Chapter four is about how to introduce healthy foods to a child without rebellion through the various stages of their development, from prenatal on through teens. This chapter is loaded with helpful suggestions about what to consume, how to monitor food choices, and how to push them onto the child in a way that is not off-putting. She gives suggested feeding patterns and basic hints (such as make food look and taste good). it's practical advice that any parent can manage.
Chapter five traverses the world of additives, pesticides, household toxins, and the microwave. Her main point is to show how exposure to such things damages the immune system and has negative consequences in the life of the child. She takes her information mainly from Poisoning Our Children by Nancy Sokol Green.
Chapters six through ten give more advice on nutrition and health. These are the most informative chapters, chock full of facts about the effects...
She discusses how to control allergies, what the nutritional requirements (vitamins and minerals) are for children at various ages, what family activities to do with children that build fitness, and how to identify and handle common childhood ailments (such as colds, rashes, ADD, and obesity).
In the final sections, Townsley compares different brands (of cereal, soda, cakes, snacks and soups, for example) and gives dozens of recipes. At the back are lists of natural food companies and alternative health care resources.
The book is not scientifically researched. It avoids complicated references and arguments. It is primarily a motivational guide focused on bolstering childhood health based upon the author's own beliefs and experience. Its best quality perhaps is in all the resources it lists. If taken as such, it can be a practical and easy help in changing patterns of childcare related to health.
