Feed Your Family Right!: How to Make Smart Food and Fitness Choices for a Healthy Lifestyle

Eliza Zied
Wiley (2007)
ISBN 047177894X
Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (4/07)

Not every child likes vegetables.  Some families are really busy.  Most families like to eat in restaurants.  Women gain weight with pregnancies.  Elisa Zied, a dietician, knows this.  She wrote “Feed Your Family Right!” with this in mind.  She, too, struggled with her weight, so she can relate to all these issues.

Zied writes in a simple manner that allows everyone to understand the basics of good nutrition.  There are charts that break down the information in easy-to-digest form; pun intended.  She includes recipes; however, I do not think anyone should tamper with homemade macaroni and cheese.  Just leave the fat in that dish.

Certain conditions, such as pregnancy and diabetes are discussed.  Practical advice is given.  Fitness is stressed.  She explains different levels of exercise and their benefits. 

Zied mentions a common problem:  being too busy to work out.  She mentions that although it is best to work out for at least 30 minutes straight, breaking that into intervals is better than nothing. 

Portion size is stressed, especially when dining out.  She teaches the readers to associate fitness and nutrition with positives.  Instead of telling your child not to eat another bowl of ice-cream, because they will get fat, tell them that eating nutritious foods makes them run faster, jump higher…..She also warns against making children eat everything on their plates.

Zied explains to parents that we must lead by example.  Having overweight parents increases the likelihood that the children will become obese; therefore, mothers should not feel guilty for exercising instead of cleaning, cooking, playing Legos……

Make fitness fun for the entire family.  Do not let your children sit in front of the television all day.  Do not let them become Game Boy addicts.  Go play soccer, jump on a trampoline, or go swimming. 

Elize Zied has written the perfect nutrition guide for families.  Her expertise and real-life experiences can be a learning experience for all readers.  Buy the book and begin the journey to fitness presented in “Feed Your Family Right!”

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