Can anyone recommend a book that provides vitamin & mineral details for common foods (for a child)?
NewMomAt36 asked:
What I’m looking for is a book that is somewhat child friendly, that would allow my niece to say “hmm, if I eat broccoli for dinner, what vitamins and minerals will I be getting?” I don’t want only the basic nutrition labels — carbs, protein, fat isn’t all we’re after, though it would be great if that information were present. What I want is for her to be able to know that she’ll get iron if she eats broccoli, she’ll get vitamin k if she eats spinach, she’ll get omega-3 from fish, etc. Does anyone know of such a book? The book does NOT need to be made specifically for kids, on the other hand it probably shouldn’t be a medical textbook, either. An added bonus would be the reverse ability (she can look up a vitamin or nutrient and find a list of foods that contain that vitamin or nutrient). As a second added bonus, it would be terrific if the book also outlined what each vitamin/mineral/nutrient does for our bodies. Multiple books would be fine! Thanks in advance.
In case it wasn’t clear, I’m not looking for information on how to lose weight, fast or otherwise.
Thanks for the great answer, Dr. P! Unfortunately I’m in the US, not the UK. And a tiny bit more kid-oriented would be good, if it exists. I found one possible answer DK Publishing has a book called “Food” that looks promising, but I very much welcome any other ideas.
Lower Cholesterol Level
What I’m looking for is a book that is somewhat child friendly, that would allow my niece to say “hmm, if I eat broccoli for dinner, what vitamins and minerals will I be getting?” I don’t want only the basic nutrition labels — carbs, protein, fat isn’t all we’re after, though it would be great if that information were present. What I want is for her to be able to know that she’ll get iron if she eats broccoli, she’ll get vitamin k if she eats spinach, she’ll get omega-3 from fish, etc. Does anyone know of such a book? The book does NOT need to be made specifically for kids, on the other hand it probably shouldn’t be a medical textbook, either. An added bonus would be the reverse ability (she can look up a vitamin or nutrient and find a list of foods that contain that vitamin or nutrient). As a second added bonus, it would be terrific if the book also outlined what each vitamin/mineral/nutrient does for our bodies. Multiple books would be fine! Thanks in advance.
In case it wasn’t clear, I’m not looking for information on how to lose weight, fast or otherwise.
Thanks for the great answer, Dr. P! Unfortunately I’m in the US, not the UK. And a tiny bit more kid-oriented would be good, if it exists. I found one possible answer DK Publishing has a book called “Food” that looks promising, but I very much welcome any other ideas.
Lower Cholesterol Level
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Hello
That’s a pretty hard question to answer. I’ll just assume that your niece is old enough to understand the role Iron, Vitamin K etc play in her health, and so the book will both stimulate her curiosity and educate her too.
If you are living in the UK, you can buy a book called: McCance and Widdowson it’s in it’s 6th edition now (see link). This is a standard textbook for dietitians and it lists around 1200 foods commonly eaten in the UK and their macro and micro nutrient contents.
The other text book would be DRV for the UK (see 2nd link) this details the amounts of each of these vits and minerals required in all age ranges and details their physiological functions.
I’m afraid neither of these books are child friendly, but are standard reading for anybody working in nutrition/dietetics – they may help you gain a better understanding and pass on that knowledge to your niece through shopping/recipes/food related activities.
Hope that’s a little helpful
Dr P