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Mitch Spinach Takes on Healthy Eating!

2/21/2012

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Authors Hillary Feerick and Jeff Hillenbrand share some very valuable insight into what our kids our eating nowadays, and the harm it is doing to their health. They wrote The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach, to encourage and inspire kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. This is an important post for parents, teachers, and anyone else concerned about the future health of our children. Please read on!
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Guest Post by Hillary Feerick and Jeff Hillenbrand
As parents, we want what is best for our children. We take the role of protecting them very seriously, and we would never intentionally harm them. We read to them at bedtime, provide them with the best education, insist that they wear their seatbelts, but when it comes to food, somehow many of us falter. In this country, however, we have failed so significantly to nourish our children that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has predicted that this is the first generation of children that may NOT outlive their parents. The latest scientific research has shown that the foods our children eat in the first 10 years of their lives has a critical and profound effect on their lifelong health, but we have not fully comprehended the gravity of these findings. As a result, the number of obese and overweight children has tripled in the last thirty years, and the number of cases of type 2 diabetes (a disease once called “adult onset diabetes” and linked to high sugar intake) has increased at an alarming rate. And the list of frightening statistics goes on: The results reported by the 1992 Bogalusa Heart Study confirmed that most children and teenagers already had significant plaque buildup in their arteries (a precursor to heart disease). American children consume less than 2% of their diet from fruits and vegetables. About 25% of toddlers between ages one and two eat no fruits and vegetables at all. By the time American children are 15 months old, French fries have become their most commonly consumed vegetable. They move into adulthood eating 90% of their calories from dairy products, white flour, sugar, and oil.


While we have educated our children about the dangers of smoking cigarettes and the use of recreational drugs, we just don’t realize how damaging eating foods on the kids’ menu really is. In fact, The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently stated that more people die today from eating a diet full of junk and processed foods than from cigarette and illegal drug use combined. We wouldn’t allow our children to sit at the table, smoking cigarettes and drinking whisky, but we don’t think twice about regularly giving them candy, soda, fries and cheeseburgers, foods that are shockingly more harmful. Although we would never mean to do anything to hurt our children, every day we are unknowingly causing significant harm.

This heavy emphasis on candy, junk food, and other forms of junk foods does not help our children reach their potential. In fact, a recent study published in The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health suggests that it limits their brain development. The study followed the dietary patterns of nearly 4,000 children from birth for over eight years and found that toddlers who ate a nutrient-rich diet full of fruits and vegetables had higher IQ scores when they reached 8 years of age compared to the toddlers who consumed processed foods full of fat and sugar.

In response to the current health crisis in America, many counties and states have written laws that prohibit parents and teachers from serving foods or beverages whose first ingredient is sugar. (Please see attached example of New Jersey's policy.) Some states, school boards, and individual schools have implemented additional limits on trans fats and prohibit candy and sugared beverages in any form. The Broward County Schools Wellness Policy (the county in which we live and our children attend elementary school) states that “Schools shall encourage fundraisers that promote positive health habits such as the sale of non-food and nutritious food items as well as fundraising to support physical activities.” Michelle Obama has launched the Let’s Move Campaign to get kids exercising and making healthier choices.

 
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These are all steps in the right direction. However, as parents of a first-grader and a Kindergartener, we know first-hand how difficult it really is to raise healthy kids in a fast-food and junk-food filled world. Adults 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. Children need fun and entertaining ways to learn about healthy eating. Many parents recognize the problem but find it difficult to implement change. Frustrated by the lack of a healthy, smart, cool role model for our 5 and 6 years old children, we created a super hero who gains powers from fruits and vegetables: Mitch Spinach. When children read about his adventures, THEY ask YOU for fruits and vegetables. The subtlety of fiction enables children to learn without even realizing that they are learning.

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In the first book in the series, The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach: 
  
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 their usual   chicken fingers and pepperoni pizza, Mitch Spinach mixes up his meal in a battery-powered blender before their curious and envious eyes. Although he is the smartest, nicest, strongest kid in Ms. Radicchio’s class, he often misses recess when he is called to Principal Lycopene’s office. The truth is that his high- powered fruit and vegetable smoothies give him special powers, such as super-sonic hearing and amazing night vision, which help him tackle problems and solve mysteries at Sunchoke Elementary.

Written in collaboration with renowned family physician and best selling author Joel Fuhrman, M.D, The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach provides a perfect way for kids to learn about healthy eating while enjoying exciting  adventures and mysteries. Each book in the series contains a healthy recipe and a “Secrets for Parents and Teachers”section, written by Dr. Fuhrman, that explains many of the nutritional concepts alluded to in the book. Dr. Fuhrman is a board-certified family physician, author, and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. 
 
While many 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. The Mitch Spinach children’s book series has the power to significantly change the way that children eat because it actually prompts children to ask for healthy food without preaching to them about the benefits of a healthy diet. 
 
The Mitch Spinach
website features creative, multidisciplinary lesson plans and outlines the importance of sound nutrition. Kids can print educational games, such as crossword puzzles and word searches that pertain to the healthy foods used in the books to reinforce what they have learned.

A new resource to help you in your quest to adopt a healthy lifestyle as a family, the Mitch Spinach book series can make your transition even easier. When kids start asking their parents for broccoli, carrots, or flax seeds because they want to be like Mitch Spinach, your own healthy choices will seem effortless and fun!

To get kids on the right track with healthy eating, order your copy of The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach and the brand new
Mitch Spinach and the Smell of Victory by visiting the website.

Stay tuned for Part II: 
10 Secrets to Get Your Kids to Eat More Fruits and Veggies



Editor's Note: A big thank you to the authors for addressing such a timely issue, and working to fix the problem by creating a tool for parents (and teachers) to use to encourage kids to eat their fruits and vegetables. I highly recommend this wonderful book. Check out my review on
Vegbooks. Here is a printable memory card game that features fruits and vegetables.


Hillary Feerick and Jeff Hillenbrand have been married for 15 years and have two young children, a girl and a boy. Months before their first child was born, they began to delve more deeply into infant and maternal nutrition. Compelled by the difficulties of raising healthy children in a fast-paced, junk-food-filled world, they decided to combine their expertise in health (Jeff holds a BS in exercise science) and writing (Hillary holds a BA and MA in English and is an English teacher) to create Mitch Spinach, a healthy role model for children.
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Vegan Family Safaris by Liz Longacre

2/7/2012

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I'm excited to share this post. Liz Longacre, the founder of Gentle Living talks about my two favorite things-- traveling and animals! She just came back from a vegan safari in Africa and below she tells us all about it. Safaris are a wonderful way to introduce kids to wild animals instead of at zoos, aquariums, animal shows and other "entertainment" venues. Read on to find out how you can take your family on an animal-friendly vegan safari...  

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Liz Longacre, founder of Gentle Living

Guest post by Liz Longacre, founder of Gentle Living
Traveling abroad as a vegan can get tricky. Some countries just aren’t as vegan-friendly as others. Traveling with vegan children gets even more complicated. Going on an African safari as a vegan family? Impossible?

Where are you going to find food? Will your tour guides make sure your vegan requirements are taken care of? Will you have to feed your children junk food the whole time to get by? 
 
While veganism is growing, the travel industry is a long way away from truly recognizing this market. And unfortunately, animals are often exploited through tourism instead of protected by it.

When I started selling vegan safaris in Tanzania through my boutique travel company, Your Time Travels, I had no idea if they were going to work well. Would my local guides take vegan restrictions seriously? Is veganism even understood in Tanzania? Would they really deliver on everything I was asking them to do?

Somehow I serendipitously lucked out and found local guides in Tanzania, a top safari destination, who go above and beyond when it comes to my very detailed vegan safari food requirements. Unlike most local guides who I’ve presented this request to, they actually seem to enjoy the challenge of creating vegan safaris. They’ve been the most amazing people to work with and have delivered over and over again when it comes to making sure vegan clients are well fed. 
 
To my surprise my local guides recently invited me on a vegan safari so I could experience what I’ve been selling firsthand. Needless to say, our safari was amazing and the people I work with were even more wonderful than I imagined. Below are some pictures of the amazing, healthy and fresh food we ate in Tanzania. 
 
Traveling on safari with a company that doesn’t take your food requirements seriously can be tricky. You can’t walk to a nearby restaurant, you have to rely on your guides, your private chefs, and/or the hotels you’re staying at to make sure your food needs are being met. 

While in Africa I met another vegan couple on safari who said that once the travel company they hired took their money, they no longer cared about their food restrictions. They were not given vegan meals and they both ended up getting food poisoning and being sick for four days straight. What a way to ruin a safari!


Family Safaris
Safaris are a great travel option for families (provided a doctor approves any necessary vaccinations and malaria pills for your children). If you’re vegan, you likely don’t take your children to many zoos or circuses to see animals, as so many other parents do. On safari you get to introduce your children to the animal world as it should be, where animals are roaming free in protected parks living the way nature intended. Tourist dollars are what protect these parks from poachers and land destruction.   
 
Note: Unfortunately there are some people who choose to go to Africa to kill its animals, through hunting safaris (in designated parks). Tourism allows for that. As long as you’re spending your money responsibly, you can help use tourism as a tool for animal welfare, not as a weapon against it.



 



A few ways to ensure your children love their safari adventure:

•      Go on shorter safari drives so children don’t get antsy. During the safari drives the guides make sure to educate the children on everything they’re seeing to keep them engaged. Some of the animals they’ll see in Tanzania include elephants, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, wildebeests, hippos, rhinos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, monkeys, gazelles, elands, hyenas, ostriches, and an endless variety of bird species.

•      Entertain them with a camera, binoculars and games while on safari.

•      Stay in family friendly hotels with swimming pools, TVs, soccer, cards, arts & crafts, games, and live entertainment. There are even babysitting options so parents can have some time alone.

•      Introduce them to local tribes to learn cultural dances and traditions.

•      Explore different national parks each day with different
concentrations of animal species.

•      Arrange outdoor picnic lunches.

•      Visit a local orphanage.

•      End your vacation on the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar, islands off the coast of Tanzania, where children can enjoy the beach and swimming pool.

As an animal lover, being on safari was an emotionally moving experience. You’re surrounded by animals and nature for as far as you can see. It was so nice to be in a country where there were no elephant rides or other animal performances. Just animals roaming freely. A lion even walked over to our truck to lie in the shade of our vehicle after it was done eating (not a usual occurrence) and herds of elephants seemed to constantly appear out of nowhere. What a great way to educate your children on the animal kingdom.


If you are interested in booking a vegan family safari, you can contact Liz at liz@gentlelivingonline.com. For more information on these safaris click here. To see a sample family safari itinerary click here. 
 

Editor's Note: Having been to Africa, I can attest to the fact that there is no place on earth like it. In 2002, I went to South Africa for 9-weeks and volunteered helping animals. It was one of the best experiences of my life. That is why I plan on taking my daughter there once she gets a little bit older. I want her to see wild animals living in their natural environment. As she gets older she will understand (and hopefully embrace) the many reasons why we avoid artifical places where animals live such as zoos, aquariums, circuses and other venues in which animals are denied many of their basic instincts, desires, and needs, and often suffer from loneliness, fear, anxiety and despair.

Liz Longacre is the founder of Gentle Living. Gentle Living addresses all aspects of living a gentle but powerful life. From self-love, to animal welfare, to travel, to home decor, to ethical beauty & fashion, to an advice column, it’s all gentle; not weak, just gentle. Being gentle is sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for yourself and the world around you. Gentle Living has a travel department called Your Time Travels. 
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Tips for Raising Humane Kids by Zoe Weil

2/1/2012

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I'm honored to introduce this next post by Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education. Zoe is a leader in her field, and an inspiration to those who seek to make the world a kinder, more sustainable and just place for all (including animals). In this post she offers useful tips on how to raise a humane child in challenging times. A great post to share with other parents and educators.
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Guest post by Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education

When asked about their deepest hopes for their children, most parents don’t mention elite colleges, the best outfits, high SAT scores, athletic prowess, or future prom queens. Above all, most parents want their children to be happy and kind. They want them to have abiding values that will carry them through life and enable them to be good, hard-working, successful people whom others like and respect. They want them to make healthy and wise choices and put their talents and skills into practice in meaningful ways. In a word, they want their children to be humane, embodying the best qualities of human beings.

Raising a humane child is challenging in today’s world. Parents are often raising their children in opposition to cultural norms. While today’s society promotes materialism, junk food, myopia, and endless competition, many parents want their children to experience wonder, to be healthy and wise, and to learn to collaborate. These parents are often trying to inculcate awe, compassion, gratitude and respect for self and others (including the natural world and other species), while their culture is busy producing ever more entitled,“screen-addicted” teenagers. It’s not an easy task to raise children even within a culture that supports one’s values, but it’s much harder when one’s deepest values are contradicted daily, in school, through the media, and within mainstream culture.




What’s a parent to do?

By utilizing the tools of the humane educator, parents can challenge cultural norms and raise their children to embrace those values their family holds dear. Humane educators rely on four key elements to teach children how they can be conscientious choicemakers and engaged changemakers and to put their deepest values into practice in concrete, practical ways. They are:

• To provide accurate information (in age appropriate ways) about the challenges of our time
• To foster the 3 Cs of curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking
• To instill the 3 Rs of reverence, respect, and responsibility
• To offer positive choices and the tools for problem-solving

Finally,
humane educators seek to model their message for their students by cultivating the 3 Is of inquiry, introspection, and integrity so that they, themselves, are lifelong learners who seek out knowledge that will allow them to live more humanely, who self reflect to understand where the confluence of their new knowledge and their actions lies, and who live with integrity to the best of their ability putting their values into action.

Parents can do this, too. By choosing humane products and foods, going outside in nature instead of to the mall, living consciously and conscientiously, they will model their own message of humane living. The next step is becoming their children’s first humane educator and teaching them about the challenges of our time. While it’s very important that parents don’t expose their young children to atrocities, by nurturing their reverence for others, human and nonhuman as well as the natural world, and by slowly introducing information in age appropriate ways, fostering their critical and creative thinking about that information, and offering them opportunities to make a difference, parents can raise their children to be humane. 

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Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times by Zoe Weil


For those parents interested in learning more about how to do this, I invite you to read my book, Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times and to register for the Institute for Humane Education’s online course for parents, “Raising a Humane Child.”



Editor's Note
: If you are an educator, please sign up for Teaching for a Positive Future - a 6-week online course for only $135 to learn skills, tools and insight for teaching students critical and creative thinking about social justice, environmental  ethics and animal protection. It's money well spent.

I've read both,
Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times and Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life by Zoe Weil and they are both excellent books. They will inspire you to change your way of thinking, and you'll look at many things including current systems, industries, products and habits/traditions in a new light. I highly recommend these books for individuals, parents and educators who want to make the world a better place for all.

You can follow the Institute for Humane Education's blog:
Humane Connection.




Zoe Weil
is the president of the Institute for Humane Education, which offers online graduate programs in humane education through an affiliation with Valparaiso University, online professional development courses, Summer Institutes for educators, and free, downloadable activities and lesson plans at its awarding winning resource center on its website: www.HumaneEducation.org. Zoe is the author of The Power and Promise of Humane Education; Nautilus Silver Medal winner Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life; Above All, Be Kind:Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times, and Moonbeam Gold Medal winner for juvenile fiction, Claude and Medea, which follows the adventures of 12-year-olds in New York City who are inspired by an eccentric teacher to right wrongs where they find them. She has given an acclaimed TEDx talk, “The World Becomes What You Teach” 
and blogs at www.zoeweil.com. Zoe holds master’s degrees from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. You can follow her on Twitter at ZoeWeil and become her friend on Facebook.
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    About Me

    Robyn Moore is a mom to two kids, whom she and her husband are raising vegan. She has a master's degree in elementary education. She has a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University and a certificate in Humane Education from the Institute for Humane Education. She has organized the kids area at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival since 2013, and is the organizer of NYC Vegetarian & Vegan Families Meetup, a book reviewer for VegBooks, and has taught English in Nepal, volunteered helping animals in South Africa, and lived abroad in Switzerland.

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