

I am incredibly impressed with how useful this book truly is! The information is simple and easy to understand for anyone, especially those who have no nutritional background like me. The book helps you to make the slightest changes in your choices of food that can save your child (or yourself) hundreds upon hundreds of unnecessary calories. There are so many foods that give you the illusion of being "healthy", which in reality can be much much worse than another food that does not advertise itself as nutritional. I was so stunned at some of the comparisons in the book that I just had to keep on reading and reading through the entire thing. Now I feel that I have a much more knowledgeable outlook on what to buy for my family. Advertisements are so misleading nowadays and thanks to EAT THIS NOT THAT FOR KIDS, I am now armed with valuable awareness that will guide me in my weekly grocery shopping!

I am a mother of an eight and six year old. I bought this because we need to eat better. The kids saw this and immediately were looking at the page of what to eat and what not to eat. They were letting me know which cereals they now wanted to have along with drinks. They are so excited about eating healthy. I never know exactly what to pack for lunch. There is a great two pager on this topic as well as "eat the rainbow" several pages on eating fruits and vegetables of the rainbow - great ideas. There are a ton of topics and each page of what to eat they tell you the limits of sugar, calories, and/or sodium for products. It really educates you. I highly recommend this book - you will not be disappointed.

I just purchased this book and it is a real eye opener. I highly recommend every family consider purchasing this book just for the calories/fat content of restaurant and fast food meals. It isn't just the fried and fast food that is high in calories. A White hot chocolate at Starbucks and a muffin has 1000 calories 53 grams of fat and 72 sugars! Cosi's PB&J sandwich has 560 calories, 26 grams of fat and 800mg of sodium - that is JUST a simple sandwich - no sides! Most restaurant macaroni and cheeses are close to 900 calories - AHH!

Another aspect that is good about this books is that it shows pictures and lots of them. Things jump out at you the first time you skim thru it and then you learn so much more when you read it thouroughly the next. Another reason the pictures are so good is that you can show your kids how bad certain foods are for them and if your kids are at a 3rd grade reading level, they can pretty much read this on their own.

This book is a good size, colorful, and is a great source of constant info. Even though it does show what to eat and not to eat, it is also filled with info on how kids currently eat, what they need to eat, little sidebars of info and most importantly, how to keep your kids as healthy as they can be during a time when fast food and chicken fingers seems to be the only thing to order on menues. It is a great concept and even though I normally borrow books like this at the library, I much rather own this as it is something to look back in again and again. I currently keep mine in my purse for when I am shopping or thinking of going out to eat. It has also helped my husband and I make better choices as well.

highly recommend!

My three kids, ages 7, 9, and 11 years love this book. I really bought this book for my information, but its bright pages attracted their interest. The book described "super powers" attributed to each type of vegetable and fruit, which really hooked the kids into eating different ones. The cereal section really surprized me; the "healthy" cereals I was buying were on the "Don't eat this" page! I will definately bring this to the grocery store with me!

In parenting as in life, it's all about making good decisions. The trick is knowing which choices are the right ones. This small colorful book tells you very simply which food choices are the right ones. It not only tells you, but also shows you with hundreds of color photos. Although it is supposedly for kids, the information is useful -- and fascinating -- for anyone.

We've all heard the scary statistics about the rise in obesity, especially in children. Food marketers are doing everything they can to keep that trend alive. According to the Federal Trade Commission, kids ages 2 to 11 will see 26,000 TV ads this year, 22 percent of them marketing food. "The message -- that junk food equals instant happiness -- is one that sticks with a child for all his life." Eat This Not That! gives sound advice on how to combat this problem.

The first chapter has eight simple rules for kids and families to follow:
Rule #1: Never Skip Breakfast. Ever.
Rule #2: Snack with Purpose. (A good idea: popcorn; not the kind saturated with butter and salt, but natural popcorn. Another good idea: Kids must ask permission for a snack, but never need permission to reach for a piece of fruit.)
Rule #3: Beware of Portion Distortion. (A good idea: Buy smaller bowls and cups.)
Rule #4: Drink Responsibly. (A good idea: Keep cold, filtered water in a pitcher in the fridge.)
Rule #5: Eat More Foods and Fewer Science Experiments. (A good rule of thumb: The shorter the ingredient list, the healthier the food.)
Rule #6: Set the Table (A good idea: Keep mealtimes as structured as possible.)
Rule #7: Kick the Sugar Habit. (A good idea: Eliminate foods with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup at the top of the ingredient list.)
Rule #8: Eat the Rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple foods have a multitude of benefits.

You'll be surprised, finding out whether some foods are on the good or bad list. Learning that Applegate Farms organic uncured turkey hot dogs are on the Eat This! side isn't so surprising. But José Olé shredded steak taquitos? Breyer's Double Churn creamy vanilla bean ice cream? It seems "Double Churn" is Breyer's code word for low-fat, which makes this dessert a go. Oscar Mayer bacon scores a Yes, while Oscar Mayer turkey bacon scores a No, because of the extra sodium in the supposedly more healthful turkey option.

I had to wrestle Eat This Not That! out of my 14-year-old daughter's hands to write this review. She was captivated, poring over it exclaiming on the different foods we now eat that we should swap for others. She wailed when she saw the Cadbury Creme Egg as the very worst in the "Worst Candy" section. And she can kiss those Hershey's Kisses goodbye. Oh no! Sun Chips are on the Not That! list! Some of her favorites were on the Eat This! list, though: Marshmallow peeps, Tootsie Pops, Boca burgers, Eggo Nutri-Grain low-fat waffles, MultiGrain Cheerios, Egg McMuffins and Kraft Tangy Italian spaghetti dinners.

I could go on and on about this book. It covers school cafeteria food, fast-food restaurant food, vending machine snacks, kid-friendly recipes, how to read nutritional labels, holiday meals and fun exercises for kids of different age groups. Each food lists its complete nutritional information, including the portion size, calories and grams of fat and sugar.

Other books I recommend on this topic: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, and Deceptively Delicious.

Here's the chapter list:

1. Feeding the Future; The 8 rules of kids' nutrition
2. At Their Favorite Restaurants; The best and worst meals at 40 fast-food and chain restaurants
3. The Eat This, Not That! Ultimate Menu Decoder; Strategies for eating right at any restaurant
4. At the Supermarket; The complete Eat This, Not That! For Kids! grocery list
5. At School; How to survive and thrive in the cafeteria and beyond
6. At Home; Making your home the healthiest in the neighborhood
7. A Legacy of Fitness; Shed pounds with your kids with these fun family activities

Considering that our kids become what they eat, it is a wonder they do as well as they do. Somehow their muscles, bones, internal organs, and brains scavenge enough nutrition from the sugary, fatty, artificial foods they consume to sustain life. But they often are also launched into a life of poor health and obesity. If it were easy for parents to insure their children ate healthy diets, more would succeed. Eat This Not That for Kids gives parents the ideas and information they need to give their kids a fighting chance.

The book identifies a family's adversaries in the battle for nutritional health: restaurants, food companies, and marketers that often do not give priority to the dietary needs of young people, but appeal to their weaknesses. The authors deserve a lot of credit for boldly taking on these powerful adversaries and unmasking some of their worst offenses. At the same time the authors helpfully identify healthier choices, often available from the same companies. They equip you as the consumer to not be fooled by claims on the front of packages but to decipher the fine print on the back. They shift the focus from the moment food hits the mouth to the years it spends in the cells.

This is a guidebook that you will refer back to many times. The information is presented in a bright and fun way that will even interest young readers. Between the ratings and facts the authors provide many helpful tips, ideas, and insights exhibiting their understanding (and sympathy) for the challenges of the family food battle. I found virtually all of their advice to be wise and practical. They avoid prescriptions that may be technically correct but probably not acceptable to typical families that want to eat better without taking extreme measures. When young people are drowning in sea of junk food, they first need a life ring. The fine tuning to make them champions of health and strength may have to come later.

Here is an overview of the contents:
Introduction: The Choice Is Yours
Chapter 1. Feeding the Future; The 8 Rules for kids' nutrition
Chapter 2. At Their Favorite Restaurants; The best and worst meals at 40 fast-food and chair restaurants
Chapter 3. The EAT THIS, NOT THAT! Ultimate Menu Decoder; Strategies for eating right at any restaurant
Chapter 4. At the Supermarket; The complete EAT THIS, NOT THAT! FOR KIDS! grocery list
Chapter 5. At School; How to survive and thrive in the cafeteria and beyond
Chapter 6. At Home; Making you home the healthiest in the neighborhood
Chapter 7. A Legacy of Fitness; Shed pounds with your kids with these fun family activities

Parents are very careful to insure that their children are warm and safe and loved. The authors emphasize that good nutrition is just as critical to their well-being, and we should stop catering to finicky appetites. It is not possible for parents to delve into this book without also evaluating their own eating habits. Since kids will pick up your bad habits far more readily than your good ones, it may not be possible to expect your children to eat properly and exercise regularly if their parents are not doing the same!

All parents who want their youngsters to grow up healthy and strong need to have basic knowledge of food and nutrition. This book provides excellent basic training to fight the nutrition war and win. To achieve a strong and fit body I also recommend: THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams

This book is changing the way my family eats! It's easily the best book on children's health that I've come across, and here's why: It's designed with both children and parents in mind. The pages are bright and colorful, exhaustively researched, and simplified into fun-and-easy reading. It's an educational tool for parents, but it's also a conversation starter for families. I picked it up expecting to find a few healthy choices for when I'm forced to eat out - which I did find - but I also found much more. Instead of just listing the most shocking facts and calorie pitfalls, I'll provide a rundown of the chapters.

* Ch.1 Feeding the Future - Outlines the disturbing trends of childhood nutrition, rising obesity rates, and vitamin deficiencies. But instead of just scaring you with dismal doom-and-gloom studies, the guys from Men's Health offer a simple set of guidelines to improve your child's health. Among these tips are the ways to sneak a little more vegetation onto your kid's plate.

* Ch. 2 At Their Favorite Restaurants - Kicks off with the 20 Worst Kids' Foods in America (Did you know a small Heath Shake at Baskin Robbins has 990 calories? 990 calories!?). After that it goes into a wealth of easy-to-access information about the kids' menus at the biggest restaurant chains in America. I was astonished to see how much fat and sugar gets into some of these meals! Another great thing about this section is the Restaurant Report Card. Each restaurant is graded on a scale of A to F, and then the authors explain how to get the most real nutrients onto the plate.

* Ch. 3 Ultimate Menu Decoder - This chapter takes a broader look at restaurant nutrition. It prints the typical restaurant menus - Chinese, Italian, Mexican, etc. - and then breaks down every nutritional consideration that should be going through your head. This one goes beyond childhood considerations - this is the stuff everybody should be aware of. For instance, when you're at a deli, switching to a wrap over a sandwich might actually make your meal less healthy; the average chicken wrap has 600 calories!

* Ch. 4 At the Supermarket - This chapter opens with something that every child ought to be taught in elementary school - a Nutrition Label Decoder. Similarly to the Menu Decoder, this section deciphers the complex information hidden in the nutrition label. Then it goes into the bulk of the chapter - the best and worst decisions at the grocery store. This section is filled with fat-and-calorie saving swaps that are laid out on the page like an easy to read catalogue. It follows in the same format that made the first Eat This, Not That! book so successful.

* Ch. 5 At School - To me, this was shocking. Under-funded school lunch programs make it extremely difficult for a child to get a decent meal, and dozens of vending machines beg each kid to indulge a little every day. What this chapter offers are the best eating options in the cafeteria and at the vending machine. This is perfect for flipping through with a child, pointing to the items on the page, and using the annotations to discuss why some decisions are better than others. This doesn't limit children to just peas and pretzels. There are some surprisingly savory selections on the `good' side. Oh, and in case you'd rather pack your child's lunch, there's a section on that, too.

* Ch 6 At Home - The best part here is the section on kid-favorite recipes made healthy. Pepperoni pizza, nachos, and macaroni and cheese, among others, are all translated into simple, healthy recipes to make at home. There's also information on keeping birthdays and holidays healthy - surprisingly simple stuff that we just don't think about.

* Ch. 7 A Fitness Legacy - This final chapter rounds out the book by emphasizing the importance of an active lifestyle. It's a short chapter with simple advice on working daily activity or playtime into a child's routine.