Title: Dr. Sears’ LEAN Kids
Author: Dr. William Sears, M.D.
Price: $14.95 US
Overall Rating: **** (4 out of 5 stars)
Review:
This is a nutrition and lifestyle change book for families concerned with or experiencing weight challenges with their children. The LEAN program stands for ‘Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude and Nutrition’ and that is exactly how the program is broken down. This is not a diet book or a fad parenting strategy. It is a tried and well researched and supported way of living that the author himself has chosen to live after leading his own life of weight struggles and obesity.
The Good: I found the suggestions for diet, attitude and lifestyle to be excellent. These are gentle ways to handle self-esteem issues related to obesity, teach nutrition to children and make them proactive participants in their own food choices, putting them in the driver’s seat. I liked the encouragement for families to keep physical together and to use elements of play to get physical. I also liked the suggested use of the pedometer.
The Bad: I thought the physical fitness test was over the top and unrealistic even for children who are of average fitness, ability and weight. Also it required tools that most people don’t have at their disposal (like a fat caliper for properly determining body mass). I also thought that the goals for physical education were unrealistic for many children who have school and homework to attend to daily. Of course this isn’t the fault of the author – our children are way too busy these days. But the requirements for different sorts of physical activity added up to what is probably an unattainable goal for many children.
Overall: This is a great book that sets the path to healthy living for all children and adults, overweight, underweight or in a healthy weight zone. The book encourages so much more than just weight control, focusing more on the mental and emotional changes we can make to our lives that will so largely impact our bodies, minds and souls. It did not feel like a “diet book” and it seemed, overall, a very realistic book and a program that all parents and lifestyles could follow without too many unrealistic changes. I highly recommend this book for any parent interested in food and how it relates to our children from infancy through adulthood.
Check out the Lean Kids Website for more information or to order the book.
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