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Eat This Not That is a wake up call on nutritional facts like calories, fats and sugar content in the foods we consume at restaurants, over the holidays, purchase at the grocery store and even through vending machines.
My teenage son loves Eat This Not That. Keeping it out on the coffee table counter attacks those food commercials that entice teenagers with energy drinks, coffees, juices, cereal bars and the fast food joints.
He is constantly showing me another two-page spread that explores the good and bad at some of his favorite spots. The colorful images will whet your appetite, until you notice the caloric content.
Here is an example of some of my son's favorite items that luckily were found under Eat This:
- Baskin-Robbins 2-Scoop Hot Fudge Sundae
- Burger King Small Onion Rings
- Carl's Jr. Chocolate Cake
- Cold Stone Creamery Cake Batter Ligth Ice Cream
- Domino's 2 Slices Crunchy Thin Crust Pizza
- In-N-Out Burger Cheeseburger
- McDonald's 6 piece Chicken McNuggets
His favorite items under Not This:
- Burger King Small French Fris
- Carl's Jr. CrissCut Fries
- Denny's Buttermilk Pancake Platter
- In-N-Out Burger French Fries
- In-N-Out Burger Grilled Cheese
- McDonald's Hotcakes with Butter and Syrup
- Wendy's 2 Junior Cheeseburgers
Many of the Restaurants listed are for other regions of the country. My son did notice that his favorite restaurant was not even listed - IHOP. I also did not find Round Table Pizza or White Castle in Eat This Not That.
There is also a listing of the 20 worst foods in America, 8 Foods you should eat everyday (Spinach, Carrots and Tomatoes are on the list and what we keep on stock at home) a menu decoder, holidays and special occassions. My son loves the pie chart and wants to taste them all. They cover Easter Baskets, Thanksgiving dinners, ballparks and movies. Junior mints are in, Twizzler and M&Ms are out. For Halloween Skittles and Payday rule while Almond Joy and Tootsie Roll are not an option.
The Supermarket section covers cereals, breads, condiments, spreads, soups, frozen treats, beef entrees, cheeses, deli meats and pasta sauces. My son has stopped consuming some of the Not That options like Reese's peanut butter cups, pop tarts, mini muffins, and I started buying Baked Lay's chips. We already use the lite syrup option, as well as the recommended peanut butter, butter and jam brands. He has cut out the Gatorade and is drinking Orange Juice and Lemonade as listed in Eat This Not That.
My teenage son is learning more about food options and making comparisons of items that are in the same food group with different ingredients. I highly recommend this book for any household that has a growing teen that needs some visual motivation to change their eating behavior toward more healthy foods.
Eat This Not That is a great resource for all family members to take note of. You can purchase a copy on Amazon. This is a book you will want to take with you on vacation so you can pick your dining options wisely.
More articles on this topic:
Teens Eating Habits
How to Feed A Teenage Boy Book Review
A Visual Recipe Cookbook to Help Teens with Disabilities
Bonnie is a freelance writer/editor that has many Autism Family Adventures and writes about Autism Spectrum Disorders
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Feeding by Age 
