Kids Books That Make Your Kids 96% More Likely to Eat Their Veggies

Online, November 21, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Kids books with super powers are needed today with the bleak health forecasts for children growing up in a junk food nation. Many health experts have predicted that this new generation may not outlive their parents. Rates of childhood obesity, type II diabetes, ADD, ADHD, chronically low immune systems and other nutrition-related diseases are on the rise, and national campaigns focused on childhood nutrition-related health problems and on unhealthy school lunches have brought the gravity of the health crisis involving American children to the forefront. Parents are struggling to raise healthy kids in a fast-food and junk-food filled world.

What can you do when your children refuse to eat anything green and seem to subsist on chicken-fingers and French fries alone?

Start with a colorfully illustrated book called The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach.™

As adults and educators, we know that good nutrition fosters academic and athletic performance, but getting kids to understand the importance of healthy eating can be a daunting task. While textbooks and food pyramids are one form of promoting the message, they are not the most stimulating or successful pedagogical models for the elementary school student. As with any subject, children need fun and entertaining ways to learn material. What is one of the most effective ways to teach an elementary school child a concept? Through a story, of course. The subtlety of fiction enables children to learn without even realizing that they are learning.

While many kids 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 Secret Life of Mitch Spinach 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.

Parents, Jeff Hillenbrand and Hillary Feerick-Hillenbrand, were frustrated by the lack of a healthy role model for their children (ages 5 and 6). They decided to combine their expertise in health (Jeff holds a BS in exercise physiology) and writing (Hillary holds a BA and MA in English and is an English teacher) to create Mitch Spinach, a cool, fun, hero who solves mysteries at Sunchoke Elementary and gets his super powers from eating fruits and vegetables.

They partnered with Joel Fuhrman, M.D., leading expert on nutrition and author of Disease Proof Your Child and Eat to Live. Dr. Fuhrman has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows, including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, "Good Morning America," and many more. He has demonstrated that good health begins in childhood, and scientific evidence suggests that the food children eat in the first 10 years of their lives can have a critical and profound effect on their life-long health. Dr. Fuhrman now presides over the nutritional and medical aspects of the Mitch Spinach mission, ensuring that the information presented in the book and on the website are based on sound medical and nutritional evidence.

The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach includes a kid-friendly recipe and a "Secrets for Parents and Teachers" section that explains many of the nutritional concepts alluded to in the adventure. The Mitch Spinach website features creative, multidisciplinary lesson plans and outlines the importance of good 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.

Compelled to share the message with as many families and schools as possible, Jeff Hillenbrand and Hillary Feerick have launched the Mitch Spinach Fundraising Program to generate what they call "healthy" revenue for schools and non-profits. So schools can earn up to $6 per book at their next fundraiser instead of selling candy bars. "This is a win-win event for schools and for parents interested in getting their kids to eat more fruits and veggies. And what parent doesn't want that?" says Jeff. Parents and grandparents, of course, catch the allusion to their old friend Popeye, and kids love hearing about the new super kid on the block, Mitch Spinach.