Living to Eat and Eating to Live

by Milt Chaikin

After reading Bernice Stock’s delicious and nutritious cookbook for parents and their children, it reminded me of an article I wrote for Bernice’s publication, To Your Health. It was called “Our Kids Deserve More Than Academics”. The article talked about what children eat and how it affects their behavior and performance in school and at home.

More than children’s behavior and performance is at stake, however. The public is learning about the seriousness of poor nutrition as the incidence of adult diabetes, heart disease and obesity is diagnosed in children. If this doesn’t serve as a wake-up call, then we are in for a troublesome future.

Countless studies have reported that young Americans do not consume the RDA levels of vitamin B-6, folic acid, magnesium and zinc. Why? Answer: To begin with, refined flour, processed oils and fried foods are used in many homes and school cafeterias. Also, sugary drinks, potato chips and other empty calorie snacks make up the standard American diet.
 
Today it’s hard to claim a lack of information on the subject of nutrition and diet. In fact, people are somewhat overwhelmed by books, magazines, newsletters and TV news reports on how badly we adults and children eat. So, what’s going on? It’s actually become more complicated. Just look at the information on food labels, for instance. The concept of good fats/bad fats is driving some people crazy. Vitamin E was good; now it’s bad. What’s a parent to do?

A few things parents and teachers can do is to focus on the youngest children whose minds and behaviors are ripe for learning. It’s the parents who must assume the major responsibility for shaping the tastes and eating habits of children. A good start in life goes a long way. Hence, the importance of a book like Let’s Cook Together. It provides a rare opportunity for the family to create something together: a meal that involves sharing and cooperation, with the result that something new and important has been accomplished. It’s an education in progress that goes beyond good health. In this case it’s a process of exploration and learning about the variety and abundance of foods, raw and cooked, that brings joy to their hearts and stomachs. Here is a good example of living to eat and eating to live. Not only do the children and adults enjoy what they prepare; they are growing up healthy and strong, minimizing the incidence of obesity, preventing diabetes and setting the stage for healthy immune and cardiovascular systems.

Another good reason for doing the Bernice Stock thing is to protect against the television commercials, particularly focused on young children. What are advertised to children are generally not the foods of which nutritious meals are made. If it isn’t candy or soft drinks and meals intended for small children (i.e., fast foods) – it is a concoction loaded with bad fat, salt or sugar, additives, preservatives and without natural fiber. These experiences have to be denied and/or explained to children and not offered as a reward for good behavior. 

We have learned from bitter experience that we can’t depend on the schools, the industrial farms, the manufacturers of packaged foods and the medical profession. If we are to stem the tide of childhood obesity and hypertension, the home must become the bastion of good sense and responsible nutrition education. A good start for a young family is to get a copy of Let’s Cook Together by the veteran educator and childhood nutrition expert, Bernice Stock.

Wow! 45 Little Ones!

How exciting it was to have the opportunity to demonstrate a Let’s Cook Together workshop. We expected 15 to 20 four-to-seven–year-old tykes accompanied by adults at the local library. To my chagrin, 45 energetic little ones (plus adults, including some grandmas), appeared and they were earlier than expected! My most appreciated assistants, Cheryl and Ricki, and I jostled around to make this a most fun-filled event.

With some effort, the bouncy little ones were finally seated in a large circle on the floor where we sang my lyrics to Bruce Johnston’s melody for his I Sing the Songs:

I’m here to make the whole world sing
And talk about good food.
Green veggies, fruit and so much more
Will send you on your way.
The food makes you grow strong and tall;
Builds muscles, teeth and all;
Makes you the brightest in your school,
And helps you in the pool!

There were no facilities for cooking. I arranged four tables around the perimeter of the room. The longest table featured organic vegetables and fruit. A diagram of minerals and vitamins was displayed on each table. We divided the little ones into small groups and pretended to shop. The artichoke drew unexpected attention. One little tyke recognized it as something her grandma prepared and declared she would try it next time for dinner at grandma’s. Another child remembered seeing it in a fancy restaurant. We persuaded the children to wash their hands before approaching the food tables.



The breakfast area consisted of organic, sugar-free, dry cereal. Children were encouraged to choose their own fruit from bowls of sliced banana, dried cranberries, and fresh blueberries. For the non-allergic child to nuts and plant seeds, we offered pumpkin seeds, sesame, and chopped walnuts. A variety of milk in the form of rice milk, soy milk, and organic milk were available for the cereal bowls. Announcing she was hungry, one little tyke never moved away from the breakfast table! Fortunately and gratefully, some parents agreed to assist me with the throng of children to accommodate their individual preferences and dietary requirements.

Between breakfast and lunch, we sang the Peanut Butter song and danced together. I will admit with the unplanned amount of darlings, I was dropping. I used an oral homeopathic Rescue Remedy to retain my calm.

The lunch table consisted of a large tray of baby carrots, sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red pepper. We encouraged the children to arrange a crudite on a large tray. I placed a large, scooped-out tomato in the center, and some children filled the tomato with a dip I prepared in advance. The children decoratively cut wholesome, organic bread with cookie cutters and topped it with slivers of avocado.

The children giggled as they had such fun with lunch. The menu included peanut butter, soy butter, and almond butter. The little ones were impressed with my beet-colored, hard-boiled egg, although some were very reluctant to taste it. I wish I had a cassette to record some of the cutest quips. The lunch table made such a deep impression that some children never walked toward the dessert area.

Dark chocolate batter sat on the dessert table where the children rolled chocolate balls in shredded coconut or sesame seeds (the recipe is in Let’s Cook Together). The children also filled dates with chopped nuts and rolled them in cinnamon. Cinnamon prevents the rise of blood sugar and is recommended for sweet desserts. The children were enchanted and made sweet comments when they saw the orange “boat” serving as a decoration.

I think the 45 children had a fun time. I know I did, despite the need for Rescue Remedy. I am doing more Let’s Cook Together classes shortly. This experience taught me a valuable lesson: Prepare less and let the moment take care of itself.

Book Signing

Join me, Bernice Stock, author of Let’s Cook Together–Adult and Child Cook Up a Storm for Fun and Good Health. Discover how simple changes in the kitchen can produce profound results in your child’s life.



Do our children require supplements?
Do our children need to go Back to Basics?
Our children need high-quality, nourishing food and the opportunity to cook with an adult or family members at meal time.
 
The benefits? Healthy muscular kids with no ear infections, diabetes or other medical conditions. Let’s give our future generation the opportunity for vibrancy and the bounce for every ounce they possess.

Date: Saturday, September 15, 2007, noon to 3:00 PM

Location: Total Nutrition
120 Route 110
Farmingdale, NY
Next to Gold’s Gym

For more information, call 631-385-8546.

Who is Gi-Gi Stock?

Gi-Gi. This is the way my great-grandchildren address their feisty, involved grandma. It is because of them that I wrote Let’s Cook Together–Adult and Child Cook Up a Storm for Fun and Good Health!

I have a dream. In my dream I see alert, healthy, muscular and educable children who rarely, if ever, have ear infections or require antibiotics. In this dream the children are well fed and are chomping on raw vegetables as soon as they are able to chew. They do not eat excessive sugar or consume trans fats from burgers or french fries. They sometimes shop with an adult and are given the opportunity to learn about and choose nourishing food. Sometimes they share in the food preparation and then carry their creations into the setting of a family seated TOGETHER (with no TV in evidence).

When I became a great-grandma, I could not sit by and observe the poor way loving moms would feed their children. Since my family would not listen to me even if I dared speak up, I wrote Let’s Cook Together. It was a carryover venture when, after 20 years, I was forced to discontinue the publication of To Your Health Magazine [TYH]–The Magazine of Healing and Hope. Now Let's Cook Together has become my new challenge.

The focus of TYH was how one can become responsible for one's health, utilizing prevention to heal ourselves. So often, many of us are not tuned into our bodies. Wellness and new modalities was our thrust. It was the right moment, for the population was becoming aware of these new possibilities.

Although TYH touched on children’s issues, the bulk of our articles were dedicated to adults. But now is the time to focus on our children. It is not easy to turn a child away from the media that displays glistening french fries and big cheese burgers; however, in Let’s Cook Together, I offer wonderful recipes and suggestions so that children can be enticed to do so.

Our children are our future—so let’s make the change together!!!!