TOS Crew Review - Nutrition 101 - Choose Life

Nutrition 101 - Choose Life!, available through Growing Healthy Homes, is a 448-page nutrition and health resource, written by and for homeschooling families. The book includes 6 Units, and each Unit has 4 Chapters, making it perfect for a year-long study into the science of the human body and nutrition. Each chapter contains discussion questions, activities, power recipes, and additional resources. At the end of the book there are Appendices - 31 of them!

The body systems discussed in each Unit include:

• The Brain and Nervous System
• The Digestive System
• The Respiratory, Olfactory, Auditory and Visual Systems,
  
• The Skeletal and Muscular Systems
• The Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
• The Endocrine System and Emotions

The chapters within the Units describe how each system functions, what foods are essential for that system to work properly, illnesses that can affect that system, and the nutrition that can help prevent, treat, or manage those illnesses. Foods to avoid and other health tips are also discussed.

Here are my thoughts about the book:

WOW!!! I love this book!

OK, I'll say more because that would be the shortest review I've ever written.

"Nutrition 101 - Choose Life" is a literal treasure trove of information about living a healthy lifestyle - it combines the why and how to do it, and takes it even deeper - teaching the actual science behind how proper (and improper) nutrition affects all of our body systems! A nutrition and anatomy book all rolled into one, this book is not just for homeschool students - anyone who is interested in learning about nutrition can greatly benefit from this!

Beyond the easy-to-read chapters and the wealth of information contained within them, I was floored by the Appendices. Topics ranging from vitamin and mineral charts, to shopping lists and guides for picking the best produce and vegetables, to the best sources of essential fatty acids, calcium, and fiber, to how to bake with whole grains, and even touching on household toxins and natural alternatives... they are OVERFLOWING with useful and beneficial information.

Oh, and the recipes - did I mention those? As well as at the end of each Chapter, there are also recipes in the Appendices , and we have taste-tested a few of them - they pass the "easy to make and yummy to eat" test with flying colors at our house! And they're healthy!! Awesome!

Beyond all that, it also offers tips on how to transition to a healthier lifestyle. That was such a blessing for me to read, because it is all too easy to try to jump on the "healthy" bandwagon, get overwhelmed, and quit. (Ask me how I know!) Having someone "hold my hand" and lay out small, simple steps showing me how to get started will definitely produce long-term benefits.

The age range is wide for this book. It is very easily adaptable for younger children (just touching on basics and doing some of the activities and making the recipes), but I would say as a curriculum, it is just right for the middle-school/high-school age level. However, I know this book will be one that I refer to again and again throughout the years, even when I'm not using it as a curriculum!

I would consider it a must-read for anyone trying to make their homes healthier. Homeschooling or not, parents or not... everyone and anyone can benefit from the knowledge within this book!

Nutrition 101 is available for purchase in 3 different formats: Book ($99.95), CD-ROM ($79.95), or Book and CD-ROM together ($129.95). There is also a multiple user licence available for co-op use. If that price seems steep, never fear - I have a discount code available for you! Use the code TOScrew11 at checkout for 15% off your entire purchase!

See what other Crew Members thought by checking out their reviews at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog!

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.